Published on 12, July, 2020
My daughter, 18, is suffering with really bad anxiety. Chloe has a job cleaning a house, 3 hours a week. She also has a babysitting/child sitting job which she goes to once every few weeks. I'm am off work this week so she is going to clean one of my customers houses. To help with her anxiety, I am making her a jobs list of what she needs to clean.
Her anxieties are also based around money. She really struggles to save so always ends up having no money left at the end of the month. She mainly spends money on petrol because of how many miles she drives a week. She can drive over 100 miles a day sometimes. She says she loves driving because her brain is stimulated at all times and she can listen to music. If anyone knows what activities she/we can do which can substitute the driving, please let me know!
Her anxieties are causing daily frequent tears and high emotions, however I can see she is bottling it in. She is hard to get her to see family friends, but they are very understanding in her needs which makes it easier for everyone.
I am trying to keep routines the same, for example she is obsessed with Criminal Minds and is watching the series, making PowerPoints about the profilers/agents and the criminals, which is impressive. I am using visual timetables and schedules with her again. I am also offering tablets to stop her menstruation this month because this will make it all worse. I am also giving her tablets to help her sleep again.
If anyone knows of any other ideas or opinions, please share them, whatever they may be. She is really struggling.
Health and Safety first:
I've taken an herbal hormone balancing supplement with Dong Quai most of my life. Female Harmony by Crystal Star makes a good one. Another blend by them, Womens Best Friend has reduced cysts. I've worked with doctors on this.
As we get older, our bodies recover less quickly, so it's important to mind the biological differences of Autism. The hormonal imbalances are also part and parcel with ADHD as well.
The body is regulated by hormones, from thyroid to brain to our heart. The second big issue with Autism which medical findings show, is lower GABA. These are inhibitors in the body - also crucial for controlling a balance. They help us sleep, lessen anxiety, help digestion, and can aid emotional regulation and help ease hyper-sensory issues. I take a mushroom blend, which contain the building blocks for promoting GABA. I've taken these + Ashwaganda since my mid 20's.
Anti-depressants and SSRI's will further lower GABA as a side-effect. In a pinch, half-dose of a benzodiazepine (which are made to specifically promote GABA), will actually help and a private GP might be able to give you a supervised dose.
IMO, natural supplements are the way to go if you can afford it.
The second part of this has to do with Finding Meaning and Purpose. It sounds like she could use further education at some point, or an online class which might help grow her natural gifts and talents.
As for money, this economic system is not kind. The quicker she can understand some of the impossibilities in it, the less she'll feel overwhelmed. But then that math: spending everything she's making on petrol, is a bad business decision. Now - that's fine to make if you have support. But perhaps walking dogs in her area might provide a better budget.