• Replies 13 replies
  • Subscribers 88 subscribers
  • Views 342 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Surviving an ever changing world. When the news cycle spins too quickly

Hooverchips

Urgent

Why the "News Cycle" is a Workplace Accessibility Issue for Autistic Professionals.

​For many autistic people, "the news" isn't just information. It is a daily exercise in sensory and emotional navigation.

While the world often misunderstands autism as a lack of empathy, the reality is frequently hyper-empathy. 

When we see headlines about war, suffering or injustice, we don't just "read" it; many of us feel it, as if it’s happening to us personally. This is often referred to as vicarious trauma.

Our brains frequently use "bottom-up processing," absorbing every intense detail before we can find the "big picture" to compartmentalize it. This makes "tuning it out" feel almost impossible.

​If we want to support neurodivergent talent, we must recognize the mental toll of the current global climate.

​Here is how I (and many others) manage the noise to maintain focus and well-being.

The Hard "Turn Off": If the news is about an event I cannot personally influence, I give myself full permission to stop looking. 

It is not "ignorance"—it is self-preservation.

​A Digital Sensory Diet: I treat news consumption like any other sensory input.

I choose text-only sources to avoid visual/auditory "jump scares" like sirens, flashing banners, or graphic footage.

Energy Accounting: Before I open a news app, I ask: "Do I have the mental 'spoons' for this today?" 

If my anxiety is already high, the news is a hard "no."

​For my neurodivergent colleagues: Your peace is more important than being "up-to-the-minute" on trauma. 

Turning it off is an act of radical self-care. It allows us to show up fully where we can make a difference.

Parents

  • Yes, I dont read the news I feel it. It's painful, but when I can manage I try to feel it for the sake of what other went through, to be with them. When I can't, I try not to look at the news, or I read the headlines which are painful enough.  Some stories stay with me when they've become too real, the problem of a vivid imagination. They are like a trauma to carry I suppose, I didn't know there was a word for it.

    I am text only too, I don't understand why people want to  'watch the moment when...', the idea is horrendous for me, i don't want to watch anothers suffering, knowing is enough. But sometimes I get into a compusive rhythm of checking news sites every few hours. Sometimes it is better to avoid them entirely. 

    The best page for me on the bbc news is in the Scoltand section, there is a weekly 'Your photos of Scotland', and it is so uplifting and amazing photos, often really stunning. This can help when the stories are a heavy burden, a sanctuary of sorts.

    Sometimes the imagination helps, like the story that they are looking for a crofter on FairIsle that can also work in some sort of trade to contribute to the community as they need to wear many hats on such a small remote island. Then it's like a story gets built in my head of what it might be like to be able to live such a life in such a wild place.

Reply

  • Yes, I dont read the news I feel it. It's painful, but when I can manage I try to feel it for the sake of what other went through, to be with them. When I can't, I try not to look at the news, or I read the headlines which are painful enough.  Some stories stay with me when they've become too real, the problem of a vivid imagination. They are like a trauma to carry I suppose, I didn't know there was a word for it.

    I am text only too, I don't understand why people want to  'watch the moment when...', the idea is horrendous for me, i don't want to watch anothers suffering, knowing is enough. But sometimes I get into a compusive rhythm of checking news sites every few hours. Sometimes it is better to avoid them entirely. 

    The best page for me on the bbc news is in the Scoltand section, there is a weekly 'Your photos of Scotland', and it is so uplifting and amazing photos, often really stunning. This can help when the stories are a heavy burden, a sanctuary of sorts.

    Sometimes the imagination helps, like the story that they are looking for a crofter on FairIsle that can also work in some sort of trade to contribute to the community as they need to wear many hats on such a small remote island. Then it's like a story gets built in my head of what it might be like to be able to live such a life in such a wild place.

Children
No Data