Regarding childish things. I just changed my phone theme and fell in love with this cute theme. For some context, I'm approaching 50, have long hair and beard, often wear band shirts.
Displacement activity: A fancy word for unwitting #procrastination, when you are in the middle of writing something terrific, you're in the flow, and all your senses are over stimulated (#actuallyautistic) and you simply must go do something else. Sweeping the floor, maybe? Writing a mastodon post? Check!
I truly believe that being #ActuallyAutistic in Singapore was both (1) a terrible, awful experience and (2) a blessing, because it shielded me from the worst of its social expectations. Because while I knew there were plenty of expectations, I never knew what they were, and even if I did I would never have been able to adhere to them.
Can anyone recommend a true crime podcast where they actually solve the crime? @actuallyautistic#actuallyautistic teen is finding it very frustrating. Enjoys true crime - loves the investigative side - but thinks what’s the point if it doesn’t go anywhere. She’d like to listen to one where it comes to a conclusion on who the guilty party is
Today is the AuDHD “I’m too tired to do anything so I’m just going to eat cereal and play a game all day because I can’t function enough to do anything else.”
And the “I really need to shower but that requires too much effort.”
I’m hoping this gets to the right folks who can point me to an #AuDHD#neurodivergent and #actuallyautistic friendly #instance on #mastodon ? One that is welcoming and focused if possible on the adult experience as opposed to a parenting group focused on kids.🙏
Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 194 , Thursday 09/05/2024
Woke to a possibly the best , sunniest day so far this year.
Sorted breakfast & tidied up after herself, then almost in-spite of myself went for a short (2km) walk.
For the first time, in a long time I had a good walk! I was not pushing all the way, a steady pace didn’t wipe me out ! The birds were singing & the sun was warm & bright!
Shame about the dog walkers - I was out a bit later than normal so maybe it was a different crowd, but what an ignorant , arrogant bunch of stuck up … one person responded to my greeting one!
What happened to good manners ? Maybe they are too woke ???
It’s little wonder I don’t do people in the flesh !
My sudden burst of energy persisted thru today , (I hope this isn’t a manic phase, I hate dropping off the end of those !
The kettle was brutally descaled to within an inch of its life & then because the solar panels were maxing out in the sunshine I went wild & gave the washing machine a deep clean. Of course by the time that I had cleaned the powder dispenser & the seals & started the cleaning wash cycle the sun went behind the clouds ! 🙄🤦♂️
Hit Fo4 this afternoon sure in the knowledge that I actually achieved something today !
It’s pitiful when you look at it objectively , but in comparison to recently it was a good day.
Cooked beans & scrambled eggs for tea, partially because we had some eggs to use up & partially because I wanted something easy.
Finished the evening watching ‘Masters of the Air’ , same crew that made Band of Brothers - but as with the one they did on the Pacific its not of the same quality as BoB !
Final Thoughts.
I miss companionship sometimes , I’m about as social as a polar bear with shingles but sometimes it would be nice to just be with someone, not worry about masking , not pretend to be fine, not fake enjoyment of another’s pastime.
Hey ho, it is what it is.
Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖
I'm trying to arrange a $93 loan for myself to be paid off Wednesday. It would need to be etransfer so if any Canadians can, help a home out and shoot me a dm!
One reason why it took me so long to self-diagnose autism is that I thought I don't stim. In fact, once I learned that I do stim, my self-diagnosis process kicked in. That was the first time I said to myself that I might actually be autistic.
The reason for this misunderstanding was that I thought stimming is stereotypical, very repetitive, compulsory movement. I guess this misunderstanding is quite common.
I've since learned that stimming, short for self-stimulatory behavior, is basically stimulating one's sensory system in certain ways. It may be a way to soothe oneself, help to focus in overwhelming situations by feeding one's brain predictable sensory input, a way to express joy, or simply something that feels nice. Movements are part of it but any sense can be used.
When googling the term, there are mentions that also neurotypicals stim but that when diagnosing autism, stimming is somehow different -- only socially unacceptable stims are "real" stims. Bah.
I've started paying attention to how and when I stim, and collect a list of stims I do. I've noticed all types of stimming behavior (soothing, focusing, joy, fun). I do it more than before -- or maybe I just notice it more often. I've noticed that I love moving my body parts, especially to music. I also love different textures.
Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 193 , Wednesday 08/05/2024
Up early as Mrs S. was back in the office today.
It was a lovely sunny morning so I had a little more energy today so cleaned the vacuum cleaner filters & the fluffy roller on the front - drying it is extremely suggestive. 😆
Cleaned the coffee machine , which has been needing a deep clean for a week, so that was a good job done - dismantling the brewing unit & regreasing it is a pain in the butt , but it does make it work better !
Hit Fo4 again this afternoon , then just for a change watched Fallout the series with Mrs S. while we ate our tea.
Final Thoughts.
Another quiet day but a bit more energy & motivation which was nice. The PF in my foot seems to be fading slowly which is a plus !
Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖
when people ask me about my music taste i find it very hard to explain that about half of it is me getting incredibly fixated on a single song or album, then listen to that on repeat from days to months before i drop it like a hot potato, unable to fathom how i ever found it even remotely appealing
the other half is, i kid you not, all the random music that was on my brother's old mp3 player he gifted me at like 13
Does anyone ever consider learning sign language not because they can't speak, but just because sometimes they don't want to? Or don't feel up to it? #ActuallyAutistic@actuallyautistic
I am constantly feeling overwhelmed. I can't believe there are people who struggle the same as I do in situations like floods and wildfires, or trying to stay alive in places like Yemen or Syria or Gaza.