Hi! I am going on a sensory retreat (aka "black out") for 2 weeks from December 15-January 29 as prescribed by my neurologist. This will be followed by a two-week period of gently reintroducing sensory stimuli. This means no phone or screens of any kind, no reading, no recorded sound, no focusing or hard thinking, no harsh light or noise, and no working. That's a lot of no's! Some yes's: Gentle walks, gentle social visits with 1-2 close friends at a time, being read light reading to, a little bit of expressive art making, and basically the whole scope of toddler-type play. I would love for 1-2 people to come over per "shift" for a few hrs. There is an earlier shift (11-2), and a later shift, (4-7). You do not have to come over for that whole time but those are my "office hours" where I will be home for folks to come over for visits. I will not be able to coordinate anything logistical myself during this time due to the no phones thing and also that sort of stuff involves hard thinking. If for some reason the plans for that day shift, one of my administrators will alter the schedule on here and you will be alerted. I will not really be able to do any of the typical activities I would do to keep myself occupied, and things that are a bit hard for me already (like making lunch or organizing transit to medical appointments) I will need help with. I think this is a great opportunity to experiment with what we can do together as friends and community members. We could try new foods and new sensory experiences! We could build with blocks or play in a non-focused, non-goal-oriented way. We can go for gentle walks or go for rides in cars to places that follow all of my restrictions. My doctor stressed to me that not thinking hard is one of the most important things to follow, so avoiding asking complex questions or sharing about things in the past or future, avoiding offering more than 2 choices, and probably discussing anything topical about the current state of the world. Think: Would I do this with a toddler? If the answer is no, then maybe re-think!
I would love to try new foods as a way to get some exploration and information that doesn't involve thinking! The main restriction is that I am gluten-free, and I can do mild/medium spice level. I would be curious to experiment with textures, tastes, temperatures! Also, bringing over new fidgets, children's books, or very simple activities would be cool!