kettenkrad
Member
I thought it might be fun/useful to share these.
LIGHT
A lot of us are very light sensitive. Wraparound sunglasses work much better than the normal kind. If you wear glasses (I do) then you get wraparounds that fit over your glasses. They don't look any freakier than normal wraparounds, they're cheap, and they work REALLY well:
Robot Check
..It's probably worth getting polarised ones to reduce sky glare. (Baseball hats also help with light from the sky.)
If you're really super sensitive to light, then look for mountaineers glacier glasses - these are the darkest sunglasses you can get.
SOUND
Obviously, earplugs. 3m make really good ones.
If you want to wear headphones and listen to music, then the best I've found are the Sennheiser HD25 Pro ii. (Aka the ones with the weird split headband.) They block a huge amount of external noise, they're light, split into components so you can repair them, have excellent sound, and they're extremely tough. They were designed for pro-sound people and widely adopted by club DJs.
Sennheiser HD25 Headphone Review: A True Workhorse
However, they're not cheap, and some people find them uncomfortable. Alternative: any CLOSED BACK headphones - my girlfriend likes her AKG52 headphones. Cheap, comfortable, still block out quite a lot of noise. Don't buy "open back" headphones for sound blocking - they're deliberately designed not to block.
"Inner ear monitors" work well, but get an ear cleaning syringe if you use them - the wax buildup will be a problem otherwise!
You probably DON'T want expensive "active" noise cancelling headphones: they can only cancel out predictible steady sounds like engine noise.
SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE STIM TOYS
Get a Mars Staedtler clutch pencil and the matching 502 sharpener and use it to make notes at work. Using the sharpener is great fun, doesn't look weird, and you can do it a lot to keep a really sharp point while removing hardly any lead:
And, obviously, gum.
Less obviously, a vape. You don't have to use vape liquid with nicotine! Some people vape just for the taste and the stimming. There are lots of flavours - strawberry milkshape seems like the most popular - and you can have fun learning tricks like blowing clouds.
Music creation phone apps and mini-instruments that plug into headphones. Eg
Zentangles - draw patterns:
Zentangle
SMELLY CLOTHES
Bit of a weird one, but if you have problems changing clothes, then merino t-shirts and underwear stay non-smelly longer than anything else. Not cheap, but you can wear it for much longer than cotton or synthetics. (Obviously changing and showering is better if you can!)
How well does merino wool underwear hold up against body odor?
...Bacteria find it hard to grow among the irregularly shaped fibres even when they're coated with sweat and human oils.
If you have problems using chemical deodarants, trying one of the salt crystal ones - literally a big crystal of salt that you rub on yourself.
SHOES
If you're prone to slipping and/or hate tying laces, then try the elastic sided boots EMTs wear. The best brand are Redbacks. They have a sole that grips slippery surfaces, give more ankle support than trainers, and they come in dark leather finishes so they can fit in at work - they look almost like normal shoes. They come with or without steel toecaps (steel toecaps always make shoes less comfortable.) They're wide fit as standard and the 1/2 sizes are VERY wide:
Redback Boot Review
DOOR HANDLES
If you're prone to clumsiness, considering changing one with straight angles for ones with curves. Or if you can't, use duct tape and bubble wrap to pad the sharp corners of the ones you have.
GETTING UP AT NIGHT
If you're prone to this and clumsiness, get some cheap rechargeable automatic lights. They come on when they detect movement and you can recharge them via usb. The normally stick on the wall with velcro and a magnet.
COOKING
If you're prone to forgetfulness or clumsiness, consider an instant pot, induction hot plate with timer, or air fryer (they're really mini convection ovens.) They all have timers so they're a lot safer. And most induction plates will switch off in a few seconds if you remove the pan from them, plus you can set an actual temperature, which avoids hit and miss cooking and bursts of dangerous high temperatures. Instant pots pressure cook, slow cook, and cook rice - and they control the temperature for you.
A meat thermometer is also a good idea. And a fire blanket, just in case.
Cooking in a non-stick wok is much safer than using a frying pan - the high walls make it much less likely you'll get spattered with fat.
GENERAL
Safety cutters. Great for opening envelopes and Amazon deliveries - the blade is protected so it can't stab or cut you. They usually look like this:
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR21yPjCqfKTthxXPUHZUatsD6IheKvPRsDzQ&usqp=CAU
Retractable key leashes. These are pure greatness if you're prone to losing keys or worrying that you have or will. They let you carry keys in a bag (at least if it has a thing for attaching keys) or on your belt but make sure you can't lose them. Just make sure you buy a good one - from a shop that sells to security companies and police. The cheap ones can fail and lose your keys.
ULTIMATE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT BLOCKING
Nintendo Switch. Built-in screen, works with headphones, lots of games, you can use it for hours. Much better than phone or tablet games. (Animal Crossing is THE chill game for the Switch.)
Downside: if you start wearing HD25s, playing with music apps, writing with a 1950s pencil, and vaping, people will probably think you're a hipster. (But I own several really nice vintage plaid shirts, so that was probably inevitable...)
