Do you have problems with dressing yourself?

Post Reply New Topic

I never had problems dressing myself.

Sometimes I can, most of the time I can but only with someone actually handing me the stuff or otherwise helping me get it and also minimal assistance if I get stuck, sometimes I can't without partial help, sometimes I can't without complete help. I have always been very slow at it, though, even when able to do it.

Yes I do.....sometimes anyway. It takes me forever to put an outfit together, and I also have sensory issues, so I can wear certain fabrics. I can have a shirt be tight across my arms (bicep area) and this happens a lot with short sleeve shirts. I can stand the feel of socks on my ankles so i can only wear very low cut socks. I have issues with bras....there is only one style that fits me right and only one style I wear......I can have a meltdown if my bra doesn't fit right....so I have six of the same exact bra.....

I wear a labcoat at work, and this causes me issues too. I can't wear a 3/4-length shirt under my labcoat, since the labcoat sleeves are longer....I either need a sleeveless top or one with short sleeves (so long as they aren't tight on my arms). I also have a hard time buttoning buttons and fastening bras in the back......tying shoes isn't one of my strong points either....why I mostly wear ballet flats.

Oh, I'm also really bad at putting together an outfit. I have lots of nice clothes but I have a hard time making outfits out of them. this process can take me at least 30 minutes in the morning...I can't match shoes to an outfit, and sometimes I find myself at work with two different shoes on...I have an extra pair at work in case this happens.

I can't wear jewelry, except for earrings and my belly ring. I can't stand the feel of a necklace around my neck, a bracelet on my wrist, or a ring on my finger.

Ha, I had a funny experience before; my mother was looking through my cupboard where I hang my clothes, and she stated, 'it's easy to see the clothes you've bought, and those I bought for you.' I had four of the same shirts, two of the same shorts, and two of the same track pants all stuck together in the corner and ordered in a way I like them, hanging there. Then on the other side was/is a "mess" of "normal" clothes; jeans, slacks, jackets, shirts of all colours and makes, etcetera. I haven't touched the latter at all.

If I can help it, I refrain from wearing a shirt due to sensory problems.

You're supposed to fasten them in the back? I always fasten them in front and then move the fastener to the back.


Me neither, it's way too much sensory input. I've trained myself to wear a soft watch, which took a long time but I felt it was necessary. It's the only jewelry I could ever wear.
I also can't stand makeup of any sort, ever.

Last edited by Jeyradan on 02 May 2008, 9:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

I wish I could get away with that. It's technically legal for a woman where I live, but in practice it would be a bad idea except at home. I hate clothes in general, and even worse is anything that touches my neck in front.

I'm fine now. it took me 30-45 minutes to get dressed up until about 14 though.
And I can't wear tight collars, anything that touches my collar bone hurts me. It used to be worse, I can ignore the pain now.

I just dispense with them altogether except in these two shirts I have that have built-in sports bras sewed onto them. (And those shirts are nearly impossible to get on on my own, because it requires coordinating four arm-holes.) Yeah I'm sure people sometimes look at me weird, but they're going to do that anyway regardless, and half the time I'm sure they don't notice them because they address me as if I'm male (although getting a pair of more female-looking glasses has solved part of that, as has braiding my hair instead of shaving it in the summer).

Unless it's winter, I don't wear a shirt around the house/outside in the yard (even in winter I can get by many times as it's mild here); I've always liked the tops of my legs covered for some reason, so knee length shorts are my usual attire. I wear a shirt when I go to the shops/professional's/family's for my mother, but that's it. The shirts have to be fitting; I cannot stand anything loose on my torso.

No watch for me. Actually I don't need a watch...I always seem to know what time it is (within a minute or two) without one...it's one of my really weird "gifts."

I have to sometimes wear makeup at work. I make makeup and sometimes that requires me testing it on my face....some I can wear, some I can't....it depends on the formula. One thing I often forget it to not rub my eyes when I'm wearing eyemakeup (and I like to rub my eyes a lot). For that reason I ususally don't wear it......however I'm really good at applying it.

