Working 4 hours doesn't sound a lot but for someone with Autism it's soo much, especially when it's in a busy toy shop. My parents thought me getting a job would be good for me, they are under the illusion that it will cure me of my Autism. So far I've managed to go in and done the full 4 hour shifts but the exhaustion and fatigue is awful. It genuinely leaves me feeling like I've got the flu, I get home and literally fall on my bed and then sleep for about 10 hours.
The job isn't hard work, I don't really have to do anything, I'm Santa's elf helper and open a gate so kids can go and see Santa but the noise is overwhelming and some of the kids are horrible. Yesterday one little girl who couldn't have been older than 6 kicked me repeatedly and when I told her mum which took a lot of courage to do, she didn't stop looking at her phone once, she just said her daughter was probably bored like the rest of us. I'm not a mum but if I was I like to think I would raise my kids well and teach them not to kick people.
I'm working today, tomorrow, Monday, Tuesday and then on Christmas Eve. If the exhaustion doesn't send me in some sort of overwhelm coma first. Any Autistics who work full time, you have my eternal respect.
The only nice thing about it is I got this cute elf outfit, complete with the pointy shoes! It's the one good thing to come out of this.
