neurospicy

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 494 , Wednesday 05/03/2025

Wednesday started just after 7am with breakfast & then reading my book with my coffee.

I read a little of my new book on computing - ‘But how do it know’ by J Clarke Scott - the start of a long journey to rediscover the basics of computing.

I did a little more work on the pond, I seem to have fixed the persistent leak, now it’s a case of cleaning the reed bed filter & getting the plants back in.

I had my talk therapy session with Sami just before the lunch which was hard but I guess necessary.

Played some ‘Ghost of Tsushima’ this afternoon & then we had the 3rd energy saving session in a row - pie & salad for tea just before it started. I am wholly sick of that now, if I never see another pie again it would be too soon, but Mrs S is relentless.

Watching a program about the UK’s offshore islands, I would love to live on one of the smaller ones, but Mrs S would never entertain the idea - it would be far too much effort for her.

Final Thoughts.

Chatting with folk like @UnclePJ & others about being ND & what that means I find helps me codify what I have learnt & gets me thinking about what it all means. The stuff that comes up in the therapy sessions has a similar effect.
I realise today that I have learnt a lot since this journey stated nearly 500 days ago, but I’m learning new stuff every day so this ASD journey is by no means over, there is so very much more to learn & understand.

Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖

@actuallyautistic
#TimsASDjourney #ActuallyAutistic #Neurospicy #TheMammutMoves

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 489 , Friday 28/02/2025

Friday started just after 7am, got breakfast & settled down for an hour or so with my book.

09:30 So I have heard other ND folk mention about being sensitive to physical stimuli & never really thought that it was a thing but today, while fighting my way thru the sheets Mrs S hung out to dry in our garage the other day to hang out the underwear I realised that there certain things that really trigger me.
Having the sheets brushing against me time & time again as I hung up the underwear really got me agitated, they were very nearly dry so it wasn’t that I kept getting wet it was simply the sensation of them brushing against my face.
I really don’t like sitting with my back to a corridor in a restaurant either - the sensation of folks passing behind me is something else that agitates me & makes me feel uncomfortable.

I hate the sound of people eating with their mouths open - although that might be a nurture thing, my parents were very strict about table manners. It’s probably why I hate the feel of food on the handles of cutlery when I have to put Mrs S’s cutlery in the dishwasher.

I don’t generally like having dirty hands either - I’m not OCD about it as some poor souls are but if I get sauce or grease on my hands while eating I have to wipe it off fairly quickly & if I do a dirty job I wash my hands as soon as I’m finished.

I react badly to the cold - both physically & psychologically, I suspect this is as much to do with the fact that I suffer a deal of pain when my hands and feet are cold as with anything else.

I’m fine with lights most of the time although when I’m relaxing I’ll lower the lights as low as I can get away with.

So maybe I’m more sensitive to my environment than I like to admit?

12:07 Mrs S had the day off today so has gone to do her weekly shopping run / visit with her mum today so she can have tomorrow to herself.
She’s just rung me to say sh’s had to call an ambulance because her mum is very hot & was initially unconscious when she arrived. She’s called an ambulance & her mum has since woken up, but seems very much to be in an altered state of consciousness.
Needless to say Mrs S is upset by all this, especially as she was looking forward to relaxing this afternoon & tomorrow.
I wait with bated breath on developments.

Seems my MiL has been admitted to hospital with a suspected UTI, last check suggests she’s been found a bed & made comfortable.

Really struggling to get into anything at the moment, needed u[ downloading ‘Ghost of Tsushima’ since it’s one of the PSN plus free games & it seems pretty good from the 15 minutes or so I’ve played so far.

Mrs S got home just after 4pm so I made her a coffee & got her settled in front of the TV.

Had pizza for tea & we started watching ‘Poirot’ the David Suchet version tonight because we couldn’t find a movie we fancied. I’m glad we did I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this series!

Final Thoughts.

Well today really was not what I had been expecting, I hope tomorrow is a quieter day!

Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖

@actuallyautistic
#TimsASDjourney #ActuallyAutistic #Neurospicy #TheMammutMoves

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 480 , Wednesday 19/02/2025

Wednesday started around 7am despite a disturbed night. I was feeling a little anxious about the 2nd session with Sami my counsellor. I’m not sure why I’m feeling anxious about these sessions Sami is perfectly nice.

I did my chores this morning & listened to my audiobook until the therapy session.

We covered a couple of topics, & touched on the problems I’m having re-engaging fully with my friends on here. I think there is at least one more sessions worth of stuff to cover on that.
Sami was intrigued at how close I feel to all of the folks I share TLs with on here & I tried to explain the nature of our little corner of the Interweb.

Managed to play some more DL2, polishing off the majority of the 10 year anniversary achievements - 1 more to go to get this weeks set. I won’t fully complete all 3 weeks because one of the achievements is to do with playing co-op & I am really not comfortable doing it.

Final Thoughts.

Sami wanted to know what I thought of todays session & I’m still really not sure what I think of it - it’s a lot of me explaining me & my situation I’m not sure if that is the point - it helps to unload of course but I’m still wondering what the therapy bit is.

Dentist tomorrow morning - I have lost a chunk out of one of my back molars, a casualty of Christmas I suspect. So at least one filling to come - joy!

Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖

@actuallyautistic
#TimsASDjourney #ActuallyAutistic #Neurospicy #TheMammutMoves

Your best is not… #actuallyautistic #autisticburnout

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-4XW6NrPro

#ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #Neurospicy #Neurodivergent #ND

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 478 , Monday 17/02/2025

Monday started Judah before 8am, but I woke feeling groggy & still knackered, despite a full nights sleep. I wonder if this is the anti d’s or if it’s something else.

The day passed uneventfully. The highlight of the day was the delivery of a small BT speaker for when I listen to my audiobook in bed, the headphones are uncomfortable & the iPads speakers are not quite up to the job. Hoping that the bit speaker will be what I need. We shall see how it goes.

Spent the afternoon killing zombies in DL2 make believing that they were members of Remorse.

We had another energy saving session early this evening, it’s now a well oiled machine, the candles come out, ad everything we can spare gets turned off.

Final Thoughts.

I’m struggling to get out of the house again, I need to try and shake this pervasive exhaustion and then a nice sunny morning to encourage me out!

Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖

@actuallyautistic
#TimsASDjourney #ActuallyAutistic #Neurospicy #TheMammutMoves

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 448 , Saturday 18/01/2025

Saturday started a lot more peacefully than Friday. It’s been a lot colder again today, came down around 8am to zero Celsius!

Mrs S went off for her weekly trip to see her mum.

I did my chores & then succumbed to the temptation of more adventuring in Dragon’s Dogma.

I’ve been able to engage a little more on here today which is a move in the right direction.

We watched ‘The Dead Don’t Die’ with Bill Murray & Adam Driver - it’s very hammy & written to be a ‘B’ movie. It was watchable - just.

Final Thoughts.

Going to have to gird my loins for a trip to Costco tomorrow, we’re getting low on vital supplies! No I don’t mean cake! 😆

Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖

@actuallyautistic
#TimsASDjourney #ActuallyAutistic #Neurospicy #TheMammutMoves

From probably around ages 8-13 I kept a large cardboard box my family got a package in in my bedroom, and every day after school I would toss in a blanket, reading light, and book then stand on the foot of my bed and hop into it (the only way I could get in with it standing upright) and then close the top above me and hang out in there for hours reading. To get out I would just push my weight to one side so the box tipped over with me in it and then climb and out put it back upright for the next time.

