anxiety

This sounds a useful tip. I get anxious a lot and often cannot pin it down to anything in particular, (I think I could get a degree in worrying) will try this.

When I was working I found that being in a large open plan office could trigger anxiety for me. I negotiated a move to a quieter room in the building, but that's not always possible in all work environments. However usually some changes can be made to improve sensory overload, such as moving away from a window where there may be glare from the sun or draughts, using headphones to cut out noise, wearing tinted glasses if lights are too bright, etc. Try to identify what makes you uncomfortable and discuss with your employer to find solutions.

One time when I was on a bus travelling home from work which was really crowded, I became overwhelmed and had to get off half way home and wait for the next bus, which was less crowded. So try to plan ways of managing a situation if something makes you anxious. If you work full time you could go for a walk at lunchtime or go and sit in your car and listen to music, to get a break from the environment.

If I began to get overloaded and anxious, I would try to focus on something positive - looking forward to being at home later, having something nice for dinner, participating in a hobby or interest.

Finally - this is not medical advice - I found CBD capsules helped alleviate anxiety, although they don't work for everyone. If you cannot manage to overcome your anxiety you should speak to your GP about what medication or supplements you could try.

Wishing you well.

Anxiety can be tough to work through, especially in public. For me, I do a grounding technique a therapist taught me a while back.

Internally I list a few things that I cannot control, then a few things that I can control.

For example: I cannot control how others feel. I also cannot control the weather. However I can control my own breathing. I can control whether I stay or leave an establishment. Etc.

This activity helps to refocus on the fact that you don’t have to control everything. Some things are out of your hands, and that’s okay because there are always some things that you can manage.

In respect of anxiety, you might find the advice and suggestions here helpful. They include seeking support from your GP - which could include medications or therapy, for example:

NAS - Anxiety

Our autistic struggles can lead to fatigue and burnout, for which there's some great advice here:

NAS - Autistic fatigue and burnout

There's also some more (free) advice here from Dr Megan Neff - a neurodivergent author (who's also a clinician and advocate):

Autistic Burnout Recovery: How to Build a Recovery Plan

I recently bought this new book of hers. It covers the subject in much greater detail, whilst remaining very user-friendly (including lots of diagrams and worksheets, for example):

The Autistic Burnout Workbook: Your Guide to Your Personal Recovery Plan