An AuDHDer’s Writing Essentials
I’m writing this post from a hotel room in Reykjavik, Iceland. Yesterday I lost my favorite Loop earplugs. I’m trying really hard not to fixate on how much it sucks that I lost them. Especially since I travel with no less than four different noise mitigation aids. But the Loops are my favorite. They’re discrete, and they kind of look like earrings. The ones I had were black and gold. They fit so snugly in my ear that I often forget that I’m wearing them. But the best part is that they reduce overwhelm from environmental noise extending my capacity to be in public spaces by a few hours on a good day.
Unfortunately, I have lost my favorite sensory processing aid. So, after a morning spent touring the city of Reykjavik, I started to feel those early fizzy warning signs that I’m approaching overwhelm so I slipped on my air pods and played music as I made my way back to my hotel. I’m grateful that I have so many tools to support in moments like this. Not only do these aids reduce dysregulation and improve the quality of my life they also help me to sustain the energy I need to be creative.
Writing used to be so hard because I was repressing my stims, masking heavily, and struggling with auditory processing in busy social settings. No wonder I had little energy left to be creative. Since being diagnosed with autism and ADHD, I’ve developed a toolbox of essential aids and systems that support my creative process. Here are some of my favorites.
I promise this is the last time I will mention these (in this post..LOL)! If I’m writing in a place that has background noise these are essential. Unlike most earplugs that muffle sound, Loops turn down the volume on the sound around me by combining an acoustic channel and mesh to filter sound. I recently attended a conference where I wore these the entire time. While I would usually struggle to understand conversations in crowded public wearing my Loops significantly improved my auditory processing. I’ve tried so many different earplugs and these by far have the best fit and they’re so cute. They fit snugly inside your ear with a sweet colorful ring outside your ear canal. Loop is one of those companies that understand that disability aids can also look fly.
Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones WH 1000XM4
When I need to pull out the big guns and completely eliminate environmental noise I turn to my Sony’s. These headphones make traveling so much more manageable. Flying used to completely deplete me before I discovered these headphones. If someone is talking around me, I may as well pack it up and forget about writing because my brain will focus exclusively on their conversations. Sometimes the noise canceling feature on other headphones can amplify certain frequencies like higher pitched voices only triggering my overwhelm but the noise-canceling featuring on these headphones is unmatched. They create a quiet little cocoon to work from no matter where I am.
Stimming Playlist
If I’m listening to music while writing it is most definitely a playlist full of instrumentals without lyrics. I cannot write while listening to music with lyrics. But my pre-writing ritual includes some high energy physical movement aka stimming to a playlist guaranteed to get me moving. Right now, my stimmy music of choice is Radiohead’s In Rainbows album. If I’m having a tough writing day, feeling stuck, overstimulated, or what I can only describe as being stuck in a loop, I’ll step away from my computer, put on this album, and bounce around the house for 30-minutes until I feel like I’ve got some energy moving again and return to the page.
Writing a book while maintaining a blog requires a high level of organization. I discovered Asana when I began freelancing full time seven years ago and it has made planning and organization so much more manageable. Trying to work with a plan or clear structures can leave me frozen in place. So, I depend heavily on structure and routine but sometimes (usually several times a month) I fall off track and get behind on deadlines especially if those deadlines aren’t dictated by the urgency. But with a task management system like Asana, I’m able to get right back on track. I’m usually working on multiple projects at once so I can keep track of the tasks for each project, divide bigger projects into sections, set deadlines, see milestones, a complete timeline of the work, and see a calendar that combines all of my projects in one place. I’m in the developmental editing phase of writing my novel, so right now that project includes a breakdown of all of the chapter edits, I need to complete over the next month before it goes to my editor.
Every writer needs to find the tools that support their creative process. My essentials include aids that increase the sense of well-being that I need as an Audhder. I can’t tell stories or share my love of romance lit with you if I’m struggling. I hope you find what works for you.
