From the Inside Out: An Autistic Shutdown

 From the Inside Out: An Autistic Shutdown Autistics have shutdowns. It’s part of life. There are multiple root causes for a shutdown, including the result of sensory overload, physical and mental exhaustion, unexpected news, anxiety about an upcoming event, and upheaval in our schedule. Sometimes it comes in combination; other times it comes down to…

Thanks, But No Thanks

    Thanks, But No Thanks I am offended I am offended I don’t agree You shouldn’t have said that You shouldn’t have shared that You should say it this way That’s the wrong word We don’t say it that way Say it this way Why did you do that? I trusted you This isn’t…

Why Boundaries are Difficult (Autism)

  BOUNDARIES There is no doubt I long to protect my integrity, to take care of myself, to limit my exposure to harms way. Problem is, that much like the hidden, unspoken rules of social interaction, boundary setting remains an elusive abstraction, somewhat of an invisible tooth extracted and implanted in my mouth—with no concreteness,…

A Visual Representation of My Anxiety: Aspergers (Autism)

MY DANCING STAIRCASE I am autistic (Asperger’s Syndrome). And I have generalized anxiety disorder. Most autistics do, if not all. It’s a byproduct of our very active thought processes and ability to often think in pictures, so that everything, in a sense, becomes very much alive and real. My anxiety is seen and felt in…

The Canoe Factor

The last time I was upset with my boyfriend David, I bought a canoe. Here’s a bit of what the timeline looked like: Surfed Internet as source of self-soothing, aka stimming. Craigslist further assists in stimming pursuit. (a public forum with job openings, miscellaneous stuff for sale, discussion forums, etc.) Found photo of awesome canoe—in…