Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello lovely people! I'm a late diagnosed autistic adult, and I've been trying to work on my imposter syndrome. I was convinced I was autistic right up until I was diagnosed, and now that it's official I keep questioning it (as I am overall functioning fairly well, on average, especially since I started working from home, which has removed the majority of my social triggers).
One thing that keeps making me feel like an imposter is that I hate research. It stresses me out. There is so much information out there, I find it overwhelming, having to choose how and what to look for, and then there is so much to read or watch. I know wanting to learn everything about a subject is a big aspect of autism, researching things in depth etc, so not enjoying research makes me feel like an imposter within the autistic community. I do spend a lot of time checking things before buying so I know I'm buying the right thing, but I hate doing it. And one thing that doesn't help me at all is that I rarely research new places I'm going to, how I'm going to get there, where I'll park etc, because the research stresses me out so I ignore it or leave it to the last second. But then I get to the place and I get overwhelmed because I don't know where to park etc.
Can anyone relate to this? Do you have any recommendations for ways to approach research in a smaller, less overwhelming and stressful way?
Piki86 said:There is so much information out there, I find it overwhelming, having to choose how and what to look for, and then there is so much to read or watch.
I use the followung approach based around the question "how do you eat a whale".
The answer is of course "one bite at a time".
So how does that help here? The answer is it helps remind you to break the big task into a structure and then smaller sub tasks and to use a tried and tested formula you have used before.
For example if you need to plan a day out with friends then you need to plan for:
1 - know the destination and how to get there.
2 - know what the agenda will be.
3 - know who is coming and that they are informed.
4 - plan what to take, who to let know what the agenda is and one or two fallback plans in case of emergency.
For each of these:
1 - The Destination.
Use sites you trust for suggestions on what to do there. I would use:
Tripadvisor (obviously filter through the options but there is normally enough stuff there to get an idea what to consider).
The attractions own sites, especially for opening times, closing dates etc.
Instagram feeds for the attractions.
Ask anyone you know who has been there that you trust for other ideas.
2 - Agenda.
list the attractions, work out where they are on the map and estimate walking times with Google Maps or similar and work out a path that takes in enough of these to be interesting.
Allow a decent margin for unexpected stops and tardiness.
Add the Instagram feeds for the attractions and see what others have been saying about them - contact the attractions if you want more info or advice (eg for someone with limited mobility etc).
Look for local supermarkets, pharmacies and hospitals and note local taxi companies - just in case of problems.
Look up parking sites around the area and have a good range of options. Consider a supermarket parking area as a fallback or take an Uber / taxi.
3 - The group.
Speak to your friends with a summary of the resarch options and ask them if these are ok and if there are any objections.
Assuming there is a consensus then go ahead and book what you need to - keep track of costs and notify your friends on what they owe.
Consider the fitness and mobility of the party - plan routes and stops to accommodate these.
Send the final list and do not invite suggestions to change it at this stage. You have done enough work already.
Get emergency contacts for everyone on the list just in case, along with any relevant emergency medical notes (eg allergic to blueberries).
4 - plan what to take etc
For a starter you will need a way of transporting stuff (water bottle, emergency snacks, inhaler, plasters for heels if anyone has new shoes etc).
Make a list of these things, revisit in case it is too heavy (you can always get water from a local store for example so take only a small bottle). Plan to get these a few days before you travel.
Pack a battery pack for charging mobile phones and make sure it is charged and has suitable cables for most phones (ie Apple, USB-C and micro USB).
Pack sunglasses, sunscreen, lip balm and a hat if the weather looks nice. Warmer stuff if it looks cold and waterproofs if it is wet/windy.
Tell people to travel fairly light (ie don't bring your laptop, tablet, DSLR and tripod) so they can remain mobile.
There you go - you have a long list of smaller tasks and the pressure if off. Delegate some to your group on the attraction research and make each person "responsible" for it but keep an eye on it in case they flake on you.
You will have a lot more bandwidth now this is all written out and you can focus on the smaller tasks instead of the big picture. So much easier.
This is more or less the basis of project management - a very useful skill to have.
Iain, I'd be really interested to know how your example relates to autism research? Autism reseach feels like a lucky dip, you reach in and have no idea of what you're going to pull out, will it be relevant or helpful. As I'm sure you know there's a lot of guff out there and often you don't know enough to know if it's guff or not.