We are now at the time of year where sensory overload is taken to the next level, especially for neurodiverse individuals and their loved ones.
Yes, it’s Holiday Shopping Season.
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Now, as many of us know by now, the holidays are just downright stressful ranging from buying gifts, shipping them to loved ones, knowing what to give, you name it. For anyone who is neurodiverse or disabled, it’s just as difficult.
Take it from me, I am a people pleaser, and will often times go out of my way to ensure people get what they want. Back then, it was even for people that nowadays didn’t deserve anything from me. Sometimes this can do more harm than good for both our financial and mental health.
Working in retail for 15 years, I have had to force myself to please people that would otherwise not deserve a cent from me. During my 3 years at Borders Bookstores, I finally came to see what the holidays really were from a customer standpoint: people became monsters and bullies and as someone who is neurodiverse, I couldn’t really understand it.
Why were people being so crabby and rude? Did I do something wrong? Do these people even deserve my help and support?
Ever since then, I had to take a good look in the mirror and say to myself, not everyone is going to agree with my views of the Holiday Season.
And yes, this ranges to the shopping aspect of the holidays. When it comes to the holiday shopping season, I see people being inhumane, unsympathetic and uncaring. Even working in the grocery industry, I see this every day, but it’s always during this time of year that it gets worse.
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My best tactic that I use for my holiday shopping and avoid such drama is to shop online via Amazon.com. When you shop online, you are shopping in your comfort zone and you are keeping your sanity and stress levels low.
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But if you have to go out and shop, there are some tips to consider:
Wear headphones or earbuds if you can. This is critical especially with sensory issues such as loud noises (children and adults) and being in an overall stressful environment.
Make a plan to go when its quiet and the public levels are low (particularly in the morning). I find that usually mornings are the best time to shop for anything, especially in retail.
If you can’t find what you are looking for, remember that it is not the end of the world. People should be thankful for having what they have in their lives and it’s not your fault if you don’t get them what they want.
Make a list of people that you should get gifts for. It would be people that you are extremely close to (family, friends, etc.)
Remember to have patience with the store workers. They are doing the best they can and getting impatient or irritated with them is not going to get you what you want. If you are looking for something and it’s not there at that particular location, wish them a happy holiday season and move onto the next location.
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If you want a visual example of shopping during the holidays, check out this famous episode of “The Jack Benny Program” about Christmas Shopping. As you watch the episode, try and identify what areas of the Holiday Shopping Season can really bother neurodiverse individuals both as a customer (Jack Benny, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, Don Wilson) and as a retail worker (Mel Blanc, Frank Nelson, Dennis Day).
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Catch you all later!!
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