Hello world! Welcome back to another blog. As it is World Mental Health Day today, I’ve decided to share my own story on how mental health can affect me. I’ve done this before in a previous blog, but I feel telling my story again will help people see the impact I have and how to help people like myself. And sometimes having the same information repeated a certain number of times will help you fully understand what to do if anyone, particularly those on the spectrum like myself, is struggling!
Being autistic has its challenges. This can range from slight worry to sudden shut downs. Here is a few:
Unexpected change without warning- This is the main challenge, and it can throw me off my beat, and loose the rhythm. A good example would be when someone says to me would you like to go out for lunch an hour before we do. To some it might seem okay, but for me, it messes up my day. Or if something changes in a community I’m in or in a place of work without telling me, it sends me into overdrive.
Sensory overload- The main senses for me that can get overloaded are too much noise and too much light. Even though I'm epileptic as well as autistic, bright and flashing lights is not something that triggers it, but it does trigger sensory overload. I have to wear sunglasses to shows or concert to avoid it, and even when wtahcing shows like Strictly Come Dancing and Britain's Got Talent. Too much noise can cause me to nearly have a meltdown! Which brings me into my next point!
Too much information-It takes me longer to process information given. And so many things at once make my brain do the hoky coky! If I do get given lots of information at once, I need it one at a time! Then once I get the hang of the first step, then I can gradually move onto the next one.
All of that might seem a lot and it can really be challenging, as people may look at me and not know what to do. Everyone is different when it comes to coping with their traits, so here is what I do when my mental health raises its toll, especially when these it triggers my traits above:
Leave me in a quiet area to not talk-This may seem like I’m being rude, but isolating myself in a place where I’m quiet and not overstimulated does help massively. Keeping on asking if I’m okay after I request to be alone will not help, but after 30mins-1hr it might change altogether.
Unmask-One trait also seen in a autistc people is stimming. These are simply repetitive movements. In this case I just need to stim with my stress ball or simple things like a rubber. I also have a small cuddly dog that I use to stim when I need to. But I'll admit lately I've been scratching to stim, which is not a healthy stim, as it triggers my eczema (which alwasy falres up during the winter period).
Put on something funny-These include drama from reality shows, and even segments from children’s shows. I know I’m not a child, but it instantly takes away any stresses I have.
Writing-Most of the time I can’t express how I feel in words, but I write it down and it even though some of my hand writing is not great, it’s good to get it off my chest. This was helpful when I did a creative wellness retreat and one of the segments was therapeutic writing. It was a lot of emotion in there but the relief I felt afterwards made me feel a million times better. Please see the link to what I wrote here: https://youtu.be/N0mCbROA-JY?si=usCwocOhPbw6egON
Set clear boundaries-Be specific on your needs, no matter how big or small. These can be things like what specific tasks I need to do and when for, letting me know ahead what’s happening and let me have a space to breathe and calm down when things get too much.
Just ask-A lot of people will look at me and do nothing, and most of the time I'm quick to judge on what they think. In my head they’re probably thinking I’m acting silly, but really they’re wondering what to do. Yes I’m not expecting them to fully get it, but I want them to at least try to understand and to help me. And if they’re wanting to learn, then that’s the start to helping me get back on my feet.
So those are some of the things I do to cope when my mental health gets too much. As I said everyone is different, and therefore they may have different coping mechanisms to me. So the main thing to take away from this blog is to be kind, not to judge, and to simply ask what they can do to help me and those who might be struggling.
See you soon for another blog. Until next time…
This is the autistic actress signing off :)
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