SPD – Page 2 – 21andsensory

New Year Autistic and Sensory Struggles…📆

Hi everyone – I thought for the next post in my Sensory Series I’d discuss some New Year Autistic and Sensory Struggles…

In my Sensory Series I share text slides on different aspects of Sensory Processing (in between my regular posts of illustrations) so I can share my own outlook on all things sensory related. I thought it would be interesting to share my own experiences, tips and tricks along the way, feel free to scroll back over other posts in this series too over on my Instagram!

Please do share this post and feel free to comment down below how you cope with the New Year and any tips you have!

Image ID below.

Slide 1:

Black and white icon of a calendar with a circled tick inside to indicated a day ticked off or countdown to the New Year with text underneath:
‘New year autistic and sensory struggles…’
The a pastel green line with ‘@21andsensory‘ underneath and in the top right hand corner of the post there is a pastel green box that says ‘ SENSORY SERIES’ in to show what series the post is part of.

Slide 2:

Pastel green vertical line on left hand side of the image with text next to it:
Everything seeming a bit louder, brighter, and just generally more full-on due to desensitising to things over the break.
Looking forward to the routine or schedule that your educational or workplace setting gives you when you return again.
Worrying more about how your facial expressions and body language are coming across and mimicking other people automatically.

Slide 3:

Pastel green vertical line on left hand side of the image with text next to it:
The dread of engaging in post- Christmas small talk on return to school, college, uni, work, etc.
Not knowing how to word the start of your emails at the beginning of the New Year. (Do you have to ask people how their Christmas / New Year was…is it rude not to…)
Having to get back into the practice of maintaining eye contact with people who aren’t your immediate family or friends all over again.

Slide 4:

Pastel green vertical line on left hand side of the image with text next to it:
Not realising until you are in a safe space that you are masking more in order to cope when you are out and about…and feeling burnt out as a result.
Having to get back into tolerating specific clothing again such as formal work wear or school/work uniforms.
Panicking about have to be more ‘social’ and switched on. Also the struggle of trying not to zone out of conversations and stay present.

Slide 5:

Pastel green vertical line on left hand side of the image with text next to it:
Not having to worry about being told or asked to try out new foods and drinks and not stressing about whether you’ll have access to your usual safe comfort foods.
Getting back into the rhythm of planning out your downtime to involve special interests, hobbies and things you really love doing.
And…No more Fireworks to worry about! (For a little while at least)

Slide 6:

21andsensory logo (person holding up a white board with ’21andsensory’ on it. Underneath it says:If you like my work and you are able to, please consider supporting me via my Kofi page (link in bio). Or why not have a listen to my 21andsensory Podcast! With social media icons underneath.

Celebrating my 50th 21andsensory Podcast Episode! 🎉

Today I published my 50th 21andsensory Podcast episode! (Available wherever you get your podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc!) It’s a celebratory episode with just me doing an update and catch up so make sure you have a listen (link below this post!)

I started my podcast in August 2017 and it was literally just me talking into my voice memos on my phone. No fancy equipment whatsoever. I just decided to start chatting about my own life and my sensory struggles (little did I know I’d find out I was Autistic in 2019!)

It’s grown massively since then and from episode 17 onwards it wasn’t just me rambling on my own. I have had the pleasure of talking to a huge amount of people from all walks of life who have been so open and honest with me about their own journeys. It’s been an absolute pleasure and a joy to talk to so many people and I am constantly fascinated by what they have achieved. Also: I love nothing more than when my guests info dump about their hobbies and special interests when they come on!

I get a lot of email requests from people asking to ‘speak to my team’ about coming on my podcast and those sorts of emails always make me laugh because…it’s just little old me! I approach potential guests, create a personal podcast outline of questions each time, record, edit and publish the podcast on my own – and I absolutely love doing it. I really do love the audio format (and am a big podcast listener myself) there’s just something that feels really personal about chatting to someone in an informal and chill way.

Anyway! Here’s to more podcast episodes in the future…

Next milestone: 100 episodes!

You can listen here or below…

A few everyday things that are sensory hell…😣

Hi everyone – I thought for the next post in my Sensory Series I’d discuss a few everyday things that are sensory hell…

In my ongoing Sensory Series posts I’ll be sharing text slides on different aspects of Sensory Processing (in between my regular posts of illustrations) so I can share my own outlook on all things sensory. I thought it would be interesting to share my own experiences and tips and tricks along the way.
Feel free to scroll back over other posts in this series too over on my Instagram here.

Please do share this post and feel free to comment down below how you cope with change and any tips you have!