I controlled the light, I controlled how warm I was, and since the box was just big enough for me to sit in with my knees to my chest (it was probably ~4ft tall with a 2x2ft base but I was a pretty small kid) I could feel all 4 sides and the bottom and would immediately know if someone opened the top from the light, so I know no one could see me and could sit/act in a way that was actually comfortable for me (I was used to constantly adjusting my behavior to be socially expectable at all times because I was afraid if I didn't someone may be looking at/watching without me realizing and judge me for acting 'wrong' (I didn't know about the concept of masking at the time but I sure as hell knew how to do it). 🙃

I adored my box and still think of my time in it as one of my most enjoyable/positive childhood memories.

Whats that? Oh no, there were never any signs I was neurodivergent as a kid, why do you ask? (/s)

#Neurospicy #Neurodivergent #ActuallyAutistic #ActuallyOCD

A question for folks who are #interviewing for #jobs. I typically conduct my recruiter screens via phone connected to AirPods Pro.

I take a lot of notes during the #interview and have a mechanical keyboard MX browns (mechs are easier for me to type on due to my own physical health issues). I know that AirPods are pretty good at canceling out noise but I’m wondering if anyone has had issues in the past where they feel like keyboard noise was very distracting/hampered their ability to interview well?

I’m wondering if I should add some kind of #accessibility notice to my invites “Just a heads up, I’ll type lots of notes on our call. If you feel the keyboard noise may be distracting, please let me know and I’m happy to accommodate.” or if this is a non-issue and I’m overthinking things.

Could also go with a general “I want to help make the interview process as smooth as possible, so please let me know if there any accommodations that would help.”?

Looking at my #neurospicy fedi friends specifically but interested in opinions from all!

#adhd #autism #neurodiverse #askfedi

"So what have you spent your Saturday doing?"

"Oh you know, talking about nuclear power and nuclear weapons with my 8 yr old, explaining about atoms and radiation. Might watch Chernobyl later."

Totally normal Saturday.

#ActuallyAutistic #Neurospicy #Neurodivergent

Anticipating a terrible night of fireworks cringing over New Year's?

I'm hosting a workshop next Saturday to use EFT tapping to regulate the nervous system to deal better with the noises and lights and all that comes with it.

By and for Autistic and AuDHD humans. Interested in joining us? Only $25, including recording.

https://autismchrysalis.learnworlds.com/course/tapping-for-fireworks

#ActuallyAutistic #Autistic #AuDHD #Neurospicy #Anxiety #BurnoutRecovery

Thanks to Trash Friends for being a FutureU sponsor! They are a Queer-owned and operated company that offers cleaning, decluttering, organizing, body doubling, and handy services—specializing in clients with hoarding disorder, depression, and ADHD.

https://form.jotform.com/242616880338058

#queer #depression #life #MentalHealth #ADHD #selfHelp #selfCare #LGBTQIA #trans #Chicago #neurodivergent #neurospicy

ALT

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 383 , Thursday 14/11/2024

Around 07:30 Thursday sauntered in casually like a cat after a raid on the larder.

It’s my birthday today, so Mrs S emptied the dishwasher for me.

I made breakfast & opened my cards & pressies while we watched the news (I was allowed choice of breakfast viewing as it’s my birthday & all.)

Got a host of calls from family which was nice.😊

Spent the afternoon having a movie fest - first ‘Day of the Jackal’ then we started a ‘Blade Runner’ fest

Mrs S took me out to one of our fave eateries for tea, where I had a delicious fillet steak with all the trainings & then a chocolate fudge cake to die for (or possibly from 😆 )

It was a really lovely evening & I enjoyed it a lot.

Final Thoughts.

As birthdays go it was quiet but not bad for that. I got to see a couple of good movies & eat some really nice food.
I may have to seriously consider some exercise next week!

Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖

@actuallyautistic
#TimsASDjourney #ActuallyAutistic #Neurospicy #TheMammutMoves

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 375 , Wednesday 06/11/2024

Woke around 8am this morning, got my breakfast & chased yon plumber with no success.

My 2 year Fediversary was spent in a very relaxed manner gaming & chilling out.

