I hate how people have to get a diagnosis in order to get any slack for not being exactly like everyone else. Screw you people, this is who I am. Turn the damn light off.
If it makes you feel any better, the diagnosis doesn't really help this. It's just less 'you don't even know for sure you're x' and more 'stop blaming your x for everything'.
Oh, I know. I learned to stop the self-criticism a long time ago and it really helps.
I am now on the offensive, I am a perfectly cromulent individual and have no trouble asserting my perfectly reasonable boundaries. It meant a huge shakeup of my social circle, as people do not usually allow others to change and grow once they have put you in a box.
Now though, I have found a circle of friends that don’t unwittingly ’neg’ me all the time.
I like the amber light some of those give off (LED Edison-style bulbs with a dimmer). My trick is to hide them behind objects (like a row of books) and put them on a smart switch so I don’t have to get near them — they light up the wall/ceiling behind the object with a nice warm glow and I don’t have to look at them directly.
I have a similar setup in my home office, where I have a floor standing desk lamp with a reflector to direct the light that I have pointed straight at the wall for indirect lighting.
I don't have an autism diagnosis but I really hate bright lights. They just grate at me. I have blackout curtains all over my apartment and only turn the lights on when I really need to see something.
The darkness doesn't make me sad or feel depressed or anything. It feels comfortable like a warm blanket.
I'm not sure, my partner is autistic. She doesn't like bright lights, but she hates changes in brightness even more, so the lights being on helps to deal with the flickering from screens.
It's not dark rooms necessarily, but low stimulation environments. Many ND conditions limit mental "bandwidth". Sensory processing can eat up a lot of that bandwidth normally. Throw in something like socialising, that eats even more, and we can saturate.
The manifestation of that saturation can vary a lot. My personal preference is a quiet, well lit place, with a static environment. It's change and ambiguity that cause me problems. I fully understand the appeal of darkness, however, particularly if your sensory filtering on intensity is prone to failing.
For my cats I started saying “light!” Before I turn on the lights.
I got my partner to start doing it to.
It is now just a polite thing to so, for all living things, to say “light!” Before turning it on to give time to prepare (I’m very photophobic, and sudden bright light is very painful for me)
(I do similar when I’m going to make a lot of noise; “I’m gunna make some noise - here it comes!” But that’s mostly for the cats)
On a rainy day in my old apartment, I liked to lie on the bed with the lights off and look outside the window. Something about watching the city pass by in the rain was just so peaceful, it would be the perfect desktop background...
Without fail, my wife would always walk in and ask, "Are you okay?" and turn the light on.
I know that it is completely typical for neurodivergent people to enjoy the dark, but it's quite the opposite for me for some reason. I need my room to be as bright as the sun (metaphorically speaking).
27 Comments
porksnort@slrpnk.net · 39 pts · 283d
I hate how people have to get a diagnosis in order to get any slack for not being exactly like everyone else. Screw you people, this is who I am. Turn the damn light off.
Droggelbecher@lemmy.world · 23 pts · 283d
If it makes you feel any better, the diagnosis doesn't really help this. It's just less 'you don't even know for sure you're x' and more 'stop blaming your x for everything'.
porksnort@slrpnk.net · 11 pts · 283d
Oh, I know. I learned to stop the self-criticism a long time ago and it really helps.
I am now on the offensive, I am a perfectly cromulent individual and have no trouble asserting my perfectly reasonable boundaries. It meant a huge shakeup of my social circle, as people do not usually allow others to change and grow once they have put you in a box.
Now though, I have found a circle of friends that don’t unwittingly ’neg’ me all the time.
Droggelbecher@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 283d
Right there with you! Stay strong, it's tough, but so worth it.