Image ID:

Tags and seams in clothing.
Someone brushing up against you as they walk past.
Loud unexpected noise when walking near roads (especially motorbikes and sirens on emergency vehicles).
Electrical appliances that hum, buzz or vibrate.
Forcing yourself to brush your hair and teeth despite hating it.

Socks that won’t stay up or that roll down and come off in your shoe.
Strong distracting smells like air fresheners, scented candles, perfumes, aftershaves, detergents.
Clothing sleeves that get all bunched up and roll up under your coat sleeves.
Someone lightly touching you on the arm when they are talking about you in a conversation.

Bright colourful places like shops, classrooms and workplaces that are visually disorientating and distracting.
Finding holes in the only comfy clothing you have and stressing out about finding the exact replacement.
Anything that flickers or moves too fast like: candles, lights, screens, etc.
Cooking smells and getting your hands messy when preparing food and constantly having to wash them.

Worrying about access to your safe foods constantly when out and about and when you need to stock up at home.
Keeping up a mask and an act of ‘I’m doing okay, I’m managing’ until you can get home, be yourself and stim freely.
Not listening to music and avoiding online videos because songs get stuck in your head for hours on end and this causes overwhelm.

My Autieversary…🧠

2 years ago on 8th November 2019 I was diagnosed as Autistic aged 25 (I posted this illustration I did above on Instagram on the day…but forgot to post it on my blog!). I can’t believe its been two entire years since then but everyday I am SO grateful to know that little bit more about myself.

Did I walk out of the assessment thinking that the whole world was going to look, feel and just BE different now that I knew this about myself? Yes.

Did it? No…but that’s okay. It’s such a life-altering thing to know about yourself that it’s natural to think like this. But what did happen was a hell of a lot of things slid into place in my mind about all the struggles I’ve gone through and how they are all pretty much down to the fact I had no idea I was Autistic.

You can read a full post on my diagnosis journey here (I recommend grabbing a snack and a hot drink before reading as it’s a long one! ☕️)

Also episode 16 of my 21andsensory Podcast is an entire episode dedicated to just me discussing my entire diagnosis journey if you prefer to listen rather than read. Just search 21andsensory wherever you usually listen to your podcasts!

The struggles of using make-up and beauty products💄

I thought for the next post in my Sensory Series I’d discuss why I struggle to use make-up & beauty products (and don’t anymore!).

In my Sensory Series I’ll be sharing text slides on different aspects of Sensory Processing (in between my regular posts of illustrations) so I can share my own outlook on all things sensory. I thought it would be interesting to share my own experiences, tips and tricks along the way, feel free to scroll back over other posts in this series too! Please do share this post and feel free to comment down below how you cope with change and any tips you have…

Huge Mrs Bench Fidget Unboxing 📦

The super lovely Mrs Bench was kind enough to send me a huge package of incredible fidget toys to unbox!

You can buy these fab fidget toys from: https://fidgettoysplus.com

Go check Mrs Bench out on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram here: https://beacons.page/mrsbench

World Mental Health Day 🌎 🧠

Today is World Mental Health Day 🌎 🧠

I’ve been seeing lots of Instagram posts today that are so genuine and honest, people explaining the struggles of living with mental health issues. l did this drawing to explain how mental health affects sensory people (and how the two can become quite intertwined to the extent that it’s hard to tell what’s responsible for what feeling, thought, etc).

I’ve explained before that my mental health is confusing to me because my issues can randomly intensify and l also struggle with episodes of depression which can be really debilitating. Obviously everyone’s mental health is very different but I do think it’s important to be supportive to each other both online and in the real world.

I do think it’s great that self care is becoming more a ‘thing’ now and it really is important in order to keep functioning in life. I find that my mental health mixed with my sensory issues (and now knowing I’m autistic) is always tough to deal with but having a community of neurodiverse and like minded people here on Instagram has really helped me to understand not only myself but to understand how others cope in the big wide world.

(Doodle is my own view of mental health and sensory issues and I totally understand that not everyone may agree / relate to what I’ve said and drawn as we all experience things very differently.)

My latest podcast episode and I was a guest on another podcast! 🎙

On my latest episode I have special guest Ella Willis! Ella is a 21 year old Newcastle-based Autism advocate who creates amazing and really informative educational videos on her TikTok (@ellaellaw) where they have almost 120,000 followers!!

Ella is also a fab illustrator and shares work via Instagram @_ellawillis and via an Illustration IG @illustratetothepoint. You can listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you usually get your podcasts.

