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Cassandraa
over 2 years ago

Helloooooo Hugging

I'm new, I'm Cassandraa.

I've been struggling with coping with anxiety. I'm not sure if you find the same but mine is severe and with me day and night.

I get a lot of physical side effects from it which I was certain was something more serious but apparently it isn't.

I suffer with nausea a lot. That's a mixture of the autism, anxiety and some issue with my stomach. It's horrible and it stops me going out.

I've been looking for coping methods but nothing seems to work.

At times it's almost like anxiety is immortal.

I've been doing drawing,

Pencil sketching.

I started a few years ago and now it's my go to daily thing to do.

I find that can help me feel a little better but never gets rid of the anxiety.

  • over 2 years ago

    Anxiety is ‘immortal’ in that anxiety is actually a normal part of human experience and without it we’d get into all sorts of danger. It exists really to keep us safe from danger. Like you though I have high levels of anxiety that are disproportionate and detrimental to my everyday life and my functioning. 
    I’m really sorry that you’re struggling with this too - it’s a very difficult think to live with - and very often autistic people struggle with this more. However there are things you can do. There’s so much information available  online to help you tackle this. I think it’s useful that when you have an anxious thought you look at it analytically and ask yourself: what evidence do I have to support this thought? Look at the evidence objectively - and ideally speak to someone you trust and ask them for their view too - and think: do I really need to worry about this? Am I in any danger? If you’re not in any danger then you are quite safe and you don’t need to feel scared. Replace the unhelpful, anxious thought with a reassuring, comforting thought. In time - if you keep doing this - your threat response will reduce and you will start to feel less anxious. 

  • over 2 years ago

    Hi Cassandraa,

    I can understand feeling like anxiety is immortal it really does feel like it at times.

    Drawing sounds good. What do you like to draw? Welcome to the community.

  • over 2 years ago

    Hello, welcome to your autistic community! I am sorry to hear you are struggling with anxiety, this must be really difficult for you.

    I hope you can take comfort in the fact that anxiety is a common experience for many of us autistics including myself. You are not alone.

    Anxiety shouldn't be as prevalent in our community, it is usually the result of an environment that is not suited to your autistic neurology. 

    Hopefully these suggestions are useful for you:

    • Experiment with stimming - find the right stim or fidget tools that are soothing for you. Drawing is a great stim. Stimming is a great way of releasing intense emotions and keeping your mind occupied.
    • This book ' Avoiding Anxiety in Autistic Adults'

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Avoiding-Anxiety-Autistic-Adults-Wellbeing/dp/1529394740/ref=sr_1_5?qid=1664033289&refinements=p_27%3ALuke+Beardon&s=books&sr=1-5

    • Aucademy - an autistic led education platform. There is a particular video on autistic anxiety which you may find useful.

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLsMY1ZY9-8IReQfGX-CvBQ

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwIbPKoWDOs&list=PL6ZrzxrAs41CMHzCg1wkV3iIDrsX-pJuz&index=32&t=1988s

    What do you like to draw?

    I hope my response is helpful and that your anxiety reduces soon. We are here for you.

  • over 2 years ago

    Hi Casandraa

    I agree anxiety is immortal, it's annoying but on the other hand it keeps you alive, it's like a warning sign, except it's difficult to read that sign