Here is drawing number four (part of a series on our 8 senses, scroll back to see my previous drawings!) ✏️ which is all about auditory processing and dealing with sound….
- Water flowing is something I find really calming to listen to and grounding, keeping me present in the moment. I love listening to the sea, and running baths whilst sat and listening is something I find very theraputic (to the extent where I’ll ask my family if anyone is planning on having a bath so I can listen!)
- Surprise noises! Ugh they are the worst and I think alot of people will be able to resonate with me on this one. I’m talking about abrupt fireworks, loud babies and children crying (makes me feel upset / emotional I have no idea why), noisy clocks ticking, loud sneezes, that sort of thing.
- The sound of nature is fab. Just getting out and away from screens and noisy town traffic for a walk has definitely been something I’ve been enjoying over the past few months.
- Noisy eaters…I appreciate a lot of people don’t know that they eat nosily or actually might not be noisy eaters but I LITERALLY PICK UP ON EVERY SOUND around me which is frustrating! Also weird sensory thing: I cannot stand the noise of drinks pouring. I don’t know what it is but I hate the ‘glug’ / ‘glugging’ sound as it pours into a cup – it sets me on edge.
- Repetitive sounds, I understand that these are important, such as ambulance sirens, loud halers, fire alarms, they are alerting us to important things. It’s just they can make me jump and feel overwhelmed / unsettled very quickly. I’m an expert at masking this when I am out and about.
- Music and podcasts are something I naturally gravitate towards. I am definitely more into podcasts than I am music (I get songs stuck in my head very easily which is very annoying so I can never listen to music in the evening otherwise I go to bed with a song on loop in my head!). I like to work and listen to podcasts on loads of different topics such as crime, policing, graphic design, illustration, autism, mental health, self care, science, technology, etc.
- Construction and building work…again I’m sure lots of people can relate to this one! There is nothing worse sensory-wise then the constant background noise of construction work. It’s unpredictable, varies in noise levels and can mess with my mood instantly.
- Hearing protection is THE BEST! Ear plugs, earphones, over ear headphones, wireless headphones, ear defenders the list goes on. They can really help surviving in loud environments and blocking out varying levels of sound.
Let me know how you cope with sound and which sounds you love / hate in the comments below!
Also…I released a new podcast episode yesterday…
Episode 23: Special Guest, Allie from @whensouthmetnorth
In this episode I was joined by the the super lovely Allie (@whensouthmetnorth). Allie is an autistic creative and advocate who alongside her current postgraduate study (a masters degree in Education Research at the University of Oxford) is also a research consultant for Neuropool which is a start-up for supporting neurodivergent people run by neurodivergent people. Allie has a special interest in creative writing and is a published poet. She is currently writing a novel and also drafting her first ever play script, which features an autistic protagonist.
So here’s what we chat about:
- All things autism related…her journey to diagnosis and her autism assessment experience
- Life throughout secondary school and university and coping in a sensory world
- We touch on relationships with friends, family and partners
- And…annoying noises we both can’t tolerate!
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21andsensory 