I had a couple of slides of the garlic bread we got yesterday with some ham & a little BBQ sauce - a very nice treat!

Reheated the last of the stew I made last week for tea, it wasn’t bad at all.

I’m going back to simple, easy cooking because there is so much frustration & cost associated with ‘proper’ cooking.

Final Thoughts.

The US electorate overturned the world order yesterday, the world will become a poorer, crueller & much less diverse place. Time will tell how much direct impact I will suffer from this, probably not much - although I think the future of the NHS will be tied closely to big Pharma in the USA- but overall the world is a darker place today.

I hope my American Peeps weather this storm, I will help as much as I can with the few gifts I have to offer. I f folks wanna vent to me on here that’s absolutely fine. I am always happy to respond to DMs from folk who just need a shoulder to scream at. (This sadly must be limited to those that share a TL with me - I’m still not a people person & will shy away from folk I haven’t met)

Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖

@actuallyautistic
#TimsASDjourney #ActuallyAutistic #Neurospicy #TheMammutMoves

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 371 , Saturday 02/11/2024

Up early this morning, about 06:30.
Made breakfast for Mrs S for the first time in a while, then did the chores.

Joined a certain Pixy playing NMS & we were later joined by Mel. We all managed to get thru to the end of the expedition! There is some tidying up to do but to all intents & purposes all 3 of us made it thru.
We not only had to fight the baddies & solve the puzzles that were part of the expedition, but we also had to solve the problems that the glitches & bugs in the game itself. I live for this stuff, cut me in half & I have “Nerdy problem solver” written up the middle!
I had a really good time this morning & I wanna thank @PixysJourney & @Nio for helping make it so - Thanks Ladies!

Watched some random TV progress this afternoon & then we watched ‘Twisters’ while munching on fried chicken & chips (fries to our US cousins).

Final Thoughts.

Reading about Kemi Badenoch’s (the new UK Tory party leader) views on autism & mental health spoilt an otherwise really nice day. Apparently we all need to “…solve our mental health problems on our own…” like we used to!

Late diagnosed autists like myself have played on both sides of this particular field & I tell you this:

Dealing with autism & MH problems on ones own is a fools game.

Pretty much everyone I know who would be reading this understand the power of helping each other, that supportive communities, like the most excellent one we have here in the Fediverse, are far more effective than individuals at helping ND folk & those with MH issues not only face and ultimately overcome the challenges presented to them but to make an active contribution in the wider world!

Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖

@actuallyautistic
#TimsASDjourney #ActuallyAutistic #Neurospicy #TheMammutMoves

For al the #neurospicy people out there who have a bit of a hard time (personal understatement) regulating #emotions and expressing things in an appropriate way at work… I present you the Formalizer.

Write the thing down, choose the tone you actually want for the thing, and click.

https://goblin.tools/Formalizer

#communication #accessibility #language #CorporateHellButWithHelp #WorkTools #WhenWritingIsHard #TerribleHashtagGame

✨Anxiety✨ #ArmorChan
#アーマーちゃん #Anxiety #Art #NeuroSpicy #PlumyArt

ALT

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 325 , Tuesday 17/09/2024

Awake just before 5am this morning, read for a little while until Mrs S got up & I had to go make breakfast.

Felt really tired & drained at first but it was a bright sunny day & the sunlight worked its magic so that after I’d had a shower I felt far more motivated.

Did my normal Tuesday chores but also gave the dishwasher its monthly deep clean & also performed the annual maintenance routine on the plinth fan in the kitchen.

Had a much less energetic afternoon reading Hitchhikers & then spending a decent amount of time on here.

Final Thoughts.

After a chat with a couple of ND Peeps on here I was gonna do a whole thing on how much my family were not buying into the whole eldest son being autistic thing. Which they aren’t, but me bitching about it won’t change that so take the bitching session as read & we’ll move on.

