Some Advice For Thriving With Autism

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Autism is, famously, a spectrum, and part of the effect of that means that it is different for everyone. You can’t simply expect one person to be the same as the next just because they both have autism. For one thing, there is also the difference in their personalities to consider: they are still individuals. If you have autism, or suspect you might, then there are some things to think about to help you live with it. Here are some of those considerations you may want to be aware of.
  

Understand The Condition

The more that you can understand autism, the better. This will equip you with a much better ability to live with it, it will mean that you are going to have a stronger sense of what it is, and that in general will be hugely helpful. First of all you may want to take an online autism test to see what results you see - not to compare yourself to other people, but to get an idea of what we’re working with. Then, reading up on and researching the condition can help you to cement some ideas around it that can be very helpful indeed as you move forwards.

Know Your Energy Budget

You may have heard of this phrase if you have been looking at autism information already. Essentially, your energy budget is the amount of energy you are able to give. This is important to appreciate because autistic life often comes with limited social and sensory fuel, so it may help you to treat it like a bank account. High-drain activities cost more, whereas low-drain activities may help you to store up more ‘funds’. If you can keep your budget in tact, that could help you to avoid a shutdown, and to recover faster where necessary too.

Build Sensory-Friendly Spaces

It can be a really helpful thing to have some sensory-friendly spaces for you to make use of. That can be as simple as noise-canceling headphones, dim lighting, weighted blankets, or it might simply be a favorite chair. Whatever it is, make yourself a safe zone so you can retreat to it where necessary. It’s about damage control, and it gives you the ability to take control of your senses in a way that is likely to prove really helpful indeed. All in all, that is going to help you a great deal and you’ll find that it’s important.

Find Your People

Whether they are autistic themselves or just very accepting, it can help to find the right people to be around. These are people who don’t see your traits as flaws to fix, but accept you for who you are as you are. If you can find a group like that - and it might only need to be one or two people - you will find that you are much more able to live with autism, and to really thrive with it too. That should be the focus and it’s one that is achievable for sure.

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