Change is difficult. Sometimes things happen when you least expect it. Over time, things have changed, especially in the past few years. Being autistic presents challenges. I also have tough mental health conditions, including anxiety and bipolar disorder. When something happens, there can be desires to neglect mental health. This is to feel like you can manage yourself alone. Still, over the last few years, I continually get signs. Taking care of my mental health is crucial for enduring changes. I must bear these changes by knowing that nothing is ever certain.

I have experienced many past changes. Through these experiences, I have realized that I need to take care of my mental health. This includes adhering to medication requirements. It is necessary to preserve my energy, knowing that things are always changing. Sometimes change occurs in things we always believed would ground us. These things are swept away from us. Thankfully because when these things were happening, I was taking care of myself.

Even by taking care of myself, these were some of the biggest changes. I had been overwhelmed with things the weeks before the major changes happened. I realized the need to take time to care for myself. Every time I had taken time solely for self-care, something has happened to ruin it for me. Thankfully, the time that I did it, I learned about the change. It was probably best that I was taking time for me. I was proud of myself for knowing that I needed some time alone to work on myself. I was also proud that I was doing things that keep my brain in balance. This helped me manage these challenges effectively.

At first, I had to be kind to myself. I needed to give myself the grace to understand the situation. That is being kind to myself and take time my need to feel what I need to feel. There is no shame in doing things. It is important to be safe when doing what you need to process your emotions. Sometimes that means breaking down the stereotypes. I do this by engaging in activities as a man that I’m not traditionally expected to do. These actions challenge how we are supposed to act as men in a world where perceived expectations are set. The reality is that gender norms about processing our emotions must be shattered. This change is necessary to advance our mental well-being.

Change is hard, especially when you are autistic. There have been several changes over the years that reinvent the wheel on how we navigate life. This affects who we rely on for support and what we have always known. The old ways of doing things have gone. We have to find the next steps that work for us. It can seem scary, but that’s life. It makes us stronger when coping with the unknowns of the world. We are always being ready for them along the way.