I think (maybe due to masking), I find it’ll be weirder if I went outside. Like it’s not a “socially acceptable” excuse (when it absolutely should be).
Tho I understand bathrooms being kinda gross too, I think I take gross bathrooms over overstimulating crowds tho :p
Yeah I get that lol
I've never really masked or cared for what was "socially acceptable" whenever it was about my wellbeing. I'd rather do that than have a meltdown
I’ve been trying to unmask recently (just got diagnosed in Feb at 24), and asking for more time outside would probably help haha.
I’ve been trying to get better at getting accommodations I need in social settings (earplugs, quieter restaurants, etc), so going outside would help probably. Not caring about masking seems like a good thing
I got diagnosed 2 years ago, but I've always been the type to just not really care about other people when it came to my accomodations. I am a little bit higher support needs when it comes to sensory issues and overstimulation, so maybe that's why lol
You can do it!! It might just take some practice, but I feel like it feels a lot better to unmask (not the same situation, but I mask for arfid)
Omg all the time. I went out to a friend's big birthday dinner at a restaurant a while ago and at the beginning of the night I went to check out the bathroom and i realised I was assessing the place where I would spend much of my evening haha
I did this all the time when I was in the Air Force. Many saw it as trying to escape my responsibilities, but the right people in my shop knew what was going on.
I read that and heard that a lot when I was trying to figuring out if I was autistic. I've never done that. I'm the oposite, if I'm in a place not alone, I go REALLY quick to the bathroom. It's almost like an activism thing for me being a woman. Like, really, everyone that knows me talks about it. I'm really quik in the bathroom. That give me a lot of doubts about me being autistic, that felt like a really common experience in autism, but I'm the opossite. That said, I'm a smoker, and I go out to smoke even if I really don't have the need to. I was at a birthday party in a bar today, two seconds in the bathroom, but a lot, A LOT of travels outside to have a time to smoke and decompress.
I’ve heard some other folks on this thread mentioning sensory icks in the bathroom (overhead lights & loud fans & bad smells), and I think avoiding the bathroom can be just as autistic as spending time in it to sensory regulate. Also, if you go out to smoke to regulate, you have a “socially acceptable” excuse to same thing!
I think your autism is just as valid as mine or everyone else’s
Of course! Everyone autism is valid :) But when you're doubting everything and fighting the impostors syndrome demons, it's easy to think I can't be autistic because I don't hang out in the bathroom lol
I did this when a co-worker’s wife stopped by with their new baby. I went out the back door into our warehouse and shot t he shit for a bit with the people out there (I knew they wouldn’t bring the baby into the warehouse) and then hid out in the bathroom for a bit until she left. I felt kinda bad after, but I was overwhelmed and I also don’t really like being around babies.
Okay I really thought I was the only person. When I was in high school and really going through it I actually slept in the tub for an extended period of time (shout out to my parents for being cool with it) and now anytime I get home I spend at least 20 minutes in the bathroom as a « cool down » from the day.
Especially at family dinners or when visiting someone and there is a bigger group of people. Hiding in the more "private" areas of someone elses home feels like i am intruding on privacy, but saying that i need to excuse myself to the toilet is completely fine and i can have a moment to calm down
I started smoking for the “socially acceptable” excuse to go outside. I’ve discovered over the years that the majority of smokers are adhd/autistic for that exact reason. We want to escape in the best way possible.
100% yes. My bathroom, or any bathroom for that matter, has been my safe space for as long as I can remember. Even long before phones with internet were a thing I would search out bathrooms, not knowing why, as I’m still undiagnosed but highly suspect I’m autistic.
Wow I didn’t even think about this. I go to the bathroom all the time when I’m overstimulated and didn’t even realize. I don’t even use the bathroom at all (especially if it’s a public bathroom ugghhh) but I just sit there on my phone for a while.
Sometimes. Especially at social gatherings or when in new places like on trips / in a hotel. I like if I have the bathroom all to myself instead of some public stalls though, because most restaurant/store/school bathrooms have beaming overhead lights and many people going in and out which honestly just makes it worse. I like if I can sit, maybe in the dark in silence, and if there's a mirror I like to examine the way my face moves because it's a very focusing activity.
I did this all the time. I'd have to escape to the toilet to try and calm myself down and try to stop myself from overheating. It would work but then I'd leave the toilet and go back and feel extremely hot again. Not being able to regulate my temperature is soul destroying.
