This is a drawing I did which I found whilst clearing out my bedroom. It’s probably 2-3 years old but I felt it was still relevant to me today. The lines represent music ‘faders’ like you see a DJ or radio station using. My bodies ‘faders’ are always on full 24/7. This is very hard to deal with 😓
Sometimes I can hide my sensory problems. Other times I can’t and I erupt into a meltdown and have weird and unexplainable emotions. But I’m learning each day that this is how I am. I cannot change my sensory processing disorder. But I can damn well try hard to manage it ✨
I have no real routine at the moment (uni has finished and I graduate in a month) apart from work every weekend. This is hard but is one of the reasons I’m actually looking forward to getting a full-time job
Does anybody else feel like their ‘faders’ are always turned up to the highest sensory setting? How do you cope when you feel overwhelmed? Feel free to share in the comments below!
21andsensory 
I really enjoy reading your blogs. I have a 4 year old autistic son that also has SPD. You give me an insight to his world and with reading your experiences I can try my best to help him and help others understand him 🙂
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Awwwwww! thanks so much that’s means a lot to me thank you for commenting. I’m so pleased that you’re finding what I wrote helpful 😊
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I love your illustration! My hearing for high pitched things are like this as well as fluorescent light and any sudden sound. My reaction is cringing, getting immediately angry. I’m under sensitive with touch and pain but not always in the same places winch is odd. I get incredibly emotional when listening to beautiful music and end up crying almost instantly because it’s so wonderful yet overwhelming for the senses at the same time. Aren’t the SPD community so similar yet so unique at the same time ^_^
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Aww thank you very much! It’s interesting to hear about how sounds and lights affect you but touch doesn’t as much…and it’s amazing how you react to music! Thats exactly what I think we are literally all so similar but completely unique and different all at the same time!
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Yep, system always on high alert. I can deaden it a little by using my calming methods – brushing, music, dark, deep pressure and favourite smells. But I’m always aware that things can change at any moment. Still learn virtually daily some new “weird” feature e.g. only recently discovered that I don’t know what “hot” is my “hot” is angry. Suspect my cold is anxious – hence why I’m always cold. But they are so interlinked e.g. I can actually just be hot but think I’m angry, or angry and it makes me hot. So bloody confusing but certainly not dull. I love reading about the experience of others with SPD, such a fascinating world! YOu write beautifully to describe yours, thank you.
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Thank you for commenting 🙂 IM ALWAYS COLD TOO. It’s so confusing isn’t it?! Deep pressure and brushing really help me too but I fall out of the routine of doing them regularly which doesn’t help. It is super fascinating and hopefully more awareness will help others to understand how we feel daily. Good luck with everything and thank you 🙂
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Hi Emily. Like your website, Twitter feeds and your podcasts. They have been very helpful. Your diagram has made me think and the conclusion I came to for me was that hearing, touch and sight are always at 100% but that I don’t really has much of a sense of taste (as most foods taste the same and are bland)and so taste would be 10% and I don’t seem to have much of a sense of smell either so that would be 10% also. I do suffer sensory overload regularly but it is through sound and light only.
I have enjoyed reading your website and we sound very similar so I know someone else goes through what I go through every day which makes me feel less isolated. Thanks.
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Hi there! Thanks so much for your lovely comment and for reading my blog! Glad to hear it’s been helpful – it’s interesting to read that you don’t have much of a sense of taste and that sound and light cause you overloads. I’m so glad it makes you feel less isolated to read about my struggles and you are definitely not alone 🙂
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