Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi, I’m really struggling with sensory overload at work, it makes me rundown and I’m frequently catching any virus that’s going and my executive functioning also gets severely affected as well as my ability to string a sentence together, I’m a carer and a mother with no support- I love this part of my life that’s not an issue, my issue is work, I cannot afford to not work, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions? Thank you
I'm really sorry you're struggling like this at work. It's one of my biggest fears if I get a job. Are you able to ask your employer for support, like taking breaks when you feel it starting to avoid full sensory overload? I've got an autism ID badge which tells people I am autistic and might not be able to communicate quickly or clearly and to ask for them to be patient, if you had this or something similar it might help you with this.
Yes I have this and my employers know I’m autistic but I work in a really big secondary school in class so things move very fast and even though staff know I’m autistic they just don’t get it, they make presumptions on my intelligence and abilities if I address what I struggle with I can feel them judging it as a weakness from how they don’t give me roles that I’m more qualified and experienced to do than others, I’ve had quite a lot of crying in the toilets and embarrassed myself, I also mask heavily as my children attend the school so I don’t want to embarrass them, I’ve never been like this in job as no other job has relied on so much social interaction, communication or a constant loud crowded bright environment, I’ve always worked in mental healthcare either solo in community or on a low stimulus ward where I’m just taking behaviour notes in seclusion and doing physical care