Mental Health
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Healing from Loss: My Journey Through Grief
I thought that when she passed away, time would stop. Didn’t the world understand that she was gone? I was carrying the pain of knowing I wouldn’t be able to talk to her again. The day after she died, I woke up and thought I should call her today; I hadn’t called her in a…
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Navigating Dating with Autism: Challenges and Insights
I was asked recently how having autism had affected my ability to date and find romantic partners. If you had asked me when I was recently diagnosed I would have told you that autism was going to be a defining challenge in my ability to find love and sustain a long-term relationship. I went through…
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Community helped save me
I’ve been meditating on the importance of community lately. I keep seeing news stories that suggest we are in a loneliness epidemic and that it’s only getting worse. Pundits love to blame social media; I suppose pinning a single source for a problem must make them feel more at ease since it provides an easy…
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The importance of Grief
Grief is quite a stigmatized emotion in our society. Crying is something that we never quite know how to handle, even as adults. I have never known how to talk about the grief I feel and when it is appropriate to connect with others. Then I stumbled upon Anderson Cooper’s podcast, “All There Is.” I…
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Reflections
Beige walls, gray floors, and tired faces were what greeted me as I entered the hospital. Since I tried to kill myself recently, I had to be checked on every twenty minutes. Naturally, I didn’t sleep well at all that night. I woke up miserable the next day. My roommate hadn’t said a word to…
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The pressure to represent
The answer is yes! I often feel pressure to be on my best behavior so as not to reflect poorly on my demographic groups. I feel the most pressure to represent well when it comes to being a woman and an adult with autism. I feel pressure to represent the autistic community positively because I…
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Autistic Barbie?
This weekend, I finally saw the Barbie movie, and I have to say I was VERY impressed by the film’s sense of humor. I found myself laughing quite literally out loud a number of times in the theater. Beyond its laughs, it was also super creative in turning the Barbie brand into a living world…
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Understanding Autism: Breaking Stereotypes and Expectations
I’ve been meditating on how the standards for those with disabilities can be different than those without them. I didn’t get my diagnosis until I was well into adulthood, so I was just expected to achieve like my neurotypical siblings. I have to say, when I tell people I have level one, I’m met with…
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Autism is My Superpower
Autism is my superpower. I see patterns in the world others don’t. Where most see problems, I see opportunities and solutions. I welcome everyone because I know what it is not to be welcomed. When you give me the map of what you need, I’ll move the earth to make it happen. I know getting…
Living on the Spectrum 