Self Help Techniques for Autism?

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TechnicallyCalm
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29 Nov 2016, 12:49 pm

Does anyone have any self help techniques I could use when my autism is acting up? I know medicine, diet, exercise and sleep will help, but is there anything I could do during moments where I'm stressed, shutting down or starting to lose control? Any other self help techniques would be good too.

I tried looking online and I could only really find how other people can help me.

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Michael

rowan_nichol
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29 Nov 2016, 1:16 pm

I have discovered just how much help I had from keeping a journal. I look back and read over how I sorted through the many social situations where I struggled, I re-read excercises I did which helped me preparte for some big social stuff, such as following up a chance meeting where the other person passed me their conact details, which had potential to lead to many things, looking at things from other people's viewpoints, it's not that we can't do it, it is that we can't do it intuitively and need to do some sort of tought out process explicitly.

Campin_Cat
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29 Nov 2016, 1:43 pm

TechnicallyCalm wrote:

...is there anything I could do during moments where I'm stressed, shutting down or starting to lose control?

Stimming helps ME----like, just any little thing you can fiddle-with / play with. I have this rubber (I guess) lighter, that's super-smooth, and makes me very happy when I hold it (I mean "very happy", as in "calms me"). I also have an eraser that I like to feel; and I, like, interlace my fingers a certain way, that helps me get a grip (calms me).

I wish I had these, like, puzzle-piece things----just interlocking things that you can put together and take-apart; I saw some highlighters, that you could, sorta, "build" with.

Also, I always have a book of really easy crossword puzzles----I like to do them to redirect my energy; if I'm focused on them, I forget about being stressed, forget about anxiety, etc. I like "regular" / hard ones, too----but, with these I don't have to think TOO much, just enough to redirect me to something on which I can hyper-focus, and keep me from shutting-down.

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TechnicallyCalm
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29 Nov 2016, 1:50 pm

Thanks for the tips.

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Michael

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29 Nov 2016, 2:01 pm

I have a lot of stim toys, things I can fiddle with to redirect my nervous energy. I like tangles and anything rubber and fluid-filled best. If you have a smart phone or tablet, you can download a lot of good free apps that are calming and distracting too. Ones I particularly like are Fluid, where you can draw pretty patterns in colored smoke and water, Viscosity, where you can play with different fluids like liquid metal and ooze, and Wolf Run, where you propel a wolf up and down hills, trying to gain enough momentum to make it to the next level before the time runs out. If you don't like time-limit games (they sometimes just amplify my stress!) you can buy the zen version of the game that just lets you keep playing indefinitely. If you search around, you'll find things that work for you. Good luck!

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TechnicallyCalm
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29 Nov 2016, 2:26 pm

Thanks!

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Michael

Lumi
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30 Nov 2016, 4:45 pm

Rocking and sometimes hand flapping, because excitement very quickly floods me. I'm not sure how to deal with feeling bad, as in turning to an intense physical activity with my hands/arms.

Sorry if I hijacked your thread.

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