The ability to transition from one activity to the next was one of the biggest barriers. This challenge involved both being autistic and adhering to my medication over the past several years of my independence. It was keeping me from being completely medication adherent. I struggled to find comfort in understanding the need for bedtime. This was especially difficult after attending activities and events that were beyond my control late in the day.

Life is always going to have things late in the day. As rigid as we want to have routines in the life of us autistic folk, it isn’t always possible. There is always going to be something that has to be attended or scheduled that is in the evening. You can prepare all that you can, but at one point it is just going to happen. That is what I finally had to understand was a reality in my life.

I had to let go of the fact that time was being “robbed.” This occurred just because it wasn’t something that brought me joy. It also wasn’t something in which I was capable of easily unmasking or being myself. Life was going to happen no matter what happened. There was a reality that sleep was a thing. I had to “adult” and face my responsibilities. I needed to do what was necessary to be well. I also needed to confirm I make a living the next day.

My property manager mandated quiet hours earlier this year. I had to realize the importance of being in bed during those hours. This was necessary to obey the rules. Just like many autistic people I am a rule follower and have to follow the rules out of fear. I just realized that it was inevitable. Whether I liked it or not, over the summer I have transitioned pretty well from things.

I couldn’t actually believe that I was capable of fully dose on my bedtime medication. Even after our town’s annual firework show, I managed to go to sleep. I struggled greatly with this when living on my own. This was due to the stimulation of the holiday and the time of the day. But I knew it was just like any other day. I had to follow the rules, and that was just the way it was.

As I always say, sometimes it is the little things that make all the difference. It was that this year that made medication adherence so much easier. From only being capable of medicate mostly on the weekends but now understanding that adherence is all the time. Dealing with transitions has become easier for me. I understand that it needs to be adhered to. Even a little bit of ‘transition time’ can be worth its weight in gold.

In time I know that things can only get better. I know that I need to be patient and understanding with myself. Continue to know that I can’t control everything in the world. Yet, I can control the way that I handle my emotions. Sleep is essential and medication is too. Both sleep and medication are powerful tools. They help a person like me who is autistic and has many co-occurring mental health conditions.