The things that have helped you most?

Given experience often helps, and there are often newly diagnosed members joining the forum, I thought if we shared the things that help us most in bullet points it would be an easy read reference for everyone?

For me, has been:

- Meeting only small groups if I plan to meet people

- Meditation & Breath work (helped anxiety & digestion)

- Symprove Probiotics (helped anxiety & digestion)

- Walking in nature (elevates mood)

- Watching childhood movies (calming)

Parents
  • The main thing that has helped me the most, is knowing why I am different.

    Knowing, in the sense that, I already knew that my thoughts, behaviours and beliefs were very different to the vast majority of other humans around me......but I could not begin to understand why.  In order to cope with my autism, I had unknowingly developed some very peculiar behaviours and curated a life for myself that simply could not be made sense of - neither by myself, nor the others around me.  I was constantly pre-occupied (for about a decade) trying to understand that "why" question.

    Now that I know why I am different, I am calm - in a way that I have never experienced before.  Its pretty zen.

    So sorry if this answer may not be useful to others - but it is my honest response to the question posed.

Reply
  • The main thing that has helped me the most, is knowing why I am different.

    Knowing, in the sense that, I already knew that my thoughts, behaviours and beliefs were very different to the vast majority of other humans around me......but I could not begin to understand why.  In order to cope with my autism, I had unknowingly developed some very peculiar behaviours and curated a life for myself that simply could not be made sense of - neither by myself, nor the others around me.  I was constantly pre-occupied (for about a decade) trying to understand that "why" question.

    Now that I know why I am different, I am calm - in a way that I have never experienced before.  Its pretty zen.

    So sorry if this answer may not be useful to others - but it is my honest response to the question posed.

Children
  • The main thing that has helped me the most, is knowing why I am different.

    This is the same for me. I felt like i lived in utter confusion until last December. I couldn't make sense of my existence whatever i tried until my autism realization and whilst life is still a struggle, i'm coping much better now and i'm no longer trying to work out what is wrong with me but focusing on what is right and what i'm good at