im just here

i say this as someone with autism related sensory issues who's never liked wearing sun cream. and i say this as someone who's dad also has autism related sensory issues and would absolutely refuse to put on any sun cream until he learned the hard way and got melanoma (type of skin cancer).

a few hours or even a full day of discomfort is better than months of going into hospital to get your skin burned by dry ice or chemicals. and that's best case scenario. worse case scenario is it spreads and you fucking die.

the sun doesn't care about your autism. it'd be nice if it did, but it's a giant ball of plasma. it's a borderline eldritch god which will bow to no one.

don't be like my dad.

sun protection sleeves, gloves or leg coverings. these come in many different fabrics so if one’s not sensory friendly another might be. different cuts/ styles, i have some that go from my bicep to my wrist so it’s not a whole second shirt underneath, and when wearing a t-shirt the short sleeves cover where it ends on my bicep. also many options for colors and patterns! i use solid black ones the most bc they’re the easiest to match my outfit but you can get ones that are like stripes or other patterns to have fun! they can make handling the heat harder but not as bad as a long sleeve shirt would i also use these when going somewhere id want to keep my scars covered

hats with big brims. keeps the sun off your face and out of your eyes

sun umbrellas. looks extra but you’ll have shade wherever you go. also keeps you cooler bc the sun doesn’t heat you up. i know people who’s skin burns in minutes of sun exposure that use these. it’s best to get one intended to be a sun umbrella as rain umbrellas don’t block much UV(the part that burns or causes cancer) and fashion parasols are only meant to be decorative and also don’t block UV

there’s also sun protection neck and face coverings, and high coverage UV blocking swimsuits

- men 18 to 30

- college educated women over 40

- suicidal poets

- fat midwestern fathers

- kids with diabetes

- pentecostal preachers

- mothers under 20

- interracial couples

- atheist professors

- government employees

- xenophobes and racists

Please reblog this, even if you don’t have misophonia, or don’t know someone who has it :)

Ask what you can do to minimize triggers

Many people may not be comfortable giving you a big list of all their triggers, especially if you don’t know them super well. Instead, asking this allows them to provide the information they want, as well as letting you know the most effective ways you can prevent triggering them!

2. Remind others in your social circle to minimize sounds that you know trigger someone!

You can do this without disclosing why, something as simple as saying “can you please stop doing x?” is perfect, as you do not need to tell others about your friend/peer/other’s misophonia, but still help reduce their distress!

3. Ask what you can do when they are feeling triggered! Some people may find that distractions from the audio stimuli help minimize their reaction, while others may not want to be touched/spoken to if they are feeling distressed or overstimulated. This will vary from person to person, so its really important to know what you can do to help without being pushy.

4. Don’t be offended if they express you trigger them often.

It can be frustrating to try to stop making sounds, or not realize you’re making them, but expressing this to the person with misophonia may cause them to feel guilty for asking you to accommodate them. Please try to be respectful and understanding, it is 100% okay to mess up sometimes! We aren’t perfect, but please keep in mind how your reactions affect others. Oftentimes, people with misophonia already feel bad telling someone they are triggering them, especially more than once, they aren’t saying so to hurt you in any way!

it’s very scary to explain misophonia to a new person. often when im explaining it to someone it’s while im actively being triggered or soon after. most people have never heard of it before and find it confusing. when i explain it they assume its not a big deal or im just being dramatic or even that im just trying to manipulate people. i naturally try to keep it hidden bc of the level of bullying i experienced in school. sometimes when other kids were told abt it their immediate reaction was to make mouth noises as loud and as close to me as they could.