Recognizing my limits is a big part of this, I realize… not very easy though, unfortunately. But planning rest periods is very important, you’re right! I’ll try to take notes on when I feel most energized so I can figure out when to plan in things.
Thank you for the tip, that could probably help with time blindness as well. I think I will get an alarm clock for that, so I can’t get distracted by my phone as easily!
Thank you, this is actually really helpful! I just downloaded tasks.org and will try out your ABC system. Also having tasks increase in importance the longer I wait to do them seems like a good idea
Noel Fielding disagrees
I love Sherry CD-ROM! Go check out her youtube channel if you want retro gaming and philosophy delivered to you by an artificial lifeform (not AI!)
I hate that several times now I have stumbled across pictures I really liked, only to find out they’re AI. Disappointed in myself and kind of scared how appealing these can get now
I try to stay informed about the situation but not daily and also not lokking at pictures or videos. Because having these things descibed in text or speech is still very impactful to me but it doesn’t give me nightmares. That being said, try to take care of yourself. You’re not being unfeeling or egotistical for not consuming information that makes you actively suicidal. Think of it more like this: you don’t actually help anyone by reading the news. However, there are things you can do to help, like going to protests, donating to aid programs, educating others etc. But all of these take energy (especially for someone with autism), so conserving your energy is important. Maybe try avoiding news about gaza except for once a week for a few minutes. And instead every time you think about it research ways you could help those people. That way these feelings get channeled into something useful and don’t become self-destructive.
I usually don’t really feel the need to share that stuff with people but I’ve also been burnt too many times. I can’t handle people getting bored or annoyed or mocking me for my interests, so I just keep quiet.
Definitely read The Anatomy of Story if you’re a writer/interested in writing as a craft. It is by far the best guide on plot structure I have ever read and even though it focuses mainly on Hollywood plots it can be adapted to any story form. I use it as a starting point for everything I write, highly recommend it!
I don’t get annoyed by the repetition, I actually enjoy it when it’s interesting sounding words or the way a sentence was said was funny wo me when I first heard it. Conjugational recombination is a great word, btw!
The only theory I have is that it might be a form of echolalia, where instead of repeating words out loud you just do it in your head (maybe something like supressed echolalia? I’ve heard some people online say that it can present that way, but idk how generally accepted that idea is.) As far as I know echolalia is also a symptom of tourettes. I don’t know if it can also occurs in allistic people.
I’m not diagnosed, but I stim a lot. When I’m happy I shake my wrists or flail my arms a little and sometimes I bounce up and down. When I’m stressed I rub my hands together in a regular motion and/or scratch myself (arms and neck) and swing from side to side. I also rock a lot, both when happy and stressed. When I eat something I like I kind of wobble the spoon or fork in my hand and as a child I used to hum while eating, but I’ve since stopped doing that. Something I always do no matter my mood is tapping my fingers to the music that’s currently stuck in my head (I always have a song playing in my head or sometimes sentences or funny sounding words, idk why). I used to try and suppress those stims, but I’m much happier now that I mostly embrace them (at least when I’m alone or with people I trust).
Skibidi toilet
This film says it tries to visualize a meltdown - does this actually count as a meltdown? Because if it does I might not be having “small panic attacks” every time I go to the supermarket lol. I always thought meltdowns were an outward thing, with screaming and throwing things and stuff, and the opposite are shutdowns (which I do have sometimes when it gets really bad, then I can’t talk for several days etc). I might have to look into meltdowns some more…
When I have that moment of realizing how long it’s been and the guilt rushes in, I try to take a step back from the feeling and ask myself: how important is this relationship to me? Is it worth being uncomfortable for a little bit? And if the answer is yes, I text them immediately before I forget again. Because it’s always better to reach out late than never. And most of my friends understand by now anyways, because I have talked about my difficulties regarding this with them before.
But for trying to stay on top of it I’m not really sure myself. I thought about maybe incorporating some reach-out-to-friends time into my routine, like an hour every other monday where I spend some time calling/texting a friend, but I can decide who to reach out to and what method of communication to use in the moment, so I feel less pressured. Haven’t tried it yet, though. Sometimes I like to write a letter or postcard to someone I haven’t seen in a while. It might be a little weird and oldschool, but it’s easier for me to take my time and have some room to talk about what happened during the last few months. Also it is a nice surprise for your friend to find in theur mailbox!