Title: air conditioner attack

Autistic individual

Experience

Air conditioner attack. hypersensitive to inappropriate cold air and nauseating stabbing sounds. Example in a yoga class… air conditioner cold air shocks my system temperature-wise, i’m extra hyper vigilant and i can’t concentrate I’m so cold and assaulted by cold air that hurts and stabs - needles in my eyes. and scratches on my skin. This is bad enough but in addition; the sound of the machine is excruciating to me, it makes me feel sick, angry, trapped, stabbed, verging on tears (can often result in tears, meltdown, panic attack). Sometimes I am determined to do the class even if distressed, but this has bad effect on me for the rest of the day and days after, sometimes its too distressing and i leave, and then feel annoyed i couldn’t do the class, wasted money and feel ashamed/disruptive/sad. I understand some people like the effects of an air conditioner and that it may be turned on during a class so I prepare for this.. I make sure i am early so that i can get the position in the room that feels the least effect of the fake air, i bring a bag of layers of clothes/jumpers to put on if it is turned on, i bring earbuds to block out the stabbing and grinding feeling i get form the sound of the machine. This is all quite a lot of effort and organisation for my working memory differences, already overwhelmed nervous system, and it prevents me hearing clearly the teachers voice and music and the extra clothing often gets in my way and further stresses me. It also upsets and saddens me when the people who request the coldest mode of air conditioner say after class that they want and like to get hot and sweat in class to loose weight - if they were distressed by being hot i can understand why they would request the cold air conditioner on, but they state they want a hot exercise class - i do not understand as this makes no logical sense. So on top of my sensory distress i am so confused by people. It makes me sad as i’m not able to relax and enjoy the class because they request the machine on and on coldest mode, and yet what they say after class is counter to their actions and so it feels like i was put through unnecessary distress. (if the air conditioner doesn’t go on i can enjoy the class, or if i am able to do all my adaptations i can be ‘okay’. But if one adaptation gets misplaced or some other thing distresses me (a list or story for another time..) things get extremely overwhelming very rapidly)

What could have made the experience better?

if people are choosing to attend a hot physical exercise class and want to feel hot, please don’t request cold air. Changes in temperature are very distressing. If air conditioners need to go on please think about turning them off for certain times; for example in relaxation/mindfulness part of an exercise class - distress is heightened at these times. If other people don’t have any particular feelings or thoughts when they are in rooms with air conditioners, just to let them know that my experience of them is assaulting disorientating cold, a constant punching and stabbing to my body and mind, churning in my stomach, choking my throat sensation, hammering or pitchforking in my head, palpitations in my chest/panic and fear/ - panic attacks or meltdowns that happen there or later on when i find a safe place alone. This can take days to recover from.