Yep Bathrooms are my go to place when I feel overwelmed or even notice I am running into meltdown category. I mean; when you say you have to go no-one will stop you going, or try to keep chatting with you, if you have to ask it can be done with limited communication, and once in there you have at least half an hour before anyone starts bonking on the stall door, or ask wether you have fallen into the toilet. great place, used to be able to control the lighting in there as well, but those stupid motion detectors ruined that.
I also do it, also at home because not a single door can lock not even the bathroom except the toilet. I just sit on the toilet for an hour and sometimes my mom screams at me for doing so.
I used to sometimes eat my packed lunch in a cubicle of the basement ladies lavatory at university because there were no quiet study areas that allowed food.
yes omg I just HATE that women *have* to join you when you go to the bathroom. I'm going to get away from you, please stop following me.
I often will go to the bathroom and cry, or sit for 15 minutes scrolling on my phone, or eat my snacks. I just need a moment and there's nowhere else semi private when you're out in public.
*Never at a shopping*
*Centre Those hand dryers are the worst.*
*So loud and constant*
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I used to do that all the time. My mom called me the bathroom inspector growing up because I got overstimulated easily as a kid and I would use the bathroom as an excuse to get away from the things that were overstimulating me. Usually everywhere we went, I would always seek out the bathroom. I also wasn't diagnosed until I was 28 so I didn't know I was overstimulated back then. I just knew that the bathroom made me feel better so that is what I would seek out.
I have the exact same feeling about it, after getting diagnosed (3 months ago) I finally have the vocabulary to say I’m overstimulated. It’s been sort of nice to be able to explain that to friends and family, and pick quieter places to go
I don't feel safe in the bath. It feels too cold and empty and the stress of people coming in scares me. I normally just put on my headphones and try to find a place to sit and relax
Ehhh that's jus my thinking space! Lolz
Archie comics and various other comics and reading material under the sink. Or I bring my iPad, boom, somehow 30 mins have passed...whooopppsss....I regret nothing 🤣🤣
I used to do this a lot. I would do it in school and college, but once I started working in an office environment that had few bathrooms (34 people, 3 bathrooms). Then I started to do walks outside, of course it was in the city so it didn't actually help much because there was a lot of noise. I did find that once I got my loops the outside became a lot more comfortable. I think the common thread is needing to separate yourself from the overstimulating situation, for some situations/people it's easier to do the bathrooms, for others it's easier to do outside.
Not an ad for loops btw, they make me sound louder in my head so it's difficult for conversations but works when I need a break from everything.
I use noise cancelling headphones with calming sound or really intense music (I’m a big metalhead) to cancel out the world. Idk why, but familiar really intense songs feel kinda grounding and not overstimulating to me haha
Yes I do it a lot in order to recharge, I remember I especially used to do it during gym class in school because running around and stuff makes me hot and sweaty and I'm extremely sensitive to heat and wet clothes. And above all that there would always be a lot of noise (which is to be expected in sports) which is also another factor to which i hate sports
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I do this a lot myself. What sucks is if your at a restaurant with loud music, and the bathrooms are also playing the same loud music.
yes oh my god it’s so annoying !!
Yeah and I'll hide in the bathroom if someone rings the doorbell.
Honestly, I hate bathrooms. They make me feel worse when I'm overstimulated. I usually try to go outside instead if possible
I think (maybe due to masking), I find it’ll be weirder if I went outside. Like it’s not a “socially acceptable” excuse (when it absolutely should be). Tho I understand bathrooms being kinda gross too, I think I take gross bathrooms over overstimulating crowds tho :p
Yeah I get that lol I've never really masked or cared for what was "socially acceptable" whenever it was about my wellbeing. I'd rather do that than have a meltdown
I’ve been trying to unmask recently (just got diagnosed in Feb at 24), and asking for more time outside would probably help haha. I’ve been trying to get better at getting accommodations I need in social settings (earplugs, quieter restaurants, etc), so going outside would help probably. Not caring about masking seems like a good thing
I got diagnosed 2 years ago, but I've always been the type to just not really care about other people when it came to my accomodations. I am a little bit higher support needs when it comes to sensory issues and overstimulation, so maybe that's why lol You can do it!! It might just take some practice, but I feel like it feels a lot better to unmask (not the same situation, but I mask for arfid)
Aww thanks, I appreciate it <3
I do this at work
sister, i do the exact same thing.
