I recently had a terrible flu. It took me out of commission for 8 days! An interesting side effect of being bedridden for so long was that after a few days, my visual and auditory sensitivities went through the roof. Because I was so sick, I spent most of my days binge-watching shows on my laptop in bed. I found that I had to turn the volume down to the minimum, close all the curtains, and turn the screen brightness way down. Yes, I’m normally extra sensitive to light and sound, but this was way beyond what I normally experience now that I take good care of my sensory system. It was even beyond what I used to experience before I reduced my sensory sensitivities with sensory empowerment activities.
When I noticed this increased sensitivity, I asked myself why it was happening. I realized that while sick, I was not caring for my sensory health. Not only was I experiencing a lot of negative sensory input from my flu symptoms, but I was also unable to do most of the things that I normally do for positive sensory input. If you’ve read my post on sensory diets, you know that they involve finding the right sensory regulating activities for yourself. Taking it a step further, the key to managing your sensory health is to minimize negative sensory input and maximize positive input, what I call sensory fuel. This sickness was such a good reminder that I need to keep up with the sensory fuel at all times, but especially when I’m faced with extra negative sensory experiences!
Upon reflection, I was that I wasn’t getting the proprioceptive input that I typically try to maximize. Proprioceptive input is anything that works your muscles, joints, tendons, and ligaments. Things that stretch or compress them, or put pressure on them. I learned about proprioceptive activities when I worked with an occupational therapist years ago. She showed me how regulating proprioceptive activities are for me and most others. So we found the best proprioceptive activities for me and found ways to work them into my day. I’ve spent years optimizing that initial list and now focus on regular walking, stretching, exercising, getting my weekly massage, eating crunchy foods, knitting, and self-massage. It made sense that I wasn’t doing most of these activities much since I was so sick and barely had energy to move my body.
So what could I do that didn’t require a lot of energy or movement? First, I got out my weighted blanket. It’s the best form of passive proprioceptive input! I also did some stretching and some self-massage every day with my foam roller and gua sha stone. Then I made a conscious effort to eat more crunchy foods and to do more knitting. I also increased one of my favorite other types of sensory fuel- touching soft things like stuffies and yarn. That was enough that in a few days my senses were nearly back to their usual level of sensitivity, even though I was still recovering from being sick.
This experience was such a good reminder for me of the magic of sensory fuel, and specifically proprioceptive activities, to regulate our sensory systems. It didn’t take long for me to become dysregulated when I was sick, and it didn't take a lot to get me regulated again once I took action. With each day of getting back to my usual level of proprioceptive input and other sensory fuel, I felt more and more regulated. It is such an empowering experience to take charge of my sensory health and see the incredible results!
I hope this tip can help you regulate your sensory system. Finding the most helpful sensory fuel for each individual is an important part of my Sensory Empowerment Program, but proprioceptive activities are a great place to start. They are key to unmasking through meeting your sensory needs. Get more of them in your life and let me know what happens!
P.S. If you’re struggling with negative self-talk when trying to prioritize your sensory health, check out my free guide of Essential Scripts for Self-Talk While Unmasking.
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