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Bluesbreaker

coping with busy places/feeling semi 'unconscious'?/Buses/Germs

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Hi all,

 

Christmas has been and gone now but i have had time to reflect on a few things especially revolving around busy places.

 

Firstly, we know shopping areas are really busy around xmas, and I seem to think I cope really well considering I have AS and go out on my own now (well I am 19!) but sometimes I just feel out of it and feel i need like someone to guide me through sort of thing.

 

when it gets really busy in the Highcross shopping centre (nearest one to me) I am aware whats going on but not aware, like I am subconsciously carrying on. I sometimes on the odd occasion start feeling ill and sick because my mind isn't with me, if that makes sense. I also sometimes feel like sitting down on the floor with my head in my knees trying to get away from it. How i manage to function in those situations is beyond me. I know the obvious thing to do would be avoid that area but thing is A lot of the time I cannot avoid busy places either due to a shop i need to go to or a shortcut to a place i need to go. What do you do? I would like to know. it just seems like i am regressing from progress from when i was 15 instead of progressing.... and it's dragging a bit....

 

the other thing is buses. I LOVE buses, absolutely LOVE them, everything, the engines, the controls, bodywork you name it I know it. This means I enjoy riding on buses in Principal. I have experienced recently, a few service changes which means the buses are busier due to a drop in frequency of buses and I am starting to struggle a lot with buses. I know it is public transport but when I get on a bus I don't want anyone sitting next to me, I don't know them, what germs do they carry, what if they smell horrid? (and some do :sick: ) If I shift over i am stuck next to the window and I feel I can't escape, like I'm trapped.... I sometimes sit on the side facing seats but this now even makes me ill so I have to stop that... Do any of you get a similar thing and how do you cope with it???

 

And lastly.....

 

Some of you might hate me talking about this due to the germ relation to it (I know many ASD's are ''weird'' on the topic' but how do you cope with public toilets? This is something I struggle with an awful lot. luckily I don't live in the 80's so I already know that I won't get aids from the toilet seat (I was taught this in humanities many moons ago, lol) but When you go somewhere and there is urine over the toilet seat. pubic hairs :sick: and skids in the loo, what do you do? (rhyme not intended lol) If you have to do business you have to do it.... its got to the point where I carry antibacterial wipes with me and wipe any toilet seat I come across before using it. I don't know if any of you do the same, but I am starting to think I am a bit of a Germaphobe???

 

 

anyways it's late so peace out

 

:peace:

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Hi and thnx for opening this grand topic :D

 

I generally avoid certain shops or roads..

**I wait till it is a more quiet time of day (real early or dinnertime, esp for thse who have small kids..) in those shops

**that also leaves me room to unwind after work.. thus I have sóme elasticity if it were more busy..

**taking food/water with me helps me to avoid being cranky

**taking someone else along helps: divert focus or, if they don't mind.. you can step outside for some fresh are, while they wait in line and deal with the cassier

(make sure you do pay you share though ;-) otherwise you loose that friend in no-time).

 

 

Buses.. I'm not that fused..

Sit where you wanna sit, if a new person wants to sit next to you, you could stand up to let them pass thru to the window seat...

some people might have a strong odour.. even from way across the bus s.o. with a very keen nose will notice that. Make sure you have sth nice and strong smelling with you

 

Hygiene.. My friend is overly good with that, loves Dettol!!

She doens't go to any public toilets, unless she knows they're properly cleaned. She takes wipes along too.

Though.. take in account that being overly sterile.. will not benevite you if there are certain germs around, for you haven't build up any antidote ;-)

 

good luck :D

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Here's what I do :P

 

Busy places - I stopped going out unless I really have to - and have lost almost all of my progress in this area, its frustrating to regress!!! On the rare occasions I am in busy places I am either hyper-aware which is draining because functioning becomes harder and harder, or I

 

Feel sort of "unconscious" - which is something that happens every now and then - when I went out more often it happened a lot! I think its a defence thing, like shutting down to function through what feels like mayhem to me, and normality to everyone not feeling like this - I used to call it auto-pilot, like being in a bubble but still aware of everything - it was pretty stressful but easier to function than when I'm hyper aware.

 

Buses - I avoid these like the plague and moan like hell on the rare occasions I am forced to use them, I get travel sick, and any smell makes me feel ill, and then so tense that I have to get off the bus, which is much worse when the bus is crowded.

 

Hygiene - toilets are a pet hate of mine, I use the sleeve of my coat to open and close doors or flush toilets, and I never use hand dryers to dry my hands I use my jeans instead. I touch objects outside as little as possible anyway its not like I'm actively thinking "germs!!!!!" its just that I don't want to touch things that other people have touched :rolleyes:

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Even if I an in the 'unconscious' state I wtill get worn out very quickly and very tired. it isn't uncommon for me to go town and come home and go sleep for a while.

 

You would probably like the hand driers in the Highcross centre, contactless, extremely powerful and you don't need to touch anything to activate it! which is even better!

 

the other thing i can recommend is the antibacterial hand gel which you can get in a small pocket bottle from superdrug for about a quid. that is also pretty handy!

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Even if I an in the 'unconscious' state I wtill get worn out very quickly and very tired. it isn't uncommon for me to go town and come home and go sleep for a while.

 

You would probably like the hand driers in the Highcross centre, contactless, extremely powerful and you don't need to touch anything to activate it! which is even better!

 

the other thing i can recommend is the antibacterial hand gel which you can get in a small pocket bottle from superdrug for about a quid. that is also pretty handy!

I have to often go to sleep too, its like I'm overloaded and I need to recharge - pretty inconvenient sometimes, especially when there's a lot of things need doing.

 

I don't use any hand-driers :P I have an issue with warm air breeding more germs - I like places with the automatic taps though cuz with old fashioned ones I never see the point in washing my hands at all - cuz I have to touch the tap to turn the water off and the tap is probably pretty dirty - and nobody else seems to consider that!

 

I like the idea of the antibacterial hand gel - I've been thinking about it for a while (I've seen the pocket sized bottles) but I haven't bought any yet because of an underlying issue with people thinking I might have ocd :rolleyes: even when I probably do in some areas.... I might get some ;)

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what you refer to as unconscious.. I always call auto-pilote..

 

Which is A better term for it :)

 

I have to often go to sleep too, its like I'm overloaded and I need to recharge - pretty inconvenient sometimes, especially when there's a lot of things need doing.

 

I don't use any hand-driers :P I have an issue with warm air breeding more germs - I like places with the automatic taps though cuz with old fashioned ones I never see the point in washing my hands at all - cuz I have to touch the tap to turn the water off and the tap is probably pretty dirty - and nobody else seems to consider that!

 

I like the idea of the antibacterial hand gel - I've been thinking about it for a while (I've seen the pocket sized bottles) but I haven't bought any yet because of an underlying issue with people thinking I might have ocd :rolleyes: even when I probably do in some areas.... I might get some ;)

 

I never thought about the hot air issue..... good point.

 

I wouldn't worry about the Gel They have it in doctors surgeries and hospitals and all sorts of places these days so you can use it as you see fit :)

 

the contactless taps were the best idea since sliced bread in my eyes, I totally agree with you, the only manual taps I like are the ones with the large arms or such, so you can wash your hands and turn the taps off with your elbow (seen this done in hospitals)

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I do that :lol: I turn taps off with my elbow or the side of my wrist whenever possible... I might buy the gel stuff, it would save a percentage of the washing hands hassle, and I could open doors with my hands instead of my foot, knee, shoulder, elbow or back...

 

I'm not sure how much the hot air is a real issue, I just saw a programme on telly years ago that said it was bad and let germs breed, so never used them since, plus I figure I'm doing a small bit to save electricity :P

 

I call the unconscious thing auto-pilot too - I think I already said :unsure: a good side of it is that its a useful technique for walking miles and miles :D

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I went through a short phase during the early 1990s collecting bus numbers and garage codes and travelling routes around London when the Routemasters, DMS's, Metrobuses, Titans and Olympians were abundant. But this was a short phase (about a year). Before then, I didn't have much of an interest (prefering trains) and since the early 1990s, I DETEST buses and go out of my way to avoid them. The seats are hard and uncomfortable, bus drivers are generally rude and I get travel sick.

 

As for shopping centres and toilets, I actually don't mind busy shopping centres. But I only use public toilets if I really have to and am very obsessive about cleaning the toilet seat and using taps etc. I will tend to use the toilets in certain large department stores where they are likely to be regularly cleaned but it still doesn't stop me from wiping the seat.

 

I miss the old hand towels...at least you could pull a clean(ish) towel out of the dispenser and dispose of it when finished. The warm air from these dryers can't be good for asthmatics or those with allergies.

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I miss the old hand towels...at least you could pull a clean(ish) towel out of the dispenser and dispose of it when finished. The warm air from these dryers can't be good for asthmatics or those with allergies.

I guess they reasoned that hand towels were bad for the environment while blasting hot air using electricity isn't... maybe less attention required as they don't need refilling - and back when real towel was used that was just gross :sick:

 

I believe the dryers probably just increase bacteria with all that warm air they spout out - and when you think about it, in some public toilets it is probably more hygienic to not wash hands because normal taps have been touched by everyone - and all these people had dirty hands when they touched the tap in the first place!!! Then the wet hands turning the tap off mixes all the germs with everyone else's, mixed with soap bubbles from soap dispensers that look downright grim half the time. After all that they press a button on a dryer and blast warm air all over the germs from the inefficiently cleaned hands... I'd love to test people and see if they come out with dirtier hands than when they went in :D

 

Oh and this is ignoring the fact that everyone has touched everything in the cubicle's should one be required - cool word though: 'cubicle' - I don't think I've ever written it before...

 

I just avoid touching anything more than necessary :lol:

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Toilets: I don't have so many cues as mentioned, but cannot stand i) washing hands without soap or ii) push-taps -- seems to lead me to take longer and longer to try and wash my hands because I don't get the trigger for 'hands have been washed enough'.

 

I'm not bothered too much about seats, but I always close the lid to flush, because it probably won't kill one, but if it's a choice of i) aim a fine mist of bodily waste towards the mucous (etc) membranes of mouth, nose and eyes versus ii) doing something simple and easy to not do that, it seems obvious.

Edited by spastigirl

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