ON HIATUS - Stimming and Driving

driving while neurodivergent is hard.

If u have sensory issues it might make driving harder (or impossible). I’ve been driving for a few years now and there’s some stuff that’s helped me

Choosing what time I drive when I can

if i have any kind of choice, I’m going to drive at night bc there’s less stimulus and fewer cars on the road

you can use lights to pinpoint things instead of looking for the whole object, just get used to what shapes/colors different kinds of lights are (for example headlights vs. street lamps)

Sunglasses/ear defenders

sunglasses are a super easy way to cut down on the intensity of things like brake lights and just things in general (especially if you’re driving during the day)
cars can get really loud, and sometimes motorcycles or people blasting their music or sirens will go by and it’s not a good time
So in my state it is illegal to wear headphones over both ears (and ear defenders highly resemble headphones)
however, it is legal to wear foam earplugs, so go figure
check your state law

(full disclosure: I never looked up the law before this post, so I’ve been wearing ear defenders while driving and haven’t been pulled over, which might be because I’m white)
put in your earplugs/sunglasses before you start driving, bc doing it while you’re driving is dangerous

Stim toys

absolutely nothing is stopping you from keeping stim toys in your cup holder (unless ur driving people who it’s not safe to stim around)
If you’re a new/uncomfortable driver, don’t use them except when your car is stopped
If you’ve been driving for a while, stim away!! But always keep one hand on the wheel, and you should always be able to grab the wheel well with both hands in case of an emergency
some nice stim toys for this are: tangles, chain fidgets, spinner rings, fidget cubes, (I haven’t had good luck with spinners but *shrug*)
chewelry is honestly the best thing I’ve found bc it leaves both your hands free, but your mileage may vary [get it mileage ]

Body stims

seriously, if you’re driving alone, no one can stop you and people probably won’t notice

also vocal stims - the only thing is, you have to be able to steer the car straight and not get so distracted by the !!! feeling that you aren’t paying attention to the road
(if you need ideas [LINK HERE] [LINK HERE])

Music

ik music is super helpful for a lot of people, and most cars come with a radio built in!!!
make sure it’s quiet enough you can hear sirens
If you’re going to listen through headphones, look up the laws in your state
but have a good time!!!

Temperature

a lot of us have trouble regulating temperature, but most cars come with heating/cooling systems
figure out what settings you like and just kinda play with it
(don’t get distracted by it while you’re driving tho)
sometimes the fans are really loud, so if you have trouble with that, maybe consider some ear plugs

Seatbelts

Seat texture

Wheel texture

if your wheel is Bad Feeling you can buy wheel covers!!!
I found them at the dollar tree the other day, but you can buy them online too!!! [LINK]
(I actually love stimming with the stitching on my steering wheel ngl)

When it’s not safe to be behind the wheel

when you’re dissociative enough you can’t react fast enough to avoid a crash
if you think you’re going to have trouble reacting to stimulus like a red light or a stop sign
If you’re having a shutdown/meltdown/anxiety attack/panic attack
if you think that something loud and unexpected (a siren, motorcycle, or loud car) could make you meltdown/shutdown/etc.

cool car stuff you might not have thought of

don’t forget you can just pull over. Like feeling overwhelmed? Pull into a parking lot and relax
on a related note: you can keep a lot of stuff in your car, and if you get overwhelmed while you’re out you can just sit in your car and practice some self-care
I personally keep clothes and some stim toys, and I’ll go curl up in the back seat if I’m having a Rough Time (make sure passersby don’t call the police tho)
your car is probably really stimmy and u don’t even realize it [LINK]

@autism-asks i know y’all had an anon who asked about it at some point? idk if it’s okay to tag you or not tho

feel free to add on!!!