Neurodiversity and Christmas

Amy22

Hi all, hope your all doing okay and are well . I thought I pop a post on here talking about neurodiversity and Christmas. I know Christmas can such a fun and lovely time of the year but for most people who identify as neurodiverse, it can be a very stressful and triggering time of the year. This is because of bright lighting, smells, sounds and also Christmas parties where there are lots of people. It can be also quite a hard time too for many especially as lots of things generally happen around this time of year that can cause a lot of stress and overwhelming situations.

I just wanted to say for all those going through this Christmas month make sure that you are taking care of yourself, keeping hydrated and taking time out for yourself. I know it can be a difficult time of the year for most so it's important to do what you enjoy the most. I thought I would also share some tips for my fellow neurospicy people here.

I know you can get dimmer lights instead of the normal bright lights and they are more relaxing than the general brighter lights.

For those going to parties this year, I'd say bringing some earplugs or even a book or your favourite thing can help to ease the stress of being among lots of people, parties can get quite crowded. Listening to your favourite music can be handy to especially if the music too loud as well, you can also ask if they could turn the music down a little too if it's too loud.

One of my favourite tips is talking to someone if I feel anxious such as my support worker or it could be even a family or friend. Sometimes talking can help release any anxieties or worries that have been ongoing in the day.

As always feel free to mention anything else that I might have missed for this season. I'd love to hear from fellow others on how they deal with the Christmas season. I should also be on here more frequently so I am also here to listen and offer as much support as I can .

Amy22

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lunarcat522

@Amy22 Thank you for highlighting this - it's definitely not for everyone and it can be a challenging season. Just also wanted to add for anyone that needs to hear it, it's okay to celebrate Christmas "differently" to everyone else, to keep things lowkey, or even if it's just another day for you and your family, it's completely fine.

Our family has adapted our Christmas to fit for us, as my brother is autistic, so we find things that work for us, for example making him aware on the lead up that it's going to be Christmas as it's not a daily/weekly event in his routine. My mum will also rewrap DVD's he already owns as he seems to like the unwrapping process and analysing the covers and insides of the DVD cases themselves and isn't bothered about whether they're new or not. He will unwrap them, pleased, look at them, and place them in a pile. They're very difficult to find/access as he enjoys early 2000's CBeebies shows on DVD which go for a lot online now due to their age.

He only recently got into unwrapping presents, but we've started wrapping his with tissue paper as we found he struggled to open them with regular paper for other reasons. He also really enjoys pulling the crackers which is also a recent thing, but I appreciate that not all neurodivergent people would appreciate the loud 'pop' sound.

He also enjoys the local Christmas tractor parade too, so there are things that he likes in the holiday season, even if it's not quite the same as everyone else.

We also visit extended family on Boxing day, but only myself and my dad go as it's a bit much for my brother with the change of environment and the amount of people, so only the 2 of us go and enjoy ourselves away for a few nights, and my mum stays with my brother and they enjoy staying in with a quieter house!

Just wanted to share how we do things in our family as it might help others, even just for insight.

cc_ilaria

Thank you for posting this @Amy22 💜 I was so happy to see a post about neurodiversity this christmas. It can be so tough in some many ways, like you mentioned. All the noises, smells, socialising, expectations, changes in routine + more!

Thank you for sharing some tips for christmas time, I love these
Fidgets toys I find great to have around on christmas toooo, and making sure I have a little sensory corner/quiet space to go to at the end of the celebrations,

@lunarcat522 Thank you for adding on about it being okay to celebrate Christmas differently this is soooo truee!
Awwe im so happy your family adapt Christmas to make things work well for you all, those accommodations and different ways of doing things can help a bunch. 🙌🏻

Just a reminder to you all also that it is okay to ask for accommodations, it’s okay to be honest and talk about what you struggle with at Christmas. You deserve to enjoy Christmas in a way that is best for you, even if it isn’t classed as the “typical” way of celebrating. You aren’t affecting or burdening others by being kind to yourself, and not wanting all the stress and sensory overload on christmas day! And lastly, you are all awesome.

At christmas time I find having quiet breaks to myself, opening presents a bit later than others, when I’m not so overwhelmed with everything going on at once. Helps tons for me!

Be kind to yourself, you deserve love and understanding this christmas time 😊🫶🏻