Tag: Autism in Adulthood

Out of the Comfort Zone

Since being in the new environment over a year and a half ago after being absent from the community that I love for several months, I keep putting off in many cases many of the things that I once did for my personal freedom. It continues to be a conversation in the course of my weekly treatment and as things continue to advance, I keep deflecting from the real initiative of just getting out and doing the things that I love.

Wellness Wednesday: Mood Regulation, Caffine and Energy

Over the course of the past few weeks, my mood has been anything but stable. I am now hopefully under the understanding that there is a reason that I must do things, not because someone is telling me that I need to do them, but in order to be well, it has become paramount for things to be the way that they have to be so that I can manage my mood effectively.

Reflections: Radical Acceptance

Sometimes, we have to accept things for what they are, despite thinking they shouldn’t be that way. Many times we like to be able to control the things and how they happen, however, we are in many cases not in the driver’s seat or the one who has the power to control those decisions. While we may not agree with the decision that is made for us, we must accept it for what it is because we are not in harm’s way or in immediate danger.

Professional Dependence

For most of my life since being a pre-teen, I have had some involvement with mental health services. Some I have aged out, Some became no longer beneficial and some are expected to be life long or decades in existence. As such, dependance on the professionals providing us these services has to be a fine line of problem-solving that must be completed with what is modeled to us first before we have to go to them with some miniscule complaint that we have.

Wellness Wednesday: Understanding the Importance of Sleep

One of the common issues that autistic individuals face is the ability to sleep. I am no casualty of this and for many years have struggled with the ability to procure a good night’s sleep. However, now as an adult I find it imperative that it is essential to do so in order to function through life.

Reflections: When the Internet goes out, What do you do?

A few weeks ago, central service lines to a neighboring broadband provider were severed, thus incapacitating broadband and TV services for a majority of the county in which I reside.There have also been instances of power outages in order to upgrade services in some areas in recent weeks. Although I have been mostly spared by these outages, I have begun to think as many autistics are technology dependent for the sole purpose of entertainment and information, it is imperative to have a “back-up” plan should that ever happen.

The Importance of Natural Supports

Last week, as part of many of my mental health services, I had to undergo my assessment as part of re-establishing goals for the services I receive. In one assessment, one of the questions that frequently appeared was what was identified as ‘natural supports’. Until some years ago, I lacked this in many ways. In fact, it takes courage sometimes as an autistic person to seek out someone to be a natural support and be able to maintain that contact.