I had known at a very young age that I was different. Yet, for most of my life, I was expected to do things as society expected me to do them. Being diagnosed with things that were not totally understood did not always mean doing things differently. Knowing what was best for me allowed me to live the best life that I can have. These approaches helped me get through some of the most challenging moments in my life.

For the longest time, I have been known to be autistic and fall under the overall autism umbrella. This is compared to being classified as Asperger’s. People did not understand this after my first diagnosis. They did not know what was best to help me during some of the worst points in my life. I did not recognize there was no shame in my coping mechanisms. I did what I had to do to manage life’s challenges. It didn’t matter if it looked different or strange to those in the outside world.

There has been a significant shift in the world. We moved from making others aware of what autism is to actually accepting individuals for who they are. We now embrace the differences they have in battling things like autism and others. I have to admit that at first this was a hard shift for me to understand. Ultimately, I realized that some things were acceptable as they were. I found things were easier than just ‘sucking them up’ as I had long been expected to do.

Autism and the other challenges that I experience are not easy to bear. Still, being accepted and acknowledged makes it much easier to experience life with these different challenges. For many years, I was reluctant to accept that I needed help. It was difficult for me to do things in the ways that my peers did when I faced challenges. I was unwilling to see that it was okay for things to be harder for me because of being autistic. I had to accept that it was fine to do things differently. It was also okay to seek extra help when tasks were expected of me. Some tasks were just too overwhelming.

Doing things that seemed out of the norm did not make me any less of a person. I had to do things differently or more times to feel regulated. This was not something I should be ashamed of. Often, these were the things taught or told to me growing up. Even if society saw them as different or awkward, they provided crucial support. They helped me exist in a world that was always challenging in its own way. I had to move past the fear I had about doing things differently. What seemed normal to others was not necessary for me, and I had to realize that. There was no shame in doing things differently because of being autistic and having co-occurring challenges.