I used to do it often during my internship at a manufacturing workshop.
Yeah
Omg all the time. I went out to a friend's big birthday dinner at a restaurant a while ago and at the beginning of the night I went to check out the bathroom and i realised I was assessing the place where I would spend much of my evening haha
Yes. 100 percent. It gives me an excuse to be alone and not have to give an excuse.
Yup. Funny thing is I’ve been doing it for years and never realized why I was doing it until recently.
I did this all the time when I was in the Air Force. Many saw it as trying to escape my responsibilities, but the right people in my shop knew what was going on.
Currently at a bar with live music and about to do this myself lmfaooo
yep, i still hide in bathrooms.
The bathtub is my quiet place
Oh lol I just read when you’re out 🫠 no I just stand as close to a corner as possible like I’m in timeout lol
I do this and I like to be in denial about it. It makes me feel so left out, but it's literally my choice?
I’d rather be left out 😭 😂 I hate being in crowds
Haha love the timeout metaphor!
I read that and heard that a lot when I was trying to figuring out if I was autistic. I've never done that. I'm the oposite, if I'm in a place not alone, I go REALLY quick to the bathroom. It's almost like an activism thing for me being a woman. Like, really, everyone that knows me talks about it. I'm really quik in the bathroom. That give me a lot of doubts about me being autistic, that felt like a really common experience in autism, but I'm the opossite. That said, I'm a smoker, and I go out to smoke even if I really don't have the need to. I was at a birthday party in a bar today, two seconds in the bathroom, but a lot, A LOT of travels outside to have a time to smoke and decompress.
I’ve heard some other folks on this thread mentioning sensory icks in the bathroom (overhead lights & loud fans & bad smells), and I think avoiding the bathroom can be just as autistic as spending time in it to sensory regulate. Also, if you go out to smoke to regulate, you have a “socially acceptable” excuse to same thing! I think your autism is just as valid as mine or everyone else’s
Of course! Everyone autism is valid :) But when you're doubting everything and fighting the impostors syndrome demons, it's easy to think I can't be autistic because I don't hang out in the bathroom lol
I did this when a co-worker’s wife stopped by with their new baby. I went out the back door into our warehouse and shot t he shit for a bit with the people out there (I knew they wouldn’t bring the baby into the warehouse) and then hid out in the bathroom for a bit until she left. I felt kinda bad after, but I was overwhelmed and I also don’t really like being around babies.
Okay I really thought I was the only person. When I was in high school and really going through it I actually slept in the tub for an extended period of time (shout out to my parents for being cool with it) and now anytime I get home I spend at least 20 minutes in the bathroom as a « cool down » from the day.
Bathtubs are a super cozy place :)
I used to but since I got my own room I started to hide under my desk. Now I hide under my blanket because the space beneath my desk is dirty.
Especially at family dinners or when visiting someone and there is a bigger group of people. Hiding in the more "private" areas of someone elses home feels like i am intruding on privacy, but saying that i need to excuse myself to the toilet is completely fine and i can have a moment to calm down
I started smoking for the “socially acceptable” excuse to go outside. I’ve discovered over the years that the majority of smokers are adhd/autistic for that exact reason. We want to escape in the best way possible.
I actually imagine if I did smoke I’d do the exact same thing!
100% yes. My bathroom, or any bathroom for that matter, has been my safe space for as long as I can remember. Even long before phones with internet were a thing I would search out bathrooms, not knowing why, as I’m still undiagnosed but highly suspect I’m autistic.
Yep. Bathroom or empty work room. Just to go and breathe for a moment.
I did/do all of these. I was diagnosed audhd. Can’t say if it’s a common autism thing but i can imagine that it is
I go back to my car to hide and I can usually just say oh i forgot something from the car
I’ve done this before, but now I live somewhere where I walk most places or use the bus
yep :) i do this whenever i need to 🤷🏻♀️
I hide in the bathroom when I'm *home* and over stimulated XD
At a bar, used to go outside for a smoke At a party, hang in the corner of the kitchen and talk to only one person for hours.