I really, really need to chase the Talk Therapy mob up tomorrow, if there was a prize for prevaricating I would totally win it! I cannot even put into words why it’s so difficult … there is the whole ‘I don’t initiate contact’ thing & the whole ‘I don’t like using the phone’ thing, but there is also a third element that is difficult to articulate, an anxiety that I find hard to find the source of.

Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖

@actuallyautistic
#TimsASDjourney #ActuallyAutistic #Neurospicy #TheMammutMoves

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 319 , Wednesday 11/09/2024

I slept - all night, right up to when Mrs S got up!

After breakfast I spent some time on here then finished my chores.

Managed to complete the ADHD forms, & got my Sister to agree to do the informants form.

Played a little NMS this afternoon, managed to pick up a freighter, which in this game is essentially a space bound base. This should make life a lot easier now I have somewhere to store all the stuff I hoard!

Went to the opticians this afternoon, stupidly expensive - I think it might have to be Spec-savers next time!

Tea was salad, pork pie & new potatoes then , Mrs S having done a runner , there was the dishes & the cleaning up to do.

Final Thoughts.

So do other Autists hoard stuff - or is it not an ND thing, just a thing a certain proportion of the population do?

I hoard for England! I mean I could win awards! Pretty much anything that can’t run way fast enuf is kept for posterity!
Games like No Mans Sky are excellent for me because I can virtually hoard stuff & not have anxiety problems over where I’m gonna keep it all. (This is not strictly true because I have mega inventory management issues until I have reached the point where I can build storage facilities!)
I do occasionally have to spend serious time on my main save organising it all. Not such a problem on the expeditions which are mostly too short for me to go too seriously overboard!

Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖

@actuallyautistic
#TimsASDjourney #ActuallyAutistic #Neurospicy #TheMammutMoves

#DareToAsk #ActuallyAutistic #ActuallyADHD #AuDHD #NeuroSpicy 🌶

I was wondering.... I know of myself that I'm a night owl. I love being awake during the night as things are more calm for me then... I sleep during late afternoon and evening and am awake during the night, morning and part of the afternoon...

But am I an exception?

I know I can do this because I have no work obligations. I know that work often requires you to adhere to a steady routine where the work hours are honorated.
But if you don't work, or if you could choose the hours, how would your routine look like?

I only made two options. Sleep during the "normal" night and different.
I've added a "different and comment" one for people who would like to elaborate. Maybe they want to have a different routine, but they can't due to work... So they need to have a "normal" routine but they'd prefer the different one...
I'll add an option where you can just see the results.
But I hope that you'll vote (and maybe also boost? 😊).

@actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd

Ello sweet and lovely Friendos 💜

I always love interacting with new like-minded people. My biggest issue... I'm unsure of how to interact with them at first! 🫣 Which makes it very challenging to "meet" new people online that could become part of my Friendos...

For those new to this account and my silly way of writing: Friendos is a word that I use with love and affection! I wrote a Toot a while ago in which I explained the term, so I'll link that here, as I don't have the spoons to explain again...
https://beige.party/@PixysJourney/113037270040835780

As I wrote in my introductions, yes I made two and I think I pinned both, I'm Actually Autistic, I'm very ADHD, I battle with depression and anxiety, I may have some slight forms of OCD and PTSD, as I struggle with aspects from both... And then there's physical issues that bother me as well...

I would love to chat more, when I have the spoons, with people who, like me, are "weirdos". I'm a bit of a nerd, but not into the details... Not smart enough for that...

I love to chat about health issues, about my dog, about my journey through life, about music, TV things and gaming...

I do struggle at times with the whole "social" aspect of the social media. Either I babble so much that you are exhausted when I'm done... Or I just read and like your toots. I occasionally boost toots. But not that often as I probably should? 🤔

I have several other accounts that I use, and also occasionally boost things from. But this is my main account at the moment.

Put Beige master blessed us with something like 11001 characters to work with! I've never used them all, but I'm known to write longer posts. I enjoy using emojis as I feel they help me express myself. I try not to use them too much, as I don't want to make people that need a teen readers go insane over my toots....

