How Sunlight Regulates My Nervous System

Welcome to my Unmasking Autism series. This is where I share what I’m learning as I begin to understand my autistic experience and gently come home to myself. These posts are personal, honest, and written with tenderness for the parts of me that have spent years surviving.

I have a funny realization about myself that is also… completely serious.

I identify as a lizard.

If the sun is out, I’m out. No questions. No hesitation. I will be on the patio for hours, just laying there like I’m solar powered, reading, resting, soaking it in. The moment sunlight hits my skin, something in my body calms down.

It’s regulating in a way I can’t fully explain unless you’ve felt it too.

Unmasking autism has helped me see that a lot of my “quirks” are actually nervous system needs. They aren’t random preferences. They’re the ways my body finds safety, comfort, and balance.

And sunlight is one of my biggest ones.

I can build a patio nest just as good as a couch nest.

Give me a blanket, a pillow, a book, and a little corner where I can be warm and undisturbed, and I’m set. There’s something about nesting that makes me feel safe, and the patio just adds the extra layer of comfort that my body craves.

The sun turns my whole environment into a soft landing place.

I don’t have to force calm out of myself when I’m out there. It just happens.

The warmth of the sun on my skin is a sensation that feels deeply comforting to me. It’s steady. It’s gentle. It’s predictable. It’s like my body stops bracing.

When I’m overwhelmed, overstimulated, or carrying too much in my head, being in the sun makes me feel like I come back into my body. It’s like the warmth gives my nervous system a clear message.

You are safe. You can soften now. You can breathe.

And I think that’s why I crave it so much. It’s not just that I “like nice weather.” It’s that my body responds to the sun like medicine.

I’ve noticed that when I get enough sun time, I’m more regulated overall. My thoughts are quieter. My mood is steadier. I’m less likely to hit that edge of overwhelm. I sleep better. I feel more like myself.

And for me, that’s the goal.

Not to be perfect. Not to be productive every second. Just to feel steady inside my own nervous system.

So yes, I’m the person who disappears onto the patio the second the sun comes out. And I’m learning not to make fun of myself for it, or call it lazy, or treat it like something I have to earn.

It’s care.

It’s regulation.

It’s me meeting a need I didn’t always know how to name.

If you’re also solar powered, I see you. If you’ve ever joked that you’re a lizard because the sun fixes your mood, you’re not alone. Sometimes the “weird little things” are actually the most supportive things.

And I’m learning to honor that.

xo,

jd

Thank you for being here. If any part of this resonated, I hope you feel a little less alone. I’m still learning, still unmasking, and still choosing compassion over shame one moment at a time.

This post may contain affiliate links