SippyCup@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 283d
YEAH
Damage@feddit.it · 21 pts · 283d
What about nowadays' trend of NOT using lampshades? I fucking hate the moltitude of suns blinding my eyes in every* room
Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 283d
My girlfriend has a hobby of growing/propagating/selling desert plants. The grow lights fill her living room, and they are intense. 😭
Thankfully, she knows me, and she turns them off whenever I come over.
aGlassDarkly@piefed.zip · 8 pts · 283d
I like the amber light some of those give off (LED Edison-style bulbs with a dimmer). My trick is to hide them behind objects (like a row of books) and put them on a smart switch so I don’t have to get near them — they light up the wall/ceiling behind the object with a nice warm glow and I don’t have to look at them directly.
ArchAengelus@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 283d
This is the way.
I have a similar setup in my home office, where I have a floor standing desk lamp with a reflector to direct the light that I have pointed straight at the wall for indirect lighting.
Damage@feddit.it · 1 pts · 283d
So you have a... Lampshade!
AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works · 21 pts · 283d
Is there any actual link between ND and liking dark rooms?
SARGE@startrek.website · 38 pts · 283d
JamesBoeing737MAX@sopuli.xyz · 3 pts · 283d
Holly shit, scarves are worse feeling than wearing fiberglass.
SARGE@startrek.website · 18 pts · 283d
karashta@piefed.social · 4 pts · 283d
I love infinity scarves like that!
MalReynolds@piefed.social · 3 pts · 283d
Eh, I thrifted a silk/cashmere scarf for I forget nothing and it is a true comfort, but lucky...
drbluefall@toast.ooo · 17 pts · 283d
Neurodivergence can manifest partly in the form of sensory sensitivity, which can include light sensitivity.
krooklochurm@lemmy.ca · 7 pts · 283d
I don't have an autism diagnosis but I really hate bright lights. They just grate at me. I have blackout curtains all over my apartment and only turn the lights on when I really need to see something.
The darkness doesn't make me sad or feel depressed or anything. It feels comfortable like a warm blanket.
shadowedcross@sh.itjust.works · 13 pts · 283d
I'm not sure, my partner is autistic. She doesn't like bright lights, but she hates changes in brightness even more, so the lights being on helps to deal with the flickering from screens.
cynar@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 283d
It's not dark rooms necessarily, but low stimulation environments. Many ND conditions limit mental "bandwidth". Sensory processing can eat up a lot of that bandwidth normally. Throw in something like socialising, that eats even more, and we can saturate.
The manifestation of that saturation can vary a lot. My personal preference is a quiet, well lit place, with a static environment. It's change and ambiguity that cause me problems. I fully understand the appeal of darkness, however, particularly if your sensory filtering on intensity is prone to failing.
Sabata11792@ani.social · 3 pts · 283d
I just like the mysterious hacker or vampire vibe.
ButteryMonkey@piefed.social · 11 pts · 283d
For my cats I started saying “light!” Before I turn on the lights.
I got my partner to start doing it to.
It is now just a polite thing to so, for all living things, to say “light!” Before turning it on to give time to prepare (I’m very photophobic, and sudden bright light is very painful for me)
(I do similar when I’m going to make a lot of noise; “I’m gunna make some noise - here it comes!” But that’s mostly for the cats)
LadyButterfly@piefed.blahaj.zone · 6 pts · 283d
I can't emphasise enough how much I'd like people to warn me about noise in advance
B1naryB0t@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 283d
My wife and I even do a countdown from 3!
canofcam@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 283d
On a rainy day in my old apartment, I liked to lie on the bed with the lights off and look outside the window. Something about watching the city pass by in the rain was just so peaceful, it would be the perfect desktop background...
Without fail, my wife would always walk in and ask, "Are you okay?" and turn the light on.
ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 283d
I'm a bat, I need dark rooms and caves for my habitat.
vurr@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 274d
I know that it is completely typical for neurodivergent people to enjoy the dark, but it's quite the opposite for me for some reason. I need my room to be as bright as the sun (metaphorically speaking).
jeremyparker@programming.dev · 1 pts · 277d
In that very specific way I am not like a lost bat, but in many other ways I am exactly like one.
SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world · -11 pts · 283d
Yeah no
It's been 2 hours It's time to stop sulking in the dark.
It isn't going to make you feel better.