I try to use CW when I feel that things may be triggering. I don't CW my selfies anymore, but I do tag them with the hashtag EyeContact and Selfie. So hopefully these can help folks to filter my selfies from their time lines. (I've tooted about eye contact selfies and this was what was suggested to me by kind people who voted/replied).

I'm mostly active during my countries night time. I'm a night owl with a different routine than most. But this works best for me, so I always mention it to others, so they know. I'm in the Netherlands, so that's UTC+2, according to the interwebs.

I have moved house two months ago. A new town. A new start with everything new, routine wise. It's been a huge challenge, and it still is... So I still Toot about that a lot too.

I have a chocolate brown Labrador gall, Arwen, who turned 11 in July. She's a topic of many toots as well. I occasionally share videos of her here. Sometimes snaps, which I also share on my Pixelfed (and then boost here).

I write for my own blog, which is mostly about me and my journey of life. My site van be found here: https://cynnisblog.wordpress.com/

So yeah... I share loads! And I love to share experiences. I love to learn new things about topics I'm interested in. And I like to "meet" new people who are kinda like me and would love to share timelines with me. 😊

Guess this is a sort of #Introduction Toot that wasn't intended as one, nor was it written like the usual ones. Guess that kinda sums me up a bit. Unusual

I'll end the Toot with my usual emojis and hashtag and then I'll add some more tags to maybe be able to connect with more "weirdos" like me!

🧚🏼‍♀️ 🍀 💜 🐾

#PixysJourney

#WeirdFolks
@weirdfolks

Extra tags (in no particular order) :
#ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #NeuroSpicy 🌶 #Labradorable #Labrador #Walking #Nature #PixysSnaps #Gaming #Photography #TV #Blog #ChronicallyIll #Fibromyalgia #Fitness #Hypermobility #WeightJourney #Routine #NightOwl

#EyeContact in attached #Selfie

ALT

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 297 , Tuesday 20/08/2024

Tuesday arrived , as Tuesdays will.

Mrs S. was in the office today so peace reigned supreme!

Chores done & coffee drunk.

Another day where my brain didn’t want to play, I do hope that the sessions that are lined up with the various mental health folk help.

Actually managed to watch a whole movie this afternoon (The Green Book) not all at once mind, my stupid brain was far too flighty for that , but by 5pm it was good & watched. 5 hours to watch a 2 hour movie is normal right ?

Made a salad for tea, which went down ok .

Final Thoughts.

A quiet day , just the way we like it.

Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖

@actuallyautistic
#TimsASDjourney #ActuallyAutistic #Neurospicy #TheMammutMoves

Someone explain to me why I am fully 38 years old and somehow have a favorite bowl?

#Neurospicy?

#Bisexual?

Just odd?

My psych confirmed I have ADHD (inattentive type)!! Now I know why shit has been so bloody hard all my life!!

#neurodivergent #neurospicy #adhd

ALT

Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 288 , Sunday 11/08/2024

Tried for a lie in this morning but it seems that next door are possibly having guests later & decided to start cleaning early - 06:30 early - on a Sunday!
Hey ho.

I have been totally drained of energy today, & Mrs S’s habit of not putting things back where they belong triggered me something rotten this morning.
One cannot say anything obviously , because then one is being fussy - the fact that certain things are positioned to stop folks knocking them or damaging them is inconsequential.

So I liked a few toots & that was pretty much the extent of my morning activity in the Fediverse.

Had a pretty quiet day today, watched the other 2 movies in the Hobbit trilogy & read a little.

It’s been a lovely day weather wise which has helped to top up my ‘social battery’ .
This enabled me to have a nice evening frolic in the Fediverse. 😊

Final Thoughts.

As I get older my capacity for socialising seems to be getting lower & lower - I wonder if this is common for ND folk ?

Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖

@actuallyautistic
#TimsASDjourney #ActuallyAutistic #Neurospicy #TheMammutMoves