I have never liked having my toenails cut. I still remember as a child not liking it when my mother cut my toenails and then used that pointy thing to clean out under the edges of the nails (which to be fair to her, is what she should have done, I just hated it).
It wasn’t so bad as I got older and could do it myself, after all, I could control the when, where, and how much.
But ever since the accident, I haven’t been able to bend enough to cut them.
So I’ve gone to a local nail salon and had them cut them.
I’ve done it about three times now, I think.
They do it quickly, much faster than I would do it.
I still don’t like it.
BUT THEN…
…they bring out that… emery board? I don’t know, they use it to clean up the edges from the cutting.
AND I HATE IT!!!!!
It feels so terrible that I’m wincing now, even as I write this.
A big baby?
Actually, no, not this time.
It’s an autistic thing.
An A.I. summary puts it this way:
“The term for when an autistic person is more sensitive to sensations is sensory hypersensitivity (or tactile hypersensitivity if it’s specifically about touch).
In autism, sensory processing differences mean that people may experience sensory input — such as light, sound, smell, taste, touch, movement, or internal body sensations — differently from neurotypical individuals [National Autistic Society]. When someone is hypersensitive, they react more strongly to stimuli than most people, which can make everyday experiences overwhelming.”
I didn’t know that because I’ve only known I was autistic for a couple years, up until then, I just lived with it and put up with being called “overly dramatic”.
And to be fair, sometimes I am overly dramatic, but often it’s the hypersensitivity.
I also don’t like loud noises, the sound of a vacuum cleaner, or certain textures… like a certain accursed nail filing thingy….
So next time you perceive that someone appears to be hypersensitive to something going on, they could be just being overly dramatic (it happens to all of us at some point) or they could be having an autistic reaction.
How you respond to it, is up to you.
Having my nails cut by a pedicurist has been a fact of my life for the last 7 or 8 years for much the same reason as you stated.
I appreciate the autistic insight. The following example may be an autistic thing or not, but it came to mind as I read your article.
Katie is the only driver in this household, and she does a fine job being the family chauffeur. However, when Ian (always in the passenger seat) sees an approaching car at a crossing or in a parking lot, he immediately does the knee-jerk response. With a wince and a sharp, audible intake of breath , he calls out, “Watch it! Look out!”
Katie, who does not kindly suffer backseat drivers, lashes back with, “Ian! Stop it! I saw it!”
Of course, the situation is not helped by the fact that both suffer about 50% hearing loss. And neither likes to be told what to do.
So, I heartily agree with your final statement: “How you respond to it, is up to you.”