Mental Health
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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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Aftermath
I’ve been dealing with a great personal struggle as of late. I haven’t shared any details of this personal struggle, though, because it’s not my struggle to share. Recently a loved one of mine went through a significant mental health crisis. It’s been a month since the peak of that crisis, and I’m finding that…
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Changes Keep Happening
There’s been a lot of transition in my life lately. Besides navigating some tricky personal issues, I’ve also gotten a new job recently. Both sets of changes occurred at the same time, and I felt as though I was becoming unmoored and the ground beneath my feet was constantly shifting. It hasn’t felt that way…
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Excuses are no good
I’ve been thinking about excuses lately. Specifically, I’ve been thinking about excuses for bad behavior. A good example of this, as with many other signs of dysfunction in life, is where I work. People often call me and my coworkers “girls” and use endearing terms such as “dear”, “honey”, et cetera. I’ve heard people excuse…
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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 with the sense of humor that pervaded the entire film. I found myself laughing quite literally out loud a number of times in the theater. Beyond its laughs, it was also super creative with how it approached turning…
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Conference 2
I’ve recently returned from my second Southeast Adult Autism Conference, held annually in Chattanooga, Tennessee. My boyfriend and I attended as presenters this year, and I really enjoyed it. I definitely want to present in the future. Our presentation was about the seven pillars of self-care and how they relate to people with autism. We…
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Hi, my name is Ivy and…
I’ve been thinking about this post for a few months, and now I feel ready to openly discuss this. My name is Ivy and I’m learning how to be in recovery from an eating disorder. It’s been several months since I got my diagnosis and began treatment. I want to share my experience with my…
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Temple Grandin
I might be alone in this aversion, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve grown to dread phone calls (depending on the person, of course). If I know the person well (e.g. they’re family or a significant other) then I don’t dread it, but if it’s in a professional setting it drives my anxiety all the…
Living on the Spectrum 