.Being.Us

Many holidays are coming up, and that means holiday gatherings. Holiday gatherings can be nice in that they allow us to see the people we love, but they can also bring crowds, unwanted physical contact, sensory overload, changes in routine, unscripted conversation, and other challenges that are especially irksome for autistic and mentally ill people (like me). This blog will cover some ways to address these issues and lessen their impact. Note: The dyslexic font add-ons aren't working right now, so this new font is accessible to me.  Don't pack in too many gatherings: Trying to do too much is a good way to get overwhelmed. Allow down-time to recharge between gatherings.  Know what to expect : Knowing what will happen and when can help reduce anxiety. It can help to know the schedule, familiarize yourself with the places you'll be going (drive-bys or photos help me), and know who you'll be seeing at the events.  Prepare scripts : Whether you'll be going for a ...

Animal Abuse. People talk about it like it's something only evil people do, something that's only done intentionally or out of irresponsibility, yet it's something I struggle actively against every single day. Now, my dog is the light of my life, and I never want to harm her, physically or psychologically, so I won't stop fighting against abusive tendencies in myself. That doesn't mean they're not there, though. First, I have a tendency towards neglect. Mental illness makes me scared to leave the house, and chronic physical illness makes me sometimes unable to, so it's very difficult for me to take my dog out often enough. I usually manage that, though. What I don't manage is to give her enough exercise, and there's no way I can, even trying my very hardest. Executive dysfunction and brain fog would cause me to forget to feed her entirely, except that she reminds me. I keep very rigid systems and plans in place to try to make sure I don't mis...

Mental illness makes it hard for me to tell what's going on with my body. I seem to demonstrate a complete inability to conceptualize time, which may be more related to autism than mental illness, which makes recounting my symptoms to a doctor difficult. I also have trouble recalling feelings, physical or emotional, when I'm not feeling them right that moment. If I don't think to write them down when I experience them, I may not realize later that I have ever experienced them at all. Additionally, I have trouble grasping what has and has not happened. I may have a splitting headache on Wednesday, but by Friday, I'm second-guessing myself so much, I'm lucky to be sure that I had a head on Wednesday. I also used to deal with a tendency to find my identity in and obsess on new medical diagnoses, but this is a thought pattern that I am better , although not perfect, at keeping under control now. As a chronically ill person, it's important for me to be in t...

lly have mixe    This is the model. I really have mixed feelings about this decision. I'm choosing to get the walker due to intense pain that's been worsening for about the last year. The cause turns out to be EDS , or at least that's what the doctors are saying. EDS is a connective tissue disorder that I don't yet fully understand, but it was explained to my that my connective tissue at my joints is too stretchy, and it's leading to my pain, fatigue, and susceptibility to joint injury. I was also provisionally diagnosed with POTS , in which blood pools in some areas while I'm seated or laying down, and my heart rate goes up too much trying to get the blood back to my heart and brain when I stand. If this process is inefficient enough, I can faint. Apparently, the doctor didn't do the proper testing for this, so I'm going to take this diagnosis with a grain of salt and just call it unexplained near-fainting episodes for now. Regardless of what causes...

As a chronically ill person, I spend a lot of time at doctor's appointments, and, as a chronically ill, autistic, and mentally ill person, I find them overwhelming and draining. I want to talk about some of the things I do to make them easier for myself. Use mobility aids - If you use mobility aids, and your doctor is understanding about it, they can make the trip a lot easier. One mobility aid I use is forearm crutches.   Make visit notes ahead-of-time - I try to make my notes complete enough that I can hand them to the doctor if I'm having trouble with verbal communication. I take notes in my planner.   Present accommodation needs in writing- Carry a printed report of your accommodation needs to each appointment, and present one to each doctor's office to have on file. Discuss it with your doctor. Use an AAC program - Personal Favorites are Talk for Me for laptop and tablet and Speech Assistant for mobile. These are good if you prefer text-based AAC. I use Let Me ...

 For many autistic people, grocery shopping is an overwhelming and stressful experience. I'm an autistic adult, want to share some of the things I do to make the experience easier for myself. Bring a trusted friend : I grocery shop with my aide and my service dog, and they help guide me through the maze of colors and lights, keep track of how much I am spending, and make sure I don't forget anything.  Wear noise-cancelling devices : The sounds in a grocery store are super overwhelming. There's the buzzing of the lights, the people, the beeping of the checkout, the music, the carts, the refrigerators, and so much more. Block them out with earplugs; noise cancelling headphones; or my personal favorite, Ear Peace . Wear a mask : The grocery store is full of smells that can be unpleasant or overwhelming, not to mention trigger co-morbid conditions like asthma or migraines. A mask can help with this. I'm personally about to try Vogmask , since I've been having se...

I see a lot of articles written by neurotypical people trying to explain head banging and other self-injurious behavior in autistic children, and I want to offer my own perspective as an autistic adult who still engages in these behaviors. There are a number of reasons and circumstances that lead to self-harming behaviors for me, despite my efforts to avoid doing them. Sensory input needs not being fulfilled: Sometimes, self-injurious behaviors feel good. I like the pressure of hitting my head or the tingling sensation of scratching my skin, even though I don't like pain. I seem to process these sensations differently than neurotypical people. I've been able to reduce these behaviors by finding similar sensory inputs: body brushes instead of scratching, weighted blankets and lap pads instead of hitting, deep pressure therapy, etc. Too much being demanded : When a task or person places demands that cause distress that exceeds my normal coping skills, these behaviors result....