Being autistic with a co-occurring mental health condition and living independently can be fun. But, it requires us to be responsible. We must make tough decisions to protect our overall health. This ensures it does not spiral out of control. For several years, I ignored the advice I needed to hear. As a result, I paid the price many times and learned the hard way. Eventually, I learned that there are expectations in the world. I had to be responsible and make tough decisions. I had to make these decisions even though I didn’t want to make them.

One of the biggest decisions was understanding the necessity of establishing a routine. It was crucial to also set up a regimen. This ensured that my mental health was maintained. My conditions can make us vulnerable. We make decisions that are not in the best interest of mental wellness. Making the necessary decisions can hurt and be tough at times. Still, in the end, you will gain from making those choices. Those around you will profit too. Sleeping when needed, even if you don’t feel like it, is difficult to grasp. It is essential to understand that others need it too. This realization took me a long time to reach. As a result, I learned to focus on my mental health and sleep. My mental health and challenges of being autistic became less obvious.

In the same realm of caring for our health. It has been hard for me to understand the necessity of caring for our physical health. It’s easier to make choices that we think we like, but at the same time, they hurt our health. This is especially true when managing our food intake, which goes hand in hand with our mental health. It can be hard to understand the damage we are doing sometimes. Often, realization comes too late. I realized that caring for my mental health is a priority. Then, I had to understand that caring for my physical health was just as important. It can seem like a bummer when you have to make tough decisions. You have to cook a meal. Alternatively, you make something that doesn’t taste as great as what you can get from a restaurant. In the end, it is better.

We can’t forget the necessity of moving more in the process of physical health either. It is easy to make excuses. There are countless reasons why we think we don’t need to care for ourselves with physical activity. It can be hard to take the initiative because of my anxiety. In the end, I know it is best for me to do what is necessary. Progress is slow, but it is still progress. No matter how slow that progress is, it is better than where I once was.

There can be many benefits to taking care of ourselves. Sometimes it can seem like it is the hardest thing to do when we live on our own. We want to do what we want or think that we know what we are doing. In the end, if we don’t do what we need to do, it can come back to bite us. We must be cautious about our well-being because others will notice that we are not ourselves. We not see it, but they care and see that we are not our best. In the end, we must keep on the good side. We do this by making the decisions that can seem unfair. These choices are often the hardest.