Shopping for gifts and food

Shopping can be one of the most challenging activities for autistic people during the holidays. So, obviously, it tops our list!

Check out our blog post The Shopping Challenge for in-depth discussion about "shopping while autistic" this holiday season.

When Is It Happening?

Select the amount of time you spend dealing with shopping for gifts and food. THis can include any time spent planning for and shopping for food, supplies, gifts. If you make your own gifts, include this time here as well. After you select your time, click OK to save the dates.

How Demanding Is It?

Even regular grocery shopping may take extra time and be more stressful during the holidays due to:

• anxiety about choosing the right gift (will they like it?),
• anxiety about money - spending too much, or not spending as much as others want you to,
• extra traffic,
• more people around you,
• sensory overload due to lights, colorful decorations, and extra items in stores.

Coping Skills Are...

Choose whether you feel your coping skills are "up to the task" of holiday shopping.

Expected Impact (# Days)

This shows you - in a color-coded graphic - how much this challenge may affect you. The length shows the total number of days you'll be affected, the color and height show how much you'll be impacted, and the lightness/darkness of the color shows how well your coping skills will help you.