As many people in the world live with anxiety, especially autistic people including myself, it is important to understand the innerworkings of why I am anxious and instead of allowing my thoughts to ruminate and spiral while being able to exhaust the buildup of adrenaline and cortisol that anxiety causes in a healthy manner rather than a negative manner.

Many times, when anxiety abound it is that we are in fear of something happening that we do not have control of. We fear the worst possible situation will happen. This can be because of a few factors, but if we know that we are safe and that we are able to go to the next activity without worrying about things that we cannot control or that we know are safe things, then we are able to feel more at ease.

Autistic people often rely on things that feel comfortable with them. Having things that feel comfortable in them that are routine or expected in nature has them feel in control. When there is unknown or uncertainties in a situation. In my instance, this can come across in negative echolalia and scripting that has words that are no healthy, valid or possible because someone like me feels that if I can do what I can to avoid a situation or make it go away it will be better without realizing the whole story behind what I cannot control.

While nothing can be guaranteed in life, there is a certainty that I am mostly safe and that if something were to happen, I could speak up for myself. However, if I was unable to do so, I know that there are trusted people that I can go to for each instance. Moreso, when these instances involve those that, I can exert more energy upon, I must make sure that I void myself of the excess energy first and know that it is perfectly acceptable for me to tell them in a calm and dignified manner without spewing negative energy as I have done in the past.

While the body can be worked up because it has so much adrenaline and cortisol built up within it, it is essential to be sure to find healthy coping skills that work for you in every situation that you are in so you can avoid getting into the negative energy that you get into. Sometimes you realize that getting into some habits is just too much for you and you need to be able to produce a plan to avoid the surrounding energy to protect yourself from future damage. It may not be seen at that moment, but as I can at times hold things in before they explode on those “safe” people, it is better to be able to expend that build-up of that internal energy in a healthier manner. It is also important to make sure that you identify what works for you and when something does not, void it from the list.

Sometimes all it takes is just reminding ourselves that we can only control what we control and that what is most important is how we react to a situation and that reacting negatively will affect our mental health in the same way, so it is important to do what you need to do to protect yourself and express that negative energy before it gets to be too much. Most of all, it is important to slow down and look at it with total clarity and know that you got this.