AuDHD & Me: Living with Driving, Noise Sensitivity, & Time Blindness
Driving Anxiety & AuDHD
Most people know that driving is a challenge for me. While I enjoy it, it can be difficult.
For years, I thought this was due to lack of experience since I passed my test later than most. People said I just needed more practice or extra lessons to build confidence. People even reassured me I’m a good driver. But it was not confidence or experience I was lacking.
Learning about my neurodivergence was a big moment, it helped me understand that driving difficulties are likely linked to being AuDHD. It’s hard to separate what comes from autism or ADHD, so I’ll combine them here.
My main challenge is processing information and spatial awareness. On familiar routes, I manage this well, but busy or fast-changing traffic overwhelms me. Judging speed and distance of other cars, especially on motorways, is hard and dysregulates my nervous system.
I don’t avoid driving, but I know my own competency so I choose not to drive unfamiliar or busy routes to stay safe. This can be hard for others to understand and I dislike the loss of independence, but knowing my limits is important.
What helps:
Explaining my challenges, accepting support with travel, regulating myself before and during trips, and knowing my limits, even when they’re hard to explain.
Noise Sensitivity & AuDHD
Noise is another tricky challenge. I love music, from orchestral to dance music, (I’m a Noughties Indie girl at heart). I love live music and loud music. Sometimes having music at full volume in the car or singing along at gigs are my happiest moments.
At the same time, I have oversensitivity to noise. It might seem strange, but loud music of my choosing can be soothing as it is predictable and familiar. My favourite music on repeat gives me dopamine and helps regulate my nervous system. But I can struggle with layered, repetitive, and unpredictable sounds like multiple people talking at once or clattering kitchen noise. These sounds overstimulate me and at the end of the day I can shut down.
I notice every sound: the fan, freezer, lawnmower, my kids arguing and the constant thoughts in my head. This means I sometimes find it hard to listen to conversations. I can hear someone speaking but I have to tune out everything else to make sense of what they say. I often ask people to repeat themselves.
What helps:
Advocating for myself. If a place is too loud, I explain why I need to go somewhere quiet. I often use my Loop earplugs or my earbuds to listen to my own music. I usually watch TV with low volume and subtitles on.
Managing Time Blindness
Time can be another challenge for an ADHD brain. Time blindness is not about telling the time but not sensing time passing. For example, I can see I have 30 minutes before I need to leave but I can’t judge what I can do in that time. I keep thinking I have more time and then I become late.
Being late is hard to deal with for an autistic brain because rules are important. I hate that people might think I don’t care or judge me as lazy or disorganised.
Other things make this worse like problems with organisation, planning and prioritisation. Even if I’m aware of time, I can struggle with all the steps it takes to finish a task. Hyperfocus steals time too. When I’m focused, whether showering, working or scrolling, I lose track of time.
I often feel time is an artificial idea—there is only NOW and NOT NOW. Boredom, waiting and sleepless nights can make time feel endless. As a lifelong insomniac, long nights have been really tough.
What helps:
Visual timers where I can see time counting down. Timing regular activities to learn how long they take. Asking others to help keep me on track gently. Explaining this to others helps them understand. I also build in extra time as a buffer, it’s not perfect but it helps.
Living Well with AuDHD
Living with AuDHD means managing these challenges every day. I’ve learned a lot about myself and found ways to cope that suit me. Maybe your ways of coping are different, but what’s important is being able to acknowledge and understand your challenges so you can advocate for yourself.
If you are neurodivergent or neurocurious, you might find yourself living with similar challenges. You deserve to thrive beyond these struggles. If this is something you could use support with, let’s chat.
