Mind Your Autistic Brain with Social Autie

  1. Basic Needs This one has always been a challenge for me.  I tend to get caught up in what I am doing and forget to eat and drink.  I'm better about it in the mornings, but by lunchtime or late afternoon I have completely forgotten.  I've even caught myself "holding it" after a cup of coffee rather than stopping to "go" because I don't want to stop what I'm doing.  Can you relate, do you do any of this as well?   IF so, then it is time for some Self-Care.  One of the biggest hurdles we as autistics face is giving ourselves PERMISSION to Self-Care.  Somehow, over the decades of going unidentified and not knowing we are autistic, we hold this false belief that isn't even conscious that we have to follow the rules and ask permission.  I think it comes from childhood when we had to ask permission to go to the bathroom at school.   Most of us are rule followers to the letter and this new awareness that we are in control and have...

  Do you STRESS @ How to Respond when someone asks for YOUR opinion? Your best friend, your spouse, your boss...at some point everyone asks for our opinion on something, from “What do you think of my new dress?” to “How can we increase production in your department?” Do you panic?  Do you dread answering because in the past when you have given your opinion it went terribly wrong and the other person got mad or defensive or worse?  Do you cringe and avoid answering at all costs?  You would rather have your fingernails ripped out than answer the question.  If this is you, you are not alone and I have some great tips and insights into this very tricky topic of feedback for you today that will make those days of cringing, panic and avoidance a thing of the past.  Today, you are going to get the autistic insight your brain has been seeking and 3 easy tips to make you a feedback pro.  What is feedback exactly? Feedback is a mutual communication exchange wher...

We’ve all had it happen, but we don’t always recognize it until we have a meltdown or we feel so out of sorts we can’t stand it one second more. I’m talking about what happens when our routines are messed up by a change in our life. I have recently been dealing with this issue and it crept up on me over a 4 week period. My regular routine was completely off the rails and I didn’t realize it until I was so miserable the other day that I stopped and put the pieces together to see what was going on. It was my routine and it had been interrupted and was making me feel awful. Has this ever happened to you? Today, I am going to share 4 tips that I have learned to help me get back on track and re-establish my routine and to put checks in place so that I can catch it earlier next time and not reach a point of misery after weeks of quiet discord. We’ve talked about how our brain can default to routines and habits that are subconscious and can be hurting us versus helping us and that is w...

Do you go to sleep feeling exhausted but then lie there for hours with your brain reeling  before finally drifting off to sleep only to awaken just as exhausted as you were the night before?  Have you been feeling agitated or even experiencing bouts of crying and moments of frustrated anger?  Have you had more headaches or migraines than usual, tension and tightness in your neck and shoulders?  Have you been feeling disconnected from the world and like you have no purpose?  Have you been struggling to remember things you just heard or just read?   These are just a few signs we autistics experience as a result of not having sufficient rest. Did you know there are other forms of rest besides sleep? There are 7 types of rest and sleep is just one of them. Today, you will be learning about the other forms of rest you may not be getting and how to recognize what kind of rest you may need along with access to a quick quiz to help you evaluate your persona...

WEEK 5- Your Hijacked Brain 12 Week Unmasking Authentically Autistic Challenge Harmony vs. Discord or Coherence vs. Dissonance Your brain is like an orchestra. When everything is in harmony the sound is beautiful and joyous to listen to, however when an errant note is played by one instrument there is discord and the resulting noise is like nails on a chalkboard.  The brain picks up on changes in our thoughts as we attempt to make changes to our current beliefs, thoughts and habituated behaviors the same way our body responds to a note played off key or nails on a chalkboard.  The brain becomes alerted to a potential threat and begins seeking to re-establish harmony as efficiently as possible and as quickly as possible.   Your subconscious brain is always seeking its Ideal state of safety and efficiency as we discussed in our Week 5 Video-Your Hijacked Brain. Week 5 Video When your brain is in a state of coherence it is happy and thinks that all is well. When you in...