With the 4th of July coming up, I am interested in knowing if there are others here, particularly others on the spectrum who do NOT get excited by this “holiday” (I am Native American & do not see this as a holiday to celebrate anyways for obvious reasons) due to being scared of/ made anxious by fireworks. My autism diagnosis is fairly new, but obviously I’ve been autistic my whole life, but I also have many other diagnoses, so I’m always curious as to how such things like being terrified & overwhelmed by fireworks play into my autism. Every since I was a child I loved how beautiful fireworks looked in the sky, but to hear the loud bang when I am close, along wt the fear of fire just sets me off! I completely freak out! As a child it was screaming, crying, begging to go indoors; as an adult it’s fidgeting, pacing, instructing everybody where they need to stand, how they need to safely use fireworks, screaming every time a little POP goes off, covering my ears, etc. It’s so stressful. This year my 2 sons are going to be In Oklahoma wt their grandparents for the 4th & I’m miserable wt anxiety about their safety, but also glad I don’t “have” to be around fireworks myself this year, although I may drive to a parking lot where I can view some from afar.
So, sensory overload/ anxiety caused by fireworks for anyone else out there?
#FourthOfJuly #fireworks #Autism #Anxiety