Living with sensory overwhelm and finding safe spaces

For Disability History Month 2025, Darren has chosen to share his experience with us. His story looks at life with suspected autism and ADHD, from sensory overwhelm and restless thoughts, to communication challenges and finding comfort in familiar spaces.
Darren speaks openly about what helps, what hurts, and what makes a difference.

“I’ve always had problems around negative thoughts and suicidal thoughts. I’ve been sectioned quite a few times.

About three years ago I was close to a suicide attempt and got put in touch with Assessment and Treatment Services (ATS) at the NHS. It was a doctor at the hospital who mentioned that I might be autistic and have ADHD. He put me forward for testing.

It’s helped me understand myself a lot. It doesn’t solve the problem, but it makes the problem easier.

I’m still waiting for my assessment, but in the meantime I can find information about neurodiversity that helps explain things.

One of the things that I’ve always wondered about, is that I’m not good around lots of noise or loud noise. But I never understood it. I would hide in my bedroom when my mum would hoover the house. And when cars go past, or a plane goes overhead, or when lots of people talk at the same time, it’s hard. It’s like I feel a high level of fear. Like a sharp, intense way of being scared.

I’ve always been quite touchy with feeling things too. Certain fabrics can feel like they are burning my skin.

At night, I can’t turn my head off. I end up just getting up and reading. The other night I meticulously went through my Virgin contract because I couldn’t sleep. That’s when the negative thoughts come in and I wonder if it’s ever going to stop.

I try to avoid going out as much as possible. I’m not great around people and I don’t like physical contact so I’m not good at shaking hands. I wear noise cancelling headphones, but people will still shout at me or motion at me when I’ve got them on to get my attention. I tell them I don’t like noise. I’d like people to be more sensitive to why someone might wear things like these.

I get frustrated when I notice people’s eyes glaze over when I’m talking to them. I have a strange thing where I can stumble over words, I can lose track of what I’m saying. Sometimes, I have to stop, gather my thoughts and let myself catch up, and then I can continue speaking. Conversations can get quite disjointed.

I try my best to not put myself around people I don’t know. I’m in a bubble now with the groups I go to so people know what I’m like and I can now think about things to avoid so I don’t become unwell.

I was getting support for suicide prevention for about a year and a half and then got put in contact with a charity called Making It Out in Portslade. I go there about twice a week and make art.

At the Southdown service I use, I attend a group for neurodiverse people. There’s a couple of people I’m friendly with there and we’ll sit in the garden, chat, and play Connect 4. Every Tuesday, I’ll join the walking group around Preston Park and then go and have a coffee. Now that I’ve got in a routine, and it’s the same people, it feels quite nice. You can talk to someone, then someone else will come and join you, and then you can have nice bitesize conversations!”