Hi everyone,
I feel overwhelmed and stuck at the same time and could use some advice from other autistic people.
I'm in my mid 30s and was diagnosed with Asperger's almost ten years ago. For as long as I can think sensory overload has been the bane of my existence. I'm able to tolerate loud noise for short periods of time when I know what's going on around me but at home it's a nightmare. I live very rurally and have only two neighbours but both of them like to sit outside late at night and talk, especially now since it's so hot and everyone wants to use their garden. I've developed kind of a phobia of the noise itself (people talking, quiet music playing somewhere in the background) and it's affecting my mental health so much. ;( My familiy just tells me to get over it and that it's normal which obviously doesn't help. I feel trapped and anxious/angry almost every evening because of the noise and I don't want to confront my neighbors because they aren't even excessively loud and I want us to be on good terms. I feel like my fear ties in with me struggling with social isolation but that's only a guess.
Any advice would be appreciated!
