Sensory Toolkit
As a therapist who specializes in neurodivergence/neuro-developmental disorders like ADHD and Autism, sensory processing disorders and anything else that touches those spectrums one of the first things I like to do with clients is build a tool kit. When many people in therapy think of a tool kit they think of it as coping tools, but not me. You see I’m a literal thinker and so are my clients so what I mean is a LITERAL tool kit of items that can help ground us and make the world easier to interact with when it isn’t built for people with sensory sensitivities.
First let's talk about GROUNDING. Grounding is the process of tying ourselves to our physical body and physical space to manage anxiety and overwhelm. As an Audhd person I know exactly how painful it can be to interact with a world that is too loud, too bright, and all over too much, while being told that I am in fact the one that is too much and too sensitive. Unfortunately that is not going to change in terms of how the world works, at least not today. So grounding myself is the only real control I have. We can’t control others, only ourselves after all.
We want to be able to use all these senses to bring ourselves back to what we can control and what we can manage. Sound, Touch, Smell, Taste, and Sight. Yes, we can do a 5 senses grounding ritual like naming 5 things we see, 4, things we hear, 3 things we touch, 2 things we smell, and 1 thing we taste. But doing so can feel overwhelming without things with us that can help that process. So the best thing we can do is build a tool kit with everything we need to get grounded.
Let’s start with a container, I like to have two. One for on the go and one for at home. At home I usually use a medium sized basket. On the go it’ll be more like a small zip pouch. We will use similar tools but we have more space at home so you use what you like. What I have listed below is just some choices and you can decide what is best for you.
Sound: Headphones and ear plugs. The world is loud. Even in our own houses! Especially if we live with children who cannot control their volume well. Neurodivergent people do have families after all. But even if you live with just a roommate or very loud cats these are lifesavers. We can’t always expect others to turn down the volume on their lives for us.
Sound cancelling headphones with something soothing or even just leaving the cancellation on with no sound can be really helpful. It also allows others to see you aren’t able to interact with them on the same level at the moment. Open ear bone conducting ones can be helpful if you want a slight distraction from the sensory information but still want to interact.
Ear plugs are a must have, I like Flare Audio or Loops because they do let in some sound, but they still allow us to know what is happening. It’s just taking the edge off.
Touch: Weighted blankets or compression blankets can be really helpful for bringing us down when we are on the edge of meltdown. A soft toy or fidget toy can help us ground to the moment and stay in the right level of stimulation. Seabands can help with acupressure.
Taste: Sour candies, gum, small hard candies. These are all easy to have on hand to bring us back to the moment. I know that for boring tasks, ADHDers often need the extra stimulation to bring attention back to what we need to do next. For anxiety it can be helpful to focus on just the taste for a moment.
Smell: I like a light perfume or essential oils. Spread the essential oil of your choice on your hands and then inhale the scent to take a deep breath and separate from the anxious energy. Try box breathing directly after this process.
Sight: Sunglasses are a must. If a dark shade is too much, tinted glasses in a blue or orange may be more helpful. Again we are taking the sharp edges off the sensory input. If we can’t access these things going to a place where we can turn off the lights like a bathroom is helpful!
With all of these tools we focus on sensation over emotion. Yes our emotions are feeling so big, that’s okay. We can recognize that and then bring focus to other things. Our senses can guide us back to our bodies and as we do, we can learn resilience. We can do hard things, this won’t be forever. It may sound nihilistic, but nothing lasts forever, everything will pass eventually, and so will this feeling. I hope these tools can guide you to a place of grounding and understanding of your unique brain.
