How to ‘switch off’? My brain never stops and I’m exhausted

This might not have been one of your first thoughts ...but have you tried doodling?

Literally all you need is pen / pencil and paper (which makes it easy to do at home or when you sre out somewhere.

Some Autistic people find when they doodle it can be a quiet stim for them and provides an outlet for excess energy.

You do not need to be an artist - maybe abstract designs or geometric patterns might prove to be good beginner doodles - or pick a topic from one of your interests.

The process csn be as repetitive or creative as the mood strikes you.

It can feel helpful in five different ways:

- to aid concentration when you are trying to listen to something,

- as a pleasant and absorbing distraction when you are waiting somewhere in an Autism-uncomfortable environment (like a noisy bus stop, or the waiting room for a medical appointment),

- when you feel "mind busy" and in need of a self-regulation strategy,

- because as you go with your doodle where your mind / emotion takes you; what you doodle csn provide yourself insight on how things are for you at the time (a bit like when people keep a written diary or journal and look back over recent weeks and notice their mood), and

- it can become an interest in its own right or combined with one of your existing interests (some people like to use multi-colour pencil crayons or felt tip pens - others prefer to pick one colour or a few shades of a colour - have an experiment).

There are some reasonably priced colour pens available which have dual ends - with a very fine point at one end a brush-style felt tip the other end - easy to transport and providing more doodling techniques.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owSOgPXXXgo

https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/about-autism/repeated-movements-and-behaviour-stimming

Have a go - it might surprise you what power pen / pencil and paper can channel towards relaxation.

This might not have been one of your first thoughts ...but have you tried doodling?

Literally all you need is pen / pencil and paper (which makes it easy to do at home or when you sre out somewhere.

Some Autistic people find when they doodle it can be a quiet stim for them and provides an outlet for excess energy.

You do not need to be an artist - maybe abstract designs or geometric patterns might prove to be good beginner doodles - or pick a topic from one of your interests.

The process csn be as repetitive or creative as the mood strikes you.

It can feel helpful in five different ways:

- to aid concentration when you are trying to listen to something,

- as a pleasant and absorbing distraction when you are waiting somewhere in an Autism-uncomfortable environment (like a noisy bus stop, or the waiting room for a medical appointment),

- when you feel "mind busy" and in need of a self-regulation strategy,

- because as you go with your doodle where your mind / emotion takes you; what you doodle csn provide yourself insight on how things are for you at the time (a bit like when people keep a written diary or journal and look back over recent weeks and notice their mood), and

- it can become an interest in its own right or combined with one of your existing interests (some people like to use multi-colour pencil crayons or felt tip pens - others prefer to pick one colour or a few shades of a colour - have an experiment).

There are some reasonably priced colour pens available which have dual ends - with a very fine point at one end a brush-style felt tip the other end - easy to transport and providing more doodling techniques.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owSOgPXXXgo

https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/about-autism/repeated-movements-and-behaviour-stimming

Have a go - it might surprise you what power pen / pencil and paper can channel towards relaxation.