38 Results in Anxiety

Planning in advance vs spontaneous activities

There is a big problem with planning in advance and agreeing to things ahead of time, and that problem is, that it allows anxiety to accumulate and often means that I end up panicking and cancelling. Let's have a look at this in more detail and consider in which sort of situations planning in advance might be helpful vs when it might not be.

What happens when plans suddenly change?

Lots of people with ASD like to have plans and be able to follow them. Let's look at what happens and how a person might feel when a plan is suddenly changed.

Time limits and durations

The time I've planned to do something is important, but so is the length of time that I've planned to do it for. For example, it's just as important for me to know that I'm going to walk my dog at 9am as it is to know I'm going to walk her for 60 minutes.

4 golden rules for managing sensations

Having suffered an injury, I've had frequent hospital appointments! That's the inspiration for this blog article. For someone like me who has hypersensitivity, even 'normal' sensations can be extremely uncomfortable. Sounds such as fire alarm tests, sirens, drilling, hammering, the doorbell ringing and lorries driving past are things that can happen every day yet they don't overly bother most people. I personally hate the sounds of live music, instruments, singing and clapping as well, whereas many people enjoy those sounds. Nobody likes the smell of garbage or sewage but - again - people seem to get over them quickly. Feelings such as combing your hair or wearing certain items of clothing can be uncomfortable to some people but not overly so.

10 personal strategies for dealing with anxiety

The 10 bits of advice listed below have changed my life. These are the things I personally do every single day/throughout the day. As a result - generally - my anxiety day to day is under control and I am able to live the way I want to and do the things I want to do. There is a lot of advice already available about dealing with anxiety, but much of that won't be overly helpful for people on the autism spectrum. I wanted to share my personal strategies with you because I hope they may be useful to you too. 1. Finding out lots of information so I know what to expect I need to know what is going on pretty much all of the time. In situations that I don't have a lot of control over (for example, when I'm out of the house, shopping, at work, at a social gathering...), I prefer to know as much as possible about "who-what-where-why-when-how." When I have this information, I can use it to decide whether or not I will participate. If it sounds manageable, I'll be more inclined to participate and enjoy it. If it doesn't sound manageable, I'll decline and probably end up avoiding the likely outcome which would be a meltdown/shutdown. Knowledge is power, as they say. Having lots of information about something before I agree or disagree to participate makes me feel like I have a bit of control. That sense of control is very important.

Meltdowns in public – what to do?

Meltdowns are quite common for people with autism. They are not exclusive to children, even adults can have meltdowns. Depending on coping mechanisms and the individual themselves, a meltdown for one person will look different to another. A meltdown can include: hitting, crying, shouting, being verbally aggressive… etc. Recognising a meltdown in public isn’t always… Join The Curly Hair Project Community Today This article and our podcasts are available only t…

Strategies for managing social anxiety

We have looked at what social anxiety is and why the repeated exposure method may not work – so what does work? This article lists some strategies which I personally use. My social anxiety never goes away but it can sometimes be managed and even reduced. Tell others The first and perhaps most important strategy is to… Join The Curly Hair Project Community Today This article and our podcasts are available only to members of our community. If you would like to continue to…

How to communicate with a non verbal person who is feeling anxious

This blog article was written on the request of a speech and language therapist, who asked me if I had any information on people with ASD who have difficulty expressing themselves verbally (but who have good language skills). She noted that, in times of anxiety/stress, these people could communicate through written language, despite the term ‘selective mutism’… Join The Curly Hair Project Community Today This article and our podcasts are available only…