Why restaurants are hard for me to cope with:
- Atmospheric music. Just nope. I don’t need music to eat to.
- They generally involve crowded environments – think chairs squished together and travelling through a maze of them just to get to the nearest toilet.
- If its loud I don’t know when/ don’t get the feeling I’m full – weird I know right?
- I have to take loo breaks just to sit in the quiet for a bit….
- Loud prolonged noises are physically as well as mentally draining. Whoever I’m eating with tends to get a bit annoyed as I will zone out regularly and not hear what they are saying and I can’t think properly with loud noise so I find it hard to make conversation.
- I once went to a restaurant for a friends birthday which I thought would be okay because their would only be 4 of us – I get to the restaurant and it’s like a FLIPPING CLUB atmosphere inside – waiters yelling over loud reggae music and customers being misheard. NIGHTMARE. Add to the fact that there was crazy lighting meaning I couldn’t actually see what I was eating clearly (and having to eat new things) I can quite happily say I won’t be going there ever again!
- I have SO much trouble cutting my food up. I use my knife and fork the wrong way round anyway but I do not have any cutting skills. I look like a wally trying to cut through a pizza and struggling…
- I like to sit in my coat. Everyone asks me ‘why haven’t you taken your coat off yet?’ its because I’m comfortable and its like a thick layer of protection and stops people indent know brushing up too close to me. I sometimes even wear my coat indoors at home but I’m getting better at that.
- I can’t talk and eat that well. Its one or the other people…don’t expect both at the same time! 😂
- So to sum up restaurants = hard for me.
Anyone else not a fan of restaurants? Or is there one restaurant you love and always go to?Let me know in the comments below 😉
Oh by the way just in case you wondered…
21andsensory 
Thank you so much for this post. My daughter struggles with some restaurants. She can do just fine in many but some times, what you describe in your post is happening and she can’t handle it. She can’t describe what is happening to her in those moments but I can only imagine, its a mix of what you feel…
Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not a problem! I used to never be able to put into words how I felt and adults around me used to get irritated because nothing looked wrong with me! It’s nice to know that someone else might experience the same things as me – thanks for your comment ☺️
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Almost all of the things you described happen to me! Except for the coat part. I find it very difficult to eat (or do anything, really) where there are noises, and I don’t even say loud noises because I’ve observed that sounds most people don’t even hear I find loud and uncomfortable. It makes me unfocused and anxious and the result, in the case of restaurants, is that I don’t eat at all.
I have a list of “OK restaurants to eat”, but there’s only one in that list that almost reaches my ideal conditions.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like going to restaurants, but I avoid the noisy, chaotic ones. We’re fortunate to have a couple of quiet, pleasant ones in our neighbourhood. Like you, I have trouble cutting things, but I try to order things that don’t need a lot of cutting (steak is out, for example). Fortunately, Canadians are lot more casual about things like how to hold and use cutlery than the British are. I struggle a lot when I visit Britain and know I’m expected to be more proper. About the coat thing, I do not understand why people have to constantly question things like that. Obviously if you’re continuing to wear your coat, you’re comfortable in it, so why should anyone else care? There are a lot of things I do because of my sensory issues and I get tired of constantly having to explain myself.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wish we had some quiet restaurants nearby! Its nice to know someone else struggles with cutting up too!!! I even have trouble cutting simple things like pizza I just can’t get the cutting action right! Yeah I think living in the UK isn’t helping especially as I get frowned upon for holding my knife and fork in the ‘wrong’ hand – I think that I’m able to just about use them is a miracle!! i know right I’m glad someone else shares my view on this too 🙂 I also get tired of explaining myself again and again – maybe one day people won’t keep asking :s thanks for your lovely comment 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I remember once going to TGI fridays in america and OMG so noisy! So loud! I enjoyed the food but not the environment! XX
LikeLiked by 1 person