I have lots of problems dressing myself, i cant ever pick out what i want to wear, most of the time, i usually wear one piecers or dresses haha. Or i buy outfits that match like a workout outfit with bottom and top. Every day is a challenge for getting dressed and picking out clothes, luckily i have such a patient boyfriend who helps me with both haha.

I don't have too many issues where clothing is concerned, though I prefer soft fabrics and absolutely hate polyester synthetics (thank god the 70s are over). And I completely get buying several copies of the same article (sometimes in different colors) when you find one you like.

I also have the tendency to wear a jacket even when it's out of season (my lambskin bomber has been loved nearly to death), but I think part of the reason is that I feel very awkward about what to do with my hands, and the jacket pockets give me a place to put them.
Same with pants, my ex-military dad gave me grief for years about looking like a slob with my hands shoved in my pants pockets, but if I didn't keep them anchored, I think I'd probably be hand-flapping all the time (I already have a half-dozen other stims). If the hands aren't in my pockets, I have to have an object to hold in them (keys, MP3 player, etc) to give them something to do, else they seem to want to float away like balloons.

I have issues with socks. They have to be lined up exactly right on my feet, and the top part has to be scrunched just the right way, or it drives me nuts. Sometimes it seems like I just can't get them to feel right at all, and then I end up just taking them off. Also, my hair scrunchies have to have just the right amount of tension in them. I won't wear ones that don't feel tight enough.

I can't wear wool because it itches, or turtle-necks because they feel like they are strangling me.

Last edited by LostInSpace on 02 May 2008, 11:19 am, edited 1 time in total.

I do the same things with my bras. I can't imagine fastening them in the back- do other people do that? I wasn't aware of that.

I can't wear lipstick, because I can't stand the way it feels. And I don't wear any make-up at all just because I don't care about it and it is too much work (plus I don't really know how to put it on). I could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times in my life I've worn make-up.

Ummm... my mom is sometimes embarrassed by what I wear, because I still haven't grown out of playing dress-up yet...

I tend to wear either vintage stuff or gothic stuff or both. I have not been caught out of the house wearing an outfit that doesn't have black in it somewhere.

I love corsets, the tighter the better. Unfortunately, I only have two, as they are so expensive, and so time consuming to make. I make up for it by wearing high waisted pants and skirts, and by fastening my belt very tight.

I can't wear much jewelry, because it buzzes when I play viola, and if I take it off, I tend to loose it.

I wish I could put pictures of some of my oufits up here, but I think my mom wouldn't let me. Maybe if I cut my head off. (in the picture ) I have been told by a lot of NT's that I have a great sense of style. Ha, ha! I win!

I don't have too many problems dressing myself...I eventually figured out how to tie my shoes, and I can button my shirt, I just have to take the extra time to make sure the button matches the hole People tell me I take a long time to get dressed.

I'm a habitual tag ripper (especially in underwear), can't stand turtlenecks, dickies, or anything else that decides to touch the front of my neck (my dad cut all of his shirts into v-necks, I'm not quite as bad). I can't wear anything long sleeved. Hoodies and other coats are okay, but I wear them a little too big, so that I can keep my hands inside the sleeves. If I need my hands for something, I'll just roll up my sleeves. I really really need to get myself some seemless socks, that crap drives me absolutely nuts sometimes. General wrinkles, rising ups, and twists in my clothes keep me adjusting myself regularly.

I don't change my clothes as often as I should

Ugh...I freak out if I have a ring on, especially if it's hard to get off, I totally panic. My dad keeps his wedding ring on his keychain. I notice that I've got a lot of symptoms from my dad, but he's pretty good socially, I must get that part from mom.





I'm glad, not being a woman, I'm not expected to wear it very often Especially anything with sparkles in it

It's still nearly impossible though to get anything like bug spray or suntan lotion on me.



I just now realize that I have no idea what I'd do with my hands if I didn't have pockets. I used to cross them on my chest, or behind my back, or just clasp my hands, but that looks worse most of the time, so I try to keep them in my pockets...I used to keep them in the front pockets of my pants, but for some reason last year, they sort of migrated to the back pockets o_O