Published on 12, July, 2020
I have problems with being able to tell what my body is feeling in general, usually in terms of just feeling uncomfortable instead of knowing that I'm too warm or whatever. This is particularly a problem around this time of year, where we've moved past winter and into the bit where you need to decide if it's too hot for a jacket or too cold for shorts.
Like this morning I woke up feeling really uncomfortable and I have no idea if that was because it's gotten too warm for my spring/autumn duvet or if I'm having a period of bad anxiety (which is very scary to me because of past experiences). Same if I'm sitting on the sofa and it's too warm for jeans and a hoodie. I've had a few mental health disasters (which I now know might have been meltdowns or shutdowns or whatever; I'm newly diagnosed so still trying to figure out how my experiences line up with autistic terms), and they've always been around this time of year. I wonder if my body struggling to deal with the temperature changing so much so quickly has contributed to the times when my brain has just collapsed.
i'm exactly the same. when it goes above 23 celcius i dont leave my flat. it drives me bananas and i hate the feeling of being warm. i get so angry when im warm as well
I struggle with feeling temperature.
It works for me sometimes but not always. During the winter I don't feel cold and this can lead to hypothermia, more than once.
I've never felt temperature.
hi, for me its the number one thing that I need to get right. Knowing that is helpful because I deal with it straight away.(or attempt to) and therefore regain a sense of comfort.
Take a risk for leaving your coat at home.
My difficulty isn't with determining if I'm feeling too hot or too cold, but more with sudden changes in temperature. For example, I recently ventured out to visit someone on what had been a warm and sunny day, wearing a T-shirt and unzipped hoodie. I felt just right (not too hot, nor too cold). However, the temperature had dropped by the time I was making my way home, causing me to feel uncomfortably cold and regret leaving my winter jacket at home.
I'm aware that if there has been a spell of consistently warm/hot days, followed by a drop in temperature by several degrees, it seems to send my body into a state of flux. The same is true for me when a spell of consistently cold days is followed by an increase in temperature.
Because the weather (and temperature) can sometimes be unpredictable, I can find it difficult to decide what to wear if I need to venture out. Do I take my jacket just in case, knowing full well that I might end up carrying it the whole time? Or, do I leave it at home and risk getting soaked in an unexpected torrential downpour?
I believe my own issues relating to the weather/temperature and what to wear are shared by neurotypicals. What I don't know is if they experience changes in temperature to quite the same extent as autistic people seem to.
Yes, on already warm days I cannot bear to be in direct sunlight for too long, and at night if the temp is very warm I end up sleeping with the window open or else I can't sleep or have a really rough night. With that said I can't do the cold for long either unless I'm on the move. I have a very reactive metabolism so when I start moving I burn up calories very quickly but that makes my whole body feel unbearably hot even if it's really cold around me. So on cold days I have to be constantly moving, but not too vigorously... it's weird.
I struggle to dress appropriately in hot weather and probably struggle with the transition from cool to milder/warm temperatures and dressing correctly. I prefer jumpers and scarves as I like the textures and prefer cooler weather generally. I get flustered when it's too hot. It's worse when I'm out and about eg at the shops. So I've found it's all about the layers.
I'm not a warm weather person. I feel hot when it's 12 degrees so when it's 20+ I start to struggle. Each year I suffer from dehydration and heat exhaustion.
The temperature needs to be between 22 and 26 otherwise I'm either freezing which makes me tired and anxious or overheated which makes me angry. I SNAP when I'm under the sun and overheated in less than 15 minutes.
Struggling with the hot weather as feel like melting, irritable and tired. Drinking buckets of water.
Doing things I enjoy doing.
I can't handle warm weather at all, and I've had so many meltdowns over the years because of the heat. The frustrating thing is when everyone around me seems to be pleasantly warm, I feel like I'm burning. I also have sensory issues when it comes to sweating - I absolutely cannot stand the feeling of sweat on my skin, so that causes meltdowns too. I barely leave the house in the summer to be honest, because it's just not worth the stress for me.
Oh and I also hate wearing summer style clothes because I feel too exposed so that doesn't help either.