LIGHT
A lot of us are very light sensitive. Wraparound sunglasses work much better than the normal kind. If you wear glasses (I do) then you get wraparounds that fit over your glasses. They don't look any freakier than normal wraparounds, they're cheap, and they work REALLY well:
Robot Check
..It's probably worth getting polarised ones to reduce sky glare. (Baseball hats also help with light from the sky.)
If you're really super sensitive to light, then look for mountaineers glacier glasses - these are the darkest sunglasses you can get.
SOUND
Obviously, earplugs. 3m make really good ones.
If you want to wear headphones and listen to music, then the best I've found are the Sennheiser HD25 Pro ii. (Aka the ones with the weird split headband.) They block a huge amount of external noise, they're light, split into components so you can repair them, have excellent sound, and they're extremely tough. They were designed for pro-sound people and widely adopted by club DJs.
Sennheiser HD25 Headphone Review: A True Workhorse
However, they're not cheap, and some people find them uncomfortable. Alternative: any CLOSED BACK headphones - my girlfriend likes her AKG52 headphones. Cheap, comfortable, still block out quite a lot of noise. Don't buy "open back" headphones for sound blocking - they're deliberately designed not to block.
"Inner ear monitors" work well, but get an ear cleaning syringe if you use them - the wax buildup will be a problem otherwise!
You probably DON'T want expensive "active" noise cancelling headphones: they can only cancel out predictible steady sounds like engine noise.
SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE STIM TOYS
Get a Mars Staedtler clutch pencil and the matching 502 sharpener and use it to make notes at work. Using the sharpener is great fun, doesn't look weird, and you can do it a lot to keep a really sharp point while removing hardly any lead:
And, obviously, gum.
Less obviously, a vape. You don't have to use vape liquid with nicotine! Some people vape just for the taste and the stimming. There are lots of flavours - strawberry milkshape seems like the most popular - and you can have fun learning tricks like blowing clouds.
Music creation phone apps and mini-instruments that plug into headphones. Eg
Zentangles - draw patterns:
Zentangle
SMELLY CLOTHES
Bit of a weird one, but if you have problems changing clothes, then merino t-shirts and underwear stay non-smelly longer than anything else. Not cheap, but you can wear it for much longer than cotton or synthetics. (Obviously changing and showering is better if you can!)
How well does merino wool underwear hold up against body odor?
...Bacteria find it hard to grow among the irregularly shaped fibres even when they're coated with sweat and human oils.
If you have problems using chemical deodarants, trying one of the salt crystal ones - literally a big crystal of salt that you rub on yourself.
SHOES
If you're prone to slipping and/or hate tying laces, then try the elastic sided boots EMTs wear. The best brand are Redbacks. They have a sole that grips slippery surfaces, give more ankle support than trainers, and they come in dark leather finishes so they can fit in at work - they look almost like normal shoes. They come with or without steel toecaps (steel toecaps always make shoes less comfortable.) They're wide fit as standard and the 1/2 sizes are VERY wide:
Redback Boot Review
DOOR HANDLES
If you're prone to clumsiness, considering changing one with straight angles for ones with curves. Or if you can't, use duct tape and bubble wrap to pad the sharp corners of the ones you have.
GETTING UP AT NIGHT
If you're prone to this and clumsiness, get some cheap rechargeable automatic lights. They come on when they detect movement and you can recharge them via usb. The normally stick on the wall with velcro and a magnet.
COOKING
If you're prone to forgetfulness or clumsiness, consider an instant pot, induction hot plate with timer, or air fryer (they're really mini convection ovens.) They all have timers so they're a lot safer. And most induction plates will switch off in a few seconds if you remove the pan from them, plus you can set an actual temperature, which avoids hit and miss cooking and bursts of dangerous high temperatures. Instant pots pressure cook, slow cook, and cook rice - and they control the temperature for you.
A meat thermometer is also a good idea. And a fire blanket, just in case.
Cooking in a non-stick wok is much safer than using a frying pan - the high walls make it much less likely you'll get spattered with fat.
GENERAL
Safety cutters. Great for opening envelopes and Amazon deliveries - the blade is protected so it can't stab or cut you. They usually look like this:
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR21yPjCqfKTthxXPUHZUatsD6IheKvPRsDzQ&usqp=CAU
Retractable key leashes. These are pure greatness if you're prone to losing keys or worrying that you have or will. They let you carry keys in a bag (at least if it has a thing for attaching keys) or on your belt but make sure you can't lose them. Just make sure you buy a good one - from a shop that sells to security companies and police. The cheap ones can fail and lose your keys.
ULTIMATE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT BLOCKING
Nintendo Switch. Built-in screen, works with headphones, lots of games, you can use it for hours. Much better than phone or tablet games. (Animal Crossing is THE chill game for the Switch.)
Downside: if you start wearing HD25s, playing with music apps, writing with a 1950s pencil, and vaping, people will probably think you're a hipster. (But I own several really nice vintage plaid shirts, so that was probably inevitable...)
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