What has helped you?

Post Reply New Topic

I'm beginning to medicate myself with alcohol, not too bad yet...

Another thing is music, I love listening to it, almost always helps me rise above it.

One that I haven't seen on here yet is exercise. I'm not in the greatest shape, but exercise helps me vent pent up energy from sitting around idly around, and with P90X, I don't have to leave my house! I'd recommend it to everyone, but if your really overweight, you probably need to jog and lose some weight before you attempt it. I'd say jog until you can't jog anymore, wait a day, repeat.

Letting loose. Being honest about who I am and how I think, rather than trying to hide or pretend to be normal. (I think my family now thinks I've suddenly gotten worse, or something. I think they think I'm faking, seeing as how I was pretending to be normal most of the time until I got really into all the autism culture stuff. Plus, it's not like I mention oddities in how I think until I know they're oddities, which basically translates to never mentioning that I think anything out of the ordinary until I've heard someone say it. I must appear really suggestible.) Stimming if I want, and recognizing it for what it is.

Also, AIT and OT both helped with my sensory issues, but that's more of a limited-duration thing for a child to do than an everyday coping mechanism if you're already grown.

Finding as much alone-time as possible.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions and ideas.

I have to agree with the people that posted saying that therapy and professionals have been no help. I've seen about 15 therapists over the last 25 years, most of them only once because it was obvious from the start that it was going to be disastrous, and about half a dozen that I stuck with for several months, one that I stayed with for 18 months twice a week, and she did so much damage that I had to leave my home and move in with my parents for a year and a half to recuperate. (She insisted that I had to go out and be with people, which for me is the most stressful thing there is. I was already struggling with anxiety and depression, so I needed calm and not stress.) The therapist I'm seeing now is no help at all and I think I have to tell her I'm not coming back. (The psychiatrist I mentioned is not a therapist, he only prescribes meds.)

I'm interested in meditation. Did those of you who mentioned it take classes or did you learn from a book? Do you think it's worthwhile to study Buddhism? (And how do you go about that? Are there classes? Do you just show up at a Buddhist temple?)

I agree that accepting yourself is a relief, but that too is not easily done. Do I accept that I have tantrums and get easily angered? Do I accept that I think most of the people I come across in real life are stupid? Those don't seem like good things to accept and stick with.

Not listening to the lies that Autism Speaks comes up, with.

I sensed a need to compensate long before I knew about any type of spectrum. I studied all types of communication back when I was in high school. For example, I studied English, Spanish, American Sign language, Music, and Drama. All forms of communication interested me, as I sensed a problem I had with it. I was also interested in and studied Psychology. I wanted to understand those with whom I had trouble relating.

Later, got a job in Retail Sales (intending originally to be temporary.) I have stuck with it partially because it has helped me to relate to other people. Eventually, through repetition, I have improved my people skills. Having a well defined role helps. Uniformity of my tasks helps too. Some of my positions have been counter-productive, due to excessive stress and an inability of management to use my talents and see past my limitations. One of the things I have done to "help" myself is to leave jobs like that, despite my tendency to avoid change. Finding a more compatible situation and management has made a huge difference.

Great topic! I have been meaning to start this thread for a while now.

same.

and finding very strange (therefore non-judgmental of behavioral and communicative differences) people to befriend at times.

living alone.

no meds have helped me. therapy is questionable. i think early therapy (with someone incidentally i liked) led me astray, sending me on a path for the next decade that (by assumption that all problems arise from emotional responses to family) led me away from what really was going on.

wrong planet has helped immeasurably (by finally offering answers). and anything that can reduce anxiety, which for me is 1. headphones, 2. as much alone time as possible, 3. indulging in special interests without any regard to what else you are neglecting.

what i think would help me now is finding someone on the spectrum who has been through all this, as a mentor. in real life .. there should be an aspie big brother / big sister program.



i found i didn't really have any idea what i was experiencing until i found others talking about it. i didn't know what was a normal experience. so i didn't know what i was seeing / hearing / thinking was unusual.

- Making mistakes and learning from them.
- Learning to ASK people what they REALLY are saying.
- Martial arts (Before that i was rather clumsy).
- Getting a sense of humor and understanding sarcasm (result of being bullied).
- Realising that there are evil people in this world that want to take advantage of you.
- Loosing my virginity. That helped alot, i used to be a bit like Rajesh in Big Bang Theory.
- Not to take in so much from the outside world. I would otherwise get depressed by all the crap that goes on in the world.

I got used to this world. When you live somewhere for 20 years...

Music, ofc.

Books - I know more words than average person. I learned ortography, grammar and sentences, also idioms.

Dictionaries and language learning.

Voice training - it really sounds better than I was younger.

Discussion forums and members meetings - I'm better when I write, so people like me. And it's always topic to talk, because forums are always about something.

Observing people and their behaviours.

Conversations in my mind - I'm prepared.

Reading stupid magazines for teens (like Bravo), men and women - I know their problems and about what they can think.

Reading popular websites.

Long lonely trips. If I need something, I must do it myself.

Living on my own.

WP helped me too - I can analyse myself, my behaviours and catch myself when I do something odd for NTs.

We should set up a Big Brother/ Big Sister thread and match up newly diagnosed with people who have been diagnosed for awhile. No idea what the best way to do that would be though.

chipper attitudes. a good one will see you through the worst, or atleast it has for me.
speaking good things. sounds crazy but if its good enough for god, remember hes the guy that made the earth

its good enough for me

This is gonna bug you atheists and agnostics, but what has helped me the most is my faith in God. To know that when i reach the pearly gates, i will be fully and completely restored. There will be no aspies in heaven, we will be made perfect.

knowing that these days are temporary has lifted a great burden from me.

Let Go.... Let God.

well i am agnostic and it doent bother me. i just dont like it when people think they know what god had for breakfast, lunch and dinner

someones gonna tell me god doesnt eat or that he eats clouds just you watch

I can only imagine what God has for meals, i bet they are just heavenly.

Finding good friends, and if you can, (although I read you didn't enjoy volunteering) volunteer! It impresses people. If you have a bad experience volunteering one place, you can try another. There are people in the forum who might benefit from volunteering.
Meds can be good or bad, depending on how they do and don't help.
A diet consisting of lots of fruits and vegetables acidifies your system. I've gotten good results there.
Avoid stressful situations.
Don't think too much about other people and overinterpret what they say and do.
Do special interest activities (books, movies, music, moving, driving, animals, writing, puzzles, building, whatever)
Get plenty of sleep.
Swim on really super hot days.
Try to keep the mind peaceful. My mind is so peaceful now, I have gotten addicted to that calm state of mind and seek it out. Don't get addicted to drama.

not a long term solution, but if im having a terrible day of it, walking helps. it loosens my thoughts, so to speak.