Thank you for this. So helpful! I’m a recently-identified autistic, and your comments on how venues could give more information on the sensory experience, especially at the transition point of getting into the venue and orienting yourself inside, made me realise just how stressful I find those situations - which will help me take care of myself better at future events. Thank you!
Really great ideas! I am neurodivergrnt as well and wondered about your experience with travelling to Germany. I live in Germany and the airport stresses me out so terribly I often don't see my family in the USA as often as I could because of it. It takes days upon weeks to recover ...I recently got back to Germany and it's been two weeks and I still don't feel okay. I really enjoy hearing you speak! Grüße aus Rheinhessen- Heather
Yes, airports are sooo stressful!!! I want to fly back home to Holland for a few days, but especially the airport here in Istanbul is such a huge hurdle. It's too big, too loud, the lighting is off, you have to walk so much to get to your gate (I also suffer from chronic pain, but not too bad that I'd need assistance, but it's bad enough to make the airport the worst part of my journey, knock me off for a day or two physically) Also the crowds, the packed planes, small uncomfortable seats - traveling is a nightmare. Hope you recover soon!
Absolutely you are write about what a toll travelling takes! I love travelling but when i'm there I do feel stressed most of the time and it takes a long time to recover (but I still look back on it as being fun). I love the train system in Germany but the downside of the airports and train stations is how busy they are. It's helped so much for me to make sure to always wear hearing protection in busy spaces, and i'm always wearing my glasses that are tinted to protect me from bright light, and i'm more and more using text to speech to communicate with people. I find if I try to speak (and often I can't when overwhelmed) then I can't pay attention to where i'm going and i'm more likely to end up shut down. I find it helps a lot to have someone to travel with who can figure out more of the timing and logistics so I can just follow them. If i'm on my own i get easily overwhelmed with trying to figure out where to go and the timing. I wish they could have spaces in airports and train stations and other public places where we could go to recover for a bit, before continuing travelling! Thank you for watching and for sharing! It's true that it makes it difficult to visit family and other people that you want to see, that is hard.
It really is often a nightmare yes! It's something about all those environmental things you mentioned, but then also being a space you have no control over, with nowhere to hide, and then having to be somewhere at a very specific time or else there a big consequences (missing a train or plain or similar).
How amazing that they had a separate quiet room at the roller derby event!
Thank you for this. So helpful! I’m a recently-identified autistic, and your comments on how venues could give more information on the sensory experience, especially at the transition point of getting into the venue and orienting yourself inside, made me realise just how stressful I find those situations - which will help me take care of myself better at future events. Thank you!
thanks so much for saying this, i'm glad it was helpful to you!
Really great ideas! I am neurodivergrnt as well and wondered about your experience with travelling to Germany. I live in Germany and the airport stresses me out so terribly I often don't see my family in the USA as often as I could because of it. It takes days upon weeks to recover ...I recently got back to Germany and it's been two weeks and I still don't feel okay. I really enjoy hearing you speak! Grüße aus Rheinhessen- Heather
Yes, airports are sooo stressful!!! I want to fly back home to Holland for a few days, but especially the airport here in Istanbul is such a huge hurdle. It's too big, too loud, the lighting is off, you have to walk so much to get to your gate (I also suffer from chronic pain, but not too bad that I'd need assistance, but it's bad enough to make the airport the worst part of my journey, knock me off for a day or two physically) Also the crowds, the packed planes, small uncomfortable seats - traveling is a nightmare. Hope you recover soon!
Absolutely you are write about what a toll travelling takes! I love travelling but when i'm there I do feel stressed most of the time and it takes a long time to recover (but I still look back on it as being fun).
I love the train system in Germany but the downside of the airports and train stations is how busy they are. It's helped so much for me to make sure to always wear hearing protection in busy spaces, and i'm always wearing my glasses that are tinted to protect me from bright light, and i'm more and more using text to speech to communicate with people.
I find if I try to speak (and often I can't when overwhelmed) then I can't pay attention to where i'm going and i'm more likely to end up shut down. I find it helps a lot to have someone to travel with who can figure out more of the timing and logistics so I can just follow them. If i'm on my own i get easily overwhelmed with trying to figure out where to go and the timing.
I wish they could have spaces in airports and train stations and other public places where we could go to recover for a bit, before continuing travelling!
Thank you for watching and for sharing! It's true that it makes it difficult to visit family and other people that you want to see, that is hard.
It really is often a nightmare yes! It's something about all those environmental things you mentioned, but then also being a space you have no control over, with nowhere to hide, and then having to be somewhere at a very specific time or else there a big consequences (missing a train or plain or similar).
💜