Autistic inertia (again) and Processed Meats

Good idea.  Good news.  Good day to you.

I dont want to get ahead...but the ship has righted itself and the sails are on their way up once again.

I'm posting this as a reminder to myself.

What ever it takes. I do this too sometimes when overwhelmed by too much going on at once. giving a running commentary like a sportscaster. talking myself through each thing one at a time like a life coach.  Adding little flourishes with a spin and hand clapping (my thing). Removing one self from the situation like that makes me more present within it, makes it enjoyable. Talking to "naughty" dirty socks, making funny cooking noises. Sometimes it takes a distraction. 

My book - SPAM A Modern Cookbook by Marguerite Patten, 2007, ISBN 13; 978-0-753715-13-0 has many exotic recipes if you need any inspiration, including for parties (Spam, Apricot & Coconut balls) and regular meals (Spam Slippers).

It also has some rather uninteresting facts some of which are strangely presented  ("among 60 million Americans consume Spam at the rate of 3.6 cans per second, which is equivalent to 216 cans per minute or 12960 cans per hour")   poetry, and a transcript from Monty Python.

Here's a little something to whet your appetite: 

Fake it till you make it!

I read online the other day, someone pretends they are in a tv show when they are doing tasks they don't want to do. I'm not sure if they are slightly removing themselves from the situation to make it more palatable and/or the "novelty" factor is a distraction. 

Oh- and about "relaxing into it"

First I let my breathing slow and focus just on that. you can count them if that helps. Sometimes I wave my hands along with it, slowing, slowing.

When thoughts come I let them go, not matter how pleasant or heinous. That's the hard part but soon it becomes easier.

Then when I'm in a serene sort of null place I just fall back into "now". even while I'm doing things like walking talking,eating etc.

Then there is a sort of "ripening", or feeling fully "cooked". When I'm ripe, or cooked I just seem to come out of it and get on with things.

regards, U

Ah. hmm. interesting.

Another autistic friend gave me some advise once when I was post-op and feeling this way you describe. --She has had a lot of operations. She said just pretend to be interested in something and soon you will be immersed in it. It did work. I was really surprised and happy to have this new tool.

I hope this helps.

It's interesting to see your response as I feel somewhat different. It isn't expectation from others but expectation from myself. 

Out of interest - how do you "relax into it"?

This one has come after a period of rest. Vacation periods are restful and restorative. It isn't restful and I am not enjoying it. I need a level stimulation now but i haven't been able to engage in any thing with meaning. Thought meeting friends would give me the needed boost but it didn't. I WANT to be productive. Not in the sense of having anything in particular to show for it but just not feeling vacant in the head for another day running. Grinding against my own gears.

Today is a new day so will see what develops.

I go into these too. I call them "fallow" periods. I honor them. Some may disagree but, for me they are delicious.

Relax into them - and they pass more quickly. They are like vacations.

It is, for me, a result of overload on a project, or external pressure.

If you live near the ocean abiding with waves might be helpful. It does for me.

In a "fallow" I don't want to talk with anyone or have to be productive for show.

Most activity these days feels performance based, appearing "productive", showing something for some effort, something to "show "for myself, to be "seen" to have done something. 

The fallow periods pass when I have truly let go of what others expect of me. 

I find myself getting up, then, with an itch to create, getting that inner joy of creating and just getting on with it; up and at 'em in a click.

My longest "fallow" lasted a 10 or so days. 

I hope this helps.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR HELP TODAY. It means the world and you're all brilliant humans. This is when this place is at its best - when we help and support each other.

Peace & love to you all.

Wow, it’s crazy that you’ve been locked out, it wasn’t that overboard, it is frustrated to not use the forum the way you’d like to..

Anyways, I wish I knew what ‘Toulouse’ meant in that context, I thought it meant drunk but that didn’t make sense so I bowed out, not wanting to be a ‘Toulouse’ myself..

Please can you tell she is talking Pollocks in relation to her toulouse comment. I've been locked out of the thread (I posted saying I thought the forum was archaic in response to the uploading photos comments so it's probably banned me).

I have never been described that way before. I wasn't afraid to share. ...desperate if anything. You are very perceptive and I sense you know something I cannot see yet. However you are right. It did pick up a bit later today under its own steam. After I had finished off a documentary* it was noted by my lifetime house companion that I had perked up. Although definitely not out of the woods but it did make me see things start to right themselves of their own accord.

*edited because I worry the previous comment together with the vase of flowers will give my identity away "IRL"

Ah number.. I opened an art thread on mental health and well-being, I’m trying to help a guy upload an image, using one of your old threads, please can you review if what I’m telling him is nonsense or not..? Please..

A complementary half is a wonderful thing.

You are a wise and an astute queen.  Rare, and impressive........and comforting - flim flam or otherwise.  Forgive me.....but I am comforted when I see people whom I admire, struggle as I do, and aren't afraid to share.  Thank you.

Calm and steady.....don't be too critical of yourself.  Look at the calendar - it should be no surprise that you feel a little bit at sea at the moment - enjoy bobbing around (if you can) - some ferocious wind or current of desperate drive will inevitably catch your sails soon enough.  At that point, you'll be worrying that your focus has become too intense!

I think our lives and emotions and capabilities are cyclical . . . Just allow your wheel to spin under it's own momentum for a while.  We know it comes good again soon enough.

She's understanding, I'm not understanding of myself.

I'm the queen of the flim flammers

I'm afraid I don't have anything useful to add BUT I did just want to say that I really enjoyed the use of "Flim Flamming" that really made me chuckle. I will work to build this into my vocabulary because I really like it. Very satisfying words.