In life there are all things we must do. In the life of autistic individuals, there are many times additional things that we are required to do or things that may be more challenging than they are for our neurotypical counterparts. Nonetheless being able to accept the necessities of life is something that we must be able to recognize and manage to the best of our ability as individuals in a world that is many times against us.

I have struggled for most of my time living independently with accepting things like the necessity of medication, sleep and doing things that are necessary with being independent. The total shame of the whole thing is that they are things that have been proven to work for many years. It has taken me nearly four months since my total breakdown to realize that I need medication to live independently and that it helps me sleep and be as rested as possible.

Then there comes the struggle of napping, especially when I wake up and am frustrated for falling asleep. I get angry because if there is a great deal of time that has elapsed. I think of all the things that I could have done in that timeframe. It also throws me off course with my circadian rhythm with sleeping. If not properly addressed, it could cause me to not want to take my scheduled medicine and as a result the cycle begins until others in succession to closeness in my relationship notice that I am not taking my medication. I think the last time my mother noticed was when I had to put my foot down and accept that all prescribed medication must be taken exactly as prescribed, no exceptions.

One word that coincides with my word of the year, which is WELLNESS is HONESTY. Being honest about my struggles that I am facing with both my support system and my treatment team is critical and putting the issues that may arise to rest. It may be hard to be cognizant of what I am truly experiencing and what is truly an issue. It is important to remember that those close to me do realize that when things are both good and bad.

Entering 2024 I have accepted the necessity of sleep, medication, and routine. I have also accepted the fact that while I need to strive or being as adherent as necessary, there are times when mistakes do happen, but it is essential to remember that I need to get back on track and not let the mistakes become habitual because that is when things continue to get worse.

It is accepting that my word of the year being WELLNESS, that is ALL parts of wellness, physical, mental, and spiritual. It means that I need to take care of myself in all those realms and that medication and sleep along with all the other things are just equally as important.

Taking care of myself needs to be a top priority and as such I need to accept the necessity of working on all aspects of my WELLNESS, especially with lab results being that I need to work on raising my good (HDL) cholesterol, that is done by physical wellness. The biggest thing I did in 2023 that gave me closure was the fact that I had to accept that things have been working immensely well for a long time and only simple actions are required for them to be that way, so I feel that I can keep myself that way. I am accepting the necessities of my life: sleep, medication and routine as well as my autism, anxiety or anything else for that matter.