The things that have helped you most?

I'm not officially diagnosed yet - hopefully this summer, but here are my things that help me out:

- Reading - especially reading my Kindle, snuggled down in bed in the dark.
- Routine - I always have a special routine on my work days (Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat and Sun). If I have to go out of my routine, it makes me feel like the whole day has gone wrong. I'm a bit more relaxed on my days off though.
- Speaking to the same people I trust - like my partner, family (most of), friends at work and a few people at the coffee shop next door.
- Being in my own space - my bedroom is my sanctuary. It's where I spend pretty much all day in (on my days off), apart from going into the bathroom and kitchen. 
- My pets - I have 1 cat (Winnie), 1 leopard gecko (Leo), 2 corn snakes (Inca and Selu), 1 dwarf hamster (Minx) and 2 tarantulas (Truffle and Genie).
- My crystals - especially my large Quartz point which goes with me everywhere.
- My toy cat - who is named Molly and goes with me when I go on holiday and occasional hospital appointments.
- My Loop Earplugs - which I use when I am outside in large traffic areas.

Wow - I hadn't realised I depended on so much to be honest. Hope this helps other people understand me a little more.

Mweekie

I'm not officially diagnosed yet - hopefully this summer, but here are my things that help me out:

- Reading - especially reading my Kindle, snuggled down in bed in the dark.
- Routine - I always have a special routine on my work days (Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat and Sun). If I have to go out of my routine, it makes me feel like the whole day has gone wrong. I'm a bit more relaxed on my days off though.
- Speaking to the same people I trust - like my partner, family (most of), friends at work and a few people at the coffee shop next door.
- Being in my own space - my bedroom is my sanctuary. It's where I spend pretty much all day in (on my days off), apart from going into the bathroom and kitchen. 
- My pets - I have 1 cat (Winnie), 1 leopard gecko (Leo), 2 corn snakes (Inca and Selu), 1 dwarf hamster (Minx) and 2 tarantulas (Truffle and Genie).
- My crystals - especially my large Quartz point which goes with me everywhere.
- My toy cat - who is named Molly and goes with me when I go on holiday and occasional hospital appointments.
- My Loop Earplugs - which I use when I am outside in large traffic areas.

Wow - I hadn't realised I depended on so much to be honest. Hope this helps other people understand me a little more.

Mweekie

My teddy bears (I have 40 in my queen sized bed, including my best friend Paddington), my music with noise cancelling headphones, the most calming of which is sacred music in Latin from Monks and Nuns - being a devout traditional Irish Catholic, I never leave the house without my Rosary, as I’ll go out to a quiet park to pray and I have 10 pairs of Rosary Beads at home - I always have a picture of Our Lady of Lourdes to hand and I have a fridge magnet of Padre Pio, along with bottles of Holy Water everywhere - praying the Rosary in Latin and attending the Traditional Sunday Mass in Latin here in Manchester is also very important, as is my friendship with my late Dad’s former employers, the Poor Clare Nuns in Dublin, where I’ll always visit their monastery when I come home to Ireland