Kim,

Sometimes I use a comments like, " It sounds like fun but I don't think it is worth me having to struggle if I get over-whelmed."

Something you may not have noticed. Do you have problems with vertical movements of your head? I get in trouble if I am bobbing up and down as in walking around the yard pulling and picking up weeds. If I lean over to reach the grass, I can have problems after a few ups and downs. If I squat to reach the ground, I usually do better. I also struggle with too much side to side head movements. I have learned to turn my shoulders to look side to side. It appears the shoulder movement slows the speed of head rotation.

I learned this cleaning up the back yard after my dogs. It could leave me a space cadet. And, it was not dizziness like the therapist suggested. It was cognitive confusion.

Just in case, The comment that works best for me at group gatherings is, "The part of my brain that is supposed to filter out all the extraneous sounds and voices so I can focus on just one voice does not work properly due to my injury. This makes it so my brain tries to listen to and process all of the sounds around me at the same time."

Most people do not know that their brains are filtering out so much sound.

This helps them understand how to try to accommodate your needs.

My best to you.