I was also a guest on the A Drop in the Bucket podcast which is a podcast about life’s stresses and how we handle them…

If you have a listen to either I’d love to know what you think!

I have never been to the hairdressers before…💇‍♀️

Hi everyone – I thought for the next post in my Sensory Series I’d discuss why I have never been to the hairdressers before…

Descriptions of each slide:

Slide 1:

Black and white icon of a woman with long hair and a cross in front of her with text underneath:

I have never been to the hairdressers before…The a pastel green line with ‘@21andsensory‘ underneath and in the top right hand corner of the post there is a pastel green box that says ‘ SENSORY SERIES’ in to show what series the post is part of.

Slide 2:

Pastel green vertical line on left hand side of the image with text next to it:I have never been able to go to a hairdressers. My mum (very kindly) cuts my hair for me at home…in a straight line across my back. Here are the many reasons why…I cannot deal with the idea of someone I don’t know touching my head. I think it doesn’t help that I don’t even like touching my own head or the feel of washing my own hair and it took me years to desensitise and be able to brush my hair myself!

Slide 3:

Pastel green vertical line on left hand side of the image with text next to it:I am only able to use a specific brand of shampoo and conditioner as I cannot deal sensory-wise with any other scents or products in my hair. I am very sensitive to any scents especially to do with my clothes, hair and environment.

The potential of small talk whilst someone is cutting my hair is a huge fear (it would be a nightmare) and also having to explain why the idea of a head massage makes me feel physically ill would be awkward.

Slide 4:

Pastel green vertical line on left hand side of the image with text next to it: I also have never been able to handle people going near my neck…even I struggle to wash near it or wear certain clothes because of it!

I’m not I could deal with a salon environment or even someone coming into my own home to cut my hair it would be too overwhelming. I am truly awful with change. I cry most times after my mum cuts my hair, even if it’s only after a little bit has come off, it always feels so different.

Slide 5:

Pastel green vertical line on left hand side of the image with text next to it:

I’d love to know if anybody else is part of the ‘Never had a proper haircut’ club…(I‘m sensing a pin badge design coming on haha) If so comment down below! I’d also love to hear from those who are able to go to the hairdressers as any tips and tricks are always great.

I’m off to ask my mum to cut my hair again as it’s become to long to manage…*prays I don’t cry*

Slide 6:

Why offices can be a sensory nightmare…🖥

I thought I do a drawing on an issue thats always been close to my heart: the nightmare that is open plan offices. Here is some of the reasons why I struggle…

People bringing in their own smells constantly: ARGH. So many smelly lunches! Strong coffees. Overwhelming perfumes, aftershaves, deodorants.

Everyone chatting: I cannot filter a conversation happening in front of me if there are also many going on around me. I find it super hard to tune into the closest person to me because i hear everything all at once.

Desks are too close: I need my own personal space (who doesn’t?) and I find open plan offices can sometimes be set-up like call centres where they squish as many people as physically possible into the space. I know this can’t always be avoided but by being so close to other people it can affect how well i work (they might wear strong perfume or aftershave, chat too loudly, have hot smelly lunches at their desk, etc) and this grates on me.

Strong lighting: Strip lighting can be super harsh but also really distracting.

Random desk visitors: FILL ME WITH UTTER FEAR. Please email me! I am super responsive via email I promise. Don’t ring me or visit me at my desk….I know this is easier said than done but I work a million times better if I someone emails me in detail about the work they’d like me to do or schedules in a meeting I can prepare for. I hate it when people just ‘pop’ by my desk even if it’s for a chat…I’m at work and I really (really) don’t want to chat. I just want to do my work and do it well. I know that sounds very anti-social but I am quite anti-social and need structure to my work and day in order to thrive.

Bright clothing: I’ve said it before (in previous posts and in my podcasts!) PLEASE DON’T HANG UP YOUR FLOUROSCENT JACKETS in the office. Cloakroom / changing room = fine but in and open plan environment it is honestly sensory hell. They are beyond distracting and physically upset me (which sounds ridiculous but they take my my entire head).

Also I saw @innocent did a post recently about Disability Pride in July and they mentioned that they don’t employ many people with disclosed disabilities at the moment and they’d like to change that.

They were encouraging people to chat and feedback with input in the comments and I think this drawing is my little contribution as to how companies (especially larger ones) need to be aware of how overwhelming open plan offices can be. It’s great to hear so many companies are moving in the right direction and encouraging the conversation around how to be more accommodating for neurodiverse employees.

Follow me below for more illustrations and content:

Instagram | Twitter | TikTok | YouTube | Podcast

Tag: SPD