Again, sorry for the late delivery of today’s blog pot and I am sorry to again bring up something COVID related, however, I personally feel that it is important subject to bring up. As we are beginning to see a little bit of light in the tunnel of the Coronavirus Pandemic, we are just passing the tenth month of it. While I might consider a little bit of myself privileged to be able to go out, I personally know that many others cannot and that they are struggling far worse than I and the others that can leave their homes.
Bluntly, the pandemic hasn’t been kind to the Autism community, change after change in our routine, not being able in many cases to do the things that we like to do or look forward to. We know that we are not out of the woods yet, and that we need to hang on for that light, yet we must take care of ourselves and sometimes many of us on the spectrum along with neurotypicals worry about everything else but that. We are focused many times on what we principally focus on that we put the need to step back and take care of ourselves to the forefront. We do not want to put the devices down or just take a nice shower and clean ourselves up and just relax. For individuals on the spectrum, oftentimes our head is constantly spinning with a plethora of things that are happening in our world, sometimes they bother us, sometimes they don’t, but they compound as time progresses and if one doesn’t have a good outlet this can be detrimental to their mental health.
Sometimes, you just need to take a break and have a good laugh. YouTube, while used by many autistics as an educational and advocacy gateway, as I too have a channel, can also be used as a method of entertaining yourself. There is a multitude of items to watch and as long as you have a internet connection, it doesn’t cost you a thing. Sometimes, you just need to put the bad things aside and laugh and smile. I have been watching many adult animation comedies along with clips of Saturday Night Live and other notable clips to take a break and entertain myself.
Being in isolation more can be a challenge. It can get your mind to places you don’t want it to go, especially if you are alone. Your anxiety and depression can increase if not focused on something. Focusing your needs and those that you care for should be of utmost importance. If you are using technology for health services or to work from home, there should be a healthy balance of when you do things that require skill opposed to down time that doesn’t require a lot of skill. This is when I read the newspaper along with any magazines that I may have available to me that come in the mail. Walking or driving, when you can is also a good activity that gets you outside and able to enjoy the outdoors, provided that the weather elements are not bad.
Being sure to take care of our bodies is also a must. This is one regard that autistics such as myself struggle with but I know it must be done to be out in public because no one likes a dirty person around them, even though we are social distancing. I bought new clothes to assist in this regard, because presence is everything how a person is perceived. I felt for me to feel better about myself that I needed to spend money and buy clothes that I like and are appropriate for all occasions that I need to attend. I have understood that no one wants to see less desirable areas of my body and that the clothes need to fit properly. While COVID has had a hampering to actually trying on clothes, I have found that shopping online hasn’t been too bad in this regard, as long as the delivery driver gets the packages to the right location.
The morale of today’s story followers is to be sure that those you are directly care for are calm and cared for and that you either the caregiver and the individual reading this have time to practice self-care as it is essential to your mental health and well-being and managing COVID Fatigue.
Dustin's Dynasty 