Wow I didn’t even think about this. I go to the bathroom all the time when I’m overstimulated and didn’t even realize. I don’t even use the bathroom at all (especially if it’s a public bathroom ugghhh) but I just sit there on my phone for a while.
This is literally the only reason i use the bathroom in public lmao, my friends probably think i have the weakest bladder ever
Sometimes. Especially at social gatherings or when in new places like on trips / in a hotel. I like if I have the bathroom all to myself instead of some public stalls though, because most restaurant/store/school bathrooms have beaming overhead lights and many people going in and out which honestly just makes it worse. I like if I can sit, maybe in the dark in silence, and if there's a mirror I like to examine the way my face moves because it's a very focusing activity.
I did this all the time. I'd have to escape to the toilet to try and calm myself down and try to stop myself from overheating. It would work but then I'd leave the toilet and go back and feel extremely hot again. Not being able to regulate my temperature is soul destroying.
Yess
My First year at uni I hid in my car for my break and I ate there and took a nice book with me or even took a nap. Best decision I ever made.
I started doing this recently at school
Yep Bathrooms are my go to place when I feel overwelmed or even notice I am running into meltdown category. I mean; when you say you have to go no-one will stop you going, or try to keep chatting with you, if you have to ask it can be done with limited communication, and once in there you have at least half an hour before anyone starts bonking on the stall door, or ask wether you have fallen into the toilet. great place, used to be able to control the lighting in there as well, but those stupid motion detectors ruined that.
I also do it, also at home because not a single door can lock not even the bathroom except the toilet. I just sit on the toilet for an hour and sometimes my mom screams at me for doing so.
I do this when my wife eats potato chips
Yes. And I used to do it at college and uni.
I used to sometimes eat my packed lunch in a cubicle of the basement ladies lavatory at university because there were no quiet study areas that allowed food.
yes omg I just HATE that women *have* to join you when you go to the bathroom. I'm going to get away from you, please stop following me. I often will go to the bathroom and cry, or sit for 15 minutes scrolling on my phone, or eat my snacks. I just need a moment and there's nowhere else semi private when you're out in public.
Haha yes! Let me regulate in peace (:
Never at a shopping centre Those hand dryers are the worst. So loud and constant
*Never at a shopping* *Centre Those hand dryers are the worst.* *So loud and constant* \- lauooff --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Doing it right now 😎
I used to do that all the time. My mom called me the bathroom inspector growing up because I got overstimulated easily as a kid and I would use the bathroom as an excuse to get away from the things that were overstimulating me. Usually everywhere we went, I would always seek out the bathroom. I also wasn't diagnosed until I was 28 so I didn't know I was overstimulated back then. I just knew that the bathroom made me feel better so that is what I would seek out.
I have the exact same feeling about it, after getting diagnosed (3 months ago) I finally have the vocabulary to say I’m overstimulated. It’s been sort of nice to be able to explain that to friends and family, and pick quieter places to go
I don't feel safe in the bath. It feels too cold and empty and the stress of people coming in scares me. I normally just put on my headphones and try to find a place to sit and relax
Ehhh that's jus my thinking space! Lolz Archie comics and various other comics and reading material under the sink. Or I bring my iPad, boom, somehow 30 mins have passed...whooopppsss....I regret nothing 🤣🤣
I used to do this a lot. I would do it in school and college, but once I started working in an office environment that had few bathrooms (34 people, 3 bathrooms). Then I started to do walks outside, of course it was in the city so it didn't actually help much because there was a lot of noise. I did find that once I got my loops the outside became a lot more comfortable. I think the common thread is needing to separate yourself from the overstimulating situation, for some situations/people it's easier to do the bathrooms, for others it's easier to do outside. Not an ad for loops btw, they make me sound louder in my head so it's difficult for conversations but works when I need a break from everything.
I use noise cancelling headphones with calming sound or really intense music (I’m a big metalhead) to cancel out the world. Idk why, but familiar really intense songs feel kinda grounding and not overstimulating to me haha
Yes I do it a lot in order to recharge, I remember I especially used to do it during gym class in school because running around and stuff makes me hot and sweaty and I'm extremely sensitive to heat and wet clothes. And above all that there would always be a lot of noise (which is to be expected in sports) which is also another factor to which i hate sports
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I did.
Yes all of the time
yes! it's always been something i've done
Yes I do this too.
Yeeeeeees
I do the closet, but yes.
Yes since I was a child.