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!)
I do many of the things you listed and I also treat it being too hot as inclement weather. By that I mean I plan outdoor activities for the cooler parts of the day and come inside if it’s getting too warm. I don’t plan activities where there is no shade. I’ve made the mistake of going to the beach and spending the next day feeling really sick from all the UV.
ETA: sorry if this is super obvious, but it wasn’t to me: some places are just more pleasant in the summer than others. My backyard fucking sucks most of the time, except this little screened in hut I have because I live in a swamp. Lots and lots of mosquitos. But if I drive half an hour away I can walk along a river with lots of wind and no bugs (but also little shade so I need to plan ahead.)
I also carry an insulated water bottle with me, one that had a straw but also seals completely. I don’t care that I look like a trend following white woman, I need to have water with me in case I am able to force myself to drink (I also struggle with that lol?)
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?