Life can be challenging enough for someone with autism, but when it comes to having conflict with others that present challenging behaviors, it can be even more challenging and as a result it can drive a fear of wanting to avoid the situation. However, it is important to work at finding solutions before choosing to avoid a situation that can be beneficial for you.

When navigating social situations, it can be hard to understand how others operate. There are going to be others that are on different wavelengths than what you are. They are going to cause conflicting energy that can cause sensitivity when it comes to dealing with certain issues. It will drive your energy level to the point where you are either going to react negatively to match the energy in the room or want to avoid any opportunity of running into the situation.

I have personally been in these situations many times. It was never pretty when I did not know how to manage myself in those moments that were challenging for me. When I was not at my best, my energy level would be elevated and I would want to match it in order to get my point across to others to show that I needed to make my point known, even if it wasn’ t the right way or the most appropriate way to do it. Not taking care of myself in the way that I needed to did not help the situation either.

Then, I also experienced in my own times where my anxiety would kick in and the only thing that I would want to do is to avoid the situation altogether, so I did not have to live in fear of challenging situations happening or my energy level ever being raised. It was feeding into others’ energy and letting it get the best of me where it could drain my own energy and the only thing, I wanted was to avoid the situation altogether without knowing how to best manage myself and not give into the conflicting energy that I would want to match.

I have had moments like this before and continue to work on building boundaries around previous barriers that were less energized. Sometimes, they have smaller sparks of energy, but they get better at managing. As I am getting of sounder mind, I am realizing that I do not have to have the behaviors of the past where my anxiety is the end-all feature that I ruminate about for days on end.

It is realizing that I am in the same location often for my needs. That there is no shame in getting the care or doing what I need to do to tune out what can be the conflicting energy in the room. That I do not have to match it or even pay attention to it. Responses do not have to be coy or snide in nature, it is just being me in my normal situation and realizing that it is not the end of the world by having to pay attention to the energy of my surroundings.