All the stuff you said about work is exactly my thought process too, except I did have to work for 35 years which did lead to burnout! I was lucky I was able to quit working (due to a small inheritance and some luck with an online business I started) but I'm still living in poverty, the thought of going back to work again gives me anxiety and depression just thinking about it because it's been 4 years and I just can't go back to that.
It's one of the big issues I'm having to face /process about myself after my autism diagnosis. I'm still in a position right now where I don't have to work, but it feels different when I thought I was choosing NOT to work. Knowing how much I'd really struggle and why changes the conversation. I hope you can find a job that accomodates and supports you!
I get it. I work full time hours and it’s a constant battle for me, balancing the level of performance I can maintain at work with the repercussions of burnout on my own mental health. I manage it, but it’s just so much all at once all the time. I literally just put in a vacation day so I could have a three day weekend to recover enough to keep the whole thing going. And today I’ve done practically nothing besides fix me some food and feed my cat. Just sat here watching RUclips videos and leaving info-dumping comments because that’s all I have the mental capacity to deal with right now.
I'm really becoming aware of how much I hid behind "I don't really want to work and don't really have to as a Stay at Home Mom/ Homeschool Mom." When really it was I have a disability (I didn't KNOW, so there is some self forgiveness there) but I could work with accommodations. Unfortunately, so much is misunderstood around Autism, fighting for accommodations are probably difficult in most workplaces.
Functioning is more complicated than people make it out to be. It’s partially true that you have to push yourself to achieve fulfilling goals, but it’s also really important not to strain. I’ve found that if I avoid taking care of myself and doing chores and such, I’m just really unhappy all the time. If instead I try, I’m miserable during and shortly after, but feel almost comfortable aside from that. I’d fallen into a depression trap of recognizing that effort is just extra stress for basically no happiness, but I remember a time a lot of things had just felt easier. The stress of effort isn’t just a constant. It’s more like atrophy. It’s gonna take rehabilitation for months, or maybe years, to start feeling good again, and one of the hardest parts is ignoring the bystanders casting regular judgment, sometimes including educated “experts” just invalidating our struggle because they only read about it.
Great video and lots of interesting perspectives but I disagree with some of it. Levels can help autistic people in a society not set up for them, because unfortunately labels dictate support. