I want to start my feature this week by stating that Friday, June 18, 2021 is Autistic Pride Day and I cannot go without mentioning that because I normally don’t blog on Fridays. As the world is on the heels of Autistic Pride Day, it has made me think about what I truly need to do in order to become aware of how I can better manage the effects caused by autism, anxiety and bipolar.
At my day program this week, I am in the process of renewing my goal plan and as such I have the desire to better my health and wellness. When I initially planned to pursue this new adventure, I was only thinking about my physical wellness needing to be improved, which I have been working on quite well this week. However, the person completing my paperwork stated that maybe I needed to work on researching and improving my behavioral diagnoses as well.
Now, I thought, I write four blogs, do two vlogs a week and have a website full of information. You would think I would be an expert. But as I learned, I am sort of rusty.
I received my Asperger’s Diagnosis in 1998 when I was 13 years old. Little was known to the people helping me back then. There was little inclination of many connections that Asperger’s and now inherited into Autism Spectrum Disorder could be managed more naturally. Yes, I had medication, which I took religiously for two years, before going on a “rumspringa” of sorts. I now know that was a terrible decision and I have learned from it and that I will have to take the medicine for the remainder of my life and I need to be mindful of my physical health needs because they in fact, do work hand in hand and need to be combatted in unison.
Expanding my social media platforms in recent months to beyond Facebook to Instagram (now with over 450 followers) and Tik Tok (which has grown immensely and keeps growing) has made me realize eventually that Autism has evolved in twenty years and maybe I need to be refreshed on some ways better to manage it.
Maybe I wont pace around and ruminate on things I can’t change because I cant reverse by negative thinking into positive affirmations. Social Media is a godsend for helping me cope with this as I continually share positive affirmations as they appear in my feeds to my Instagram and Facebook. They help, but at times when it is real quiet, it can be a challenge. The thoughts ruminate. I know I need to focus on doing something that keeps my brain busy.
So, I work on the numerous projects I have lined up or I clean an area of my home because I need to focus on something. I have to have headphones to focus. I have had the same pair from the supercenter since New Year’s and that’s the longest I have had any headphones last. Earbuds don’t last long, I bought at least two pair a month before accepting the fact that it was acceptable in many cases to wear them when I need to.
That’s a common factor of Autism. I should be proud that I can be accepted and managed for that!
There’s many persons my age who are just getting a ASD diagnosis. I should be fortunate to had the opportunity to have a mobile therapist who knew in that first session, even though I ran away from home that night and she chased me and brought me home. I am thankful to her as she connected me to the best in the region so I could get diagnosed and now I have had the same psychotherapist for 18 years this week. We have evolved our professional relationship and she has helped me grow into the adult I am. Yes, part of accepting and having pride in my diagnosis is that I need to grow up and improve how I can better manage the issues that are unpleasant, but I need to make up for the time the world didn’t know what I was experiencing.
Dustin's Dynasty 