I love popping popcorn and giving hugs. Some of you may be wondering why the heck I love these things so much. The answer: I have aspergers which means that I also have sensory issues. There are some things that I absolutely love and some things that I absolutely hate, one being sirens, another being crowds.
As a young child I was scared of stuffed animals, so my parents tell me. I don't remember that, but I take my parents word for it. I have had many irrational fears that have come from the mere fact that I am completely cognitively normal and that I have superpowers when it comes to my senses. There is some stuff that people can't hear when it is right next to them, but I can hear when I am on a different floor of my house: the dog whistle. I can be playing the piano and still here it on a different floor.
I may be very sensitive to sounds, but I am also very sensitive to touch, in the opposite way. I love touch, but I hate sounds. I love hugs, bouncing on the trampoline, floam and many other tactile things. I could sweat if I didn't have an immune system, I would be dead by now. The other day, I am pretty sure I touched everything in the store before leaving. I could see it, but I needed to see if it felt neat. lol.
I love the sounds of popcorn. Recently I have started becoming interested in listening to "stuff". I want to listen to music like my peers and I do have a taste in music, but a lot of it can be too overwhelming with so many different pitches. I am okay with the low pitches, but high pitches drive me insane. Today I was popping popcorn in the microwave. I had it popping and I went to sit down for qa minute. i discovered I love the sound of it. I then analyzed why I love the sound because if you know me, I analyze everything. I discovered that i liked it because it had a bit of a rythm to it which was something known and it stayed around the same pitch. Each pop raised the pitch, but all the pops were the same pitch. I new what the sound was and I felt comfortable with it. I would just keep hearing pop... poppoppop. Really, sometime try listening to it. It has a nice sound.
I also love hugs. Its just a feeling right? Wrong. A hug gives pressure. I really love those nice squishy hugs that are nice and tight, but really soft. I love hugs because when i am overwhelmed, it is my ears, my back, and the top of my head that hurt. The hug takes care of the back which normally helps with everything else. If I am upset and there is no one to hug, I normally just cuddle up and it gives me the security I need. If I am in school, I will usually put pressure on my head which normally just looks like I am chilling out. That is more appropriate in the school setting. People with Aspergers not only thrive off of their senses but rely on them when others are upsetting.
There are also a couple other senses that I love. I love the trampoline because when you bounce it creates pressure. That is why people who have back injuries should not use trampolines. I love the way that you bounce and then your kneels feel the pressure and then even your back feels the pressure. It is a quick feeling, but it releases the negavite energy or over stimulation that you are experiencing. People with aspergers will be over stimulated or understimulated. If someone is over stimulated they can use an alternative stimulation to calm themselves. For instances, if a sound is bothering me the trampoline may help.
The last thing that I always think about and wish I was able to experience is the seating in some rides in amusement parks. I like amusement parks, but they can be overwhelming. I love those rides where you have that thing in between your legs and you are all fit an snug. I could sit in that forever. It is like it fits right to your body just like memory foam. I love it.
Overall people with Aspergers have sensory issues. Its just part of the condition, but as you grow you learn how to deal with it. You can also learn how to hide it from your peers which really helps with acceptance.
No comments:
Post a Comment