Best buys from the last year

If you know me you'll know I'm not big on having "things" and buying stuff or spending money unless I need to or it's something I'm going to really enjoy (like a holiday!). But here are things that I have bought or received over the last year that have repaid me infinitely for my investments. All except the first one under £10 or £20 but genuinely life-changing.

Bose noise cancelling headphones. Definitely my biggest investment but totally worth it. My sister very kindly lent me hers while I was in the general hospital and actually I didn't use them too much there. Maybe because I didn't need them much, as I was originally going to write, being in a side room so having a door I could close. But probably more because I didn't realise I needed them. I didn't realise what a difference they could make. I had some normal in-ear headphones I used at times when I wanted to listen to something without closing my door so I thought that was fine - it was all I had ever known. But when some particular noises on the specialist unit became too much I tried out the noise cancelling headphones properly. I never looked back! The sound quality is fantastic and the noise cancelling reduces or eliminates a lot of background noise, particularly low-pitched hums eg. fridge/freezers in supermarkets, traffic noise. They make it more possible for me to use the telephone because at least I can actually hear the person on the other end, and they mean that I have varying degrees of removal from the ambient sound-world. If I play music loudly enough I can't hear my surroundings, or if I just use the noise cancelling I can hear my surroundings but the over-all input is reduced enough to reduce my stress levels. Sometimes just putting them on without turning them on is enough to take the edge off things that are just a little too loud, such as amplified music or voices at church.

Onesie. I love my onesie so much and wear it most evenings. revolutionary dressing gown alternative for people who can't help flailing around. Made of thick jersey (think joggers/tracksuit/hoody material) it is cosy without being that yucky stuff that is sold as fleece these days. Actual fleece is good - the furry stuff NO! Especially if it's shiny. 

Stanley (gift). Stanley is my weighted sloth. He is full of beans literally. He can go in the microwave and be cosy warm if you can cope with the smell his beans make, but if not, he is good for sitting on the knee, accompanying you in the car if in need of some extra comfort, swinging around in therapy sessions to help you stay regulated enough to say what you need to say, and he's very calming if you sit him on your head. NB. It doesn't have to be a Sloth, that is just the animal chosen by Mr Peggy who bestowed this most excellent gift on me last Christmas (OK, so technically not my own best buy, but a best buy!).

A tin of black paint, with gifted variety of sensory lights, shelf and beanbag. This was all that was required to make my sensory nook, and that has been a complete gamechanger. Low stim environment where I can go any time I am at home, to destress, recharge, regulate and either maintain calm or tolerate distress. Also more recently acquired: dark tent so I can have a nook when we go away places, and blinds for the car windows in case I need a bit of down time when I'm out and about.

Love my nook!

Compression socks. These are new and technically designed for plantar fasciitis, but I use them in a sensory way. My feet get sad and dead when they are in shoes all day at work. They need some light sensory input so that I can be aware of them being part of me during the day and this helps to keep me regulated. Wearing them for about half the day under my socks is about right. Other days I use insoles with a big metatarsal support or trampoline park socks with the little anti-slip bobbles on the bottom.

Tangles. You'll rarely see me in public without one! They keep my hands awake and give low-level anxiety an outlet so that it doesn't build up as quickly. They also seem to be quite a good indicator of my stress levels for other people, who can be better able to tell how I am feeling by what I am doing with a Tangle than by any other verbal or non-verbal indicator...
I have a nice collection of other fidget toys/stim tools from spiky spring rings (love these!) to squeezy balls (!) to magic snake cubes and natural objects like stones. Just shout if you'd like any inspiration!