Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi All,
I was diagnosed with ASD as an adult just a few years ago and I never understood why I have this issue. I don't have ADHD and I can focus on things well when at work but I have noticed once that structure is not in place, I have a very hard time being productive as if my days just flew by without doing much. My "daydreaming" is always the same thing, just repetitive thoughts, not something that helps me in any way and the worse I feel, the more time I need to spend in my autistic bubble. I guess it's a kind of coping mechanism. I would really appreciate it if someone could give me some advice. Is there a way to learn how to decrease the amount of time wasted on this?
I got into a swirl of this last night, and couldn't initially sleep. It revolved around how utterly useless I have always been, both to myself and others. So I got up and went to inspect a project that I had done earlier in the day and found that it was still working well overnight as intended. That saw off the useless thoughts and allowed me to sleep. I note that you are fully aware of the need for structure. Is there any huge rush in your work? can you spread that structure out over a longer time-frame and so enable yourself to productively daydream - by which I mean as a form of self-entrancement, meditation, self hypnosis or careful and carefree concentration. And at other times, you can also engross yourself in thoughtful entertainment. Mind you, I think perhaps we all need a bit of aimless daydreaming in our lives, so we can contrast it with our more focussed/structured activities
My job cannot be done remotely. I've been staying home for several weeks. I don't know if being jobless or having repetitive daydreaming thoughts throughout the whole day are worse. I think those 2 are related. When I had a lot of things to do, I had focus but right now everything is so uncertain. I know other people feel the same way. It has affected everyone and everything. I just think it is somewhat more difficult for people who already have repetitive thought patterns. I do agree that I need to figure something out like looking for a work from home job.
Structure doesn’t have to be a job - I don’t work but I include things like a daily walk, studying etc - it just makes the day a little more productive