How do I communicate my sensory processing overload to my husband so that he can understand?

[JustaGirl22]

After being in the car on the freeways all day, I get back home to my husband wanting to walk to the store. He said I'll give you fifteen minutes, I said please give me half an hour to recover from the exhaustion of being in traffic all day. I have Asperger's and sensory overload oten comes with this condition. So we go out to walk and before we even hit the sidewalk, a motorcycle guns its engine or whatever that's called and the lizard signals go off in my head. My first reaction was to stop and begin to sob before hightailing it back home. My question is how do I adequately express to my husband when I need more time to recover from my day? I just feel like he's not understanding what my needs are and I need ways to get them across, or I'll just keep feeling like a failure.

[AZ1970]

There are videos on YouTube about what it’s like to have sensory integration disorder. I know of one in particular about walking in Walmart. Perhaps some of those will help him. Ultimately you may need to set some strong boundaries for yourself. You need down time. My daughter has autism so I know all about how important sensory needs are to staying emotionally regulated.

[JustaGirl22 in reply to AZ1970]

Thank you! After writing the post I realized there are probably things to watch on YouTube. It's hardest in the moment to remember resources.