Many times growing up when experiencing life with my parents and seeing their faults or things they would do that I would react in a way that was not the proper way, they would often say “It will happen to you.” While many of those things haven’t happened to me yet, I am still realizing that my parents are not the same as they were when I was younger and they are getting older.
With independence comes freedom. It can sometimes spiral out of control. However, you must realize that there are things that you must keep in your life even as you become independent because they are necessary for maintaining daily wellness.
Sometimes in life there are things that happen that are beyond our control and have to make adaptations to. For many autistics this isn’t easy to handle sometimes and can bring added stress that if not brought under control can cause one to react adversely, but if we do what is necessary and make the hard adaptations that we need to do in order to get through life it won’t be that bad.
On May 17, 2021, 11-year-old Ryan Larsen walked out of La Vista West Elementary School in Nebraska.
As the lifestyle change continues and improvements continue to be made. I am beginning to realize that things that I would have never tolerated as late as just five weeks ago are now being accepted more than ever and that as a result these are things due to my behavior that have been suggested for decades and despite the advice of many, am not aligning with the advice that they have long been saying.
In a world where many are experiencing COVID fatigue as we are in the third year of it, many don’t want to hear about it. In reality, because of the early unknowns and the preventative actions of government leaders as they are, they were only trying what was best with what little information they had at their disposal at the time, and were only trying to make sound decisions to protect us at the time.
In adulthood, when we finally obtain our independence, we often want more, but sometimes that path to independence could have bumps and as a result we may need to realize that we need to work on some current needs before reaching for more dreams.
In my social media posts, I have been one often to stress the importance of self-care. However, I did not truly practice self-care to the fullest potential. Last week, I was able to take the day to put my worries aside and focus on taking care of myself for a change.
Recently, because of the efforts I have put forth in working towards losing weight to being healthier, I am beginning to see some Non-Scale Victories (NSVs). Non-scale victories, also known as NSVs, are health improvements that result from small life changes. They may go unnoticed if you're only focused on the scale as a measure of your success. A bathroom scale shows a number — a snapshot of your weight at a given moment on a given day.
In continuing this week’s blog of Independence-Dependence, I had several examples of why it is important to be thankful for the ability to live independently and have a place to call home. After losing my first home, I now realize how close I was to losing the opportunity of ever being independent for a long time.
Being independent, yet not having total freedom to go the places you truly want to go can be rough to manage. Having to wait and rely on the help or services of others can make you feel like your independence is severed and dependent on whatever is available to you. While I am working on lessening this need, I must not give up while working towards that ultimate goal.
Note: As part of my Day Program, I contribure to the program's newsletter. In June 2021, that Newsletter transitoned to a monthly basis as much of the elements of the program are back to a in-person status.
As I have discussed over time, being independent comes with responsibilities. Many of the responsibilities are just that, a responsibility. However autistics that are independent, myself included struggle with understanding many of the norms that many expect of us. Because many times this is not instilled as a norm in the years prior to being independent, it can continue to be a struggle to realize the need to perform what can be mundane or silly gestures as a way that others expect us.
When embarking on a weight loss journey as I have been attempting for about two decades, I have discovered that there has to be that moment that the desire to lose weight has to “click” within your thought process in order to get the process moving and engaged toward progress. Within myself, the switch has clicked to the need and desire to take the fact that I need to lose weight seriously.
Netflix will air a new iteration of its documentary series following people with autism in the dating world, this time focused on a group of individuals on the spectrum in the U.S.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The words give the 12-year-old boy confidence. The tiled letters sharpen his focus like a sliver-thin laser. He excels at playing the game’s English and Spanish versions.
As I have had some time to ponder my own thoughts recently, I began to realize how much I have matured socially over the years and how people realize that I can actually be someone who can carry a conversation for a long time and my ability to mask as a neurotypical when necessary.
As I continue to work on my overall wellness, I am beginning to realize that I am beginning to develop my own sense of assurance and maturity as far as being more comfortable making decisions on my own and not relying as much on the guidance of those I have sought for so long to base my decision for me. I am also realizing that despite the opinions of others, I am the one that has to be satisfied with making that decision.
Sometimes we don’t think before saying something. I have been guilty of doing so time and time again. Yet, I say statements that are many times simply not true, but are used as a way of wanting attention. Some of these statements can be very harming or hurtful to others and while they are meant, sometimes they cannot be retracted.
The wellness journey continues. Wellness in general is never ending and is the catalyst in making sure that your body is functioning properly. Sometimes you need to work on things to improve your ability to see more progress. Over the past week or so, I have been striving to expand many things into my overall wellness regimen.
Dustin's Dynasty 