Hello fellow autists and other folk! I’m asking you to share your tips on how to deal with the summer, the Sun, the heat and light, bugs, all of this while trying to have good time? Or at least a decent time?
I happen to live above the polar circle so here the Sun doesn’t set at all for almost few months so yeah, there is plenty of light unless it rains or is cloudy - luckily that’s pretty often too. Anyways, what has helped me;
- finding good, non-stinky sunscreen (Änglamark SPF50) and finding odorless mosquito repellant (“Free”)
- I need glasses and I have very light sensitive eyes so prescription sunglasses are the only thing that make it possible for me to do any gardening or reading outdoors etc
- cool/cold showers (/or swimming) to wash off the SWEAT
- wearing loose, cotton clothing and wearing a cotton scarf to cover my head and hair, this might make me look like a grandma/child but at least I’m comfy!
- blackout curtains in bedroom to keep the light out, but also on other windows to keep the house cooler
- freezer stocked with popsicles and fridge with alcohol-free beer because my autistic fiancé will stop drinking water once it gets too hot… (JUST DRINK SOMETHING!)
Sounds smart! I try to plan my days too by the weather, but sometimes I work in a place that has only outdoor tasks…
I struggle with remembering to drink too, even though even a slight dehydration (feeling dry) causes me great discomfort. Even if I remember the damn water bottle, I might not remember to actually drink from it. :D
I hear you on the drinking. Even if my mouth is so dry it hurts I sometimes find it hard to drink. Carrying the water bottle is super important because I want to take advantage of any time when I’m wanting to.
Edit: one more thing - how is your work about heat safety? I work in industrial maintenance/construction (but not doing the construction, mostly testing) and a lot of the safety program is about weather including heat. Do you feel comfortable asking? They might have suggestions and if you make them aware it might be like, “oh yeah no one said they were hot so we didn’t think about it…”
I have worked for the town/municipality so it has been chill - not just with heat but well with everything, nothing ever happens instantly. And my country has tight safety laws, if it’s hotter than X, you get this many minutes of extra break within an hour. If it gets even hotter, more breaks and so on. I have never had any issues with this and often my bosses have brought us free water bottles or even ice cream. Boosts morale a lot. I’m real grateful for this, I have heard very different stories too from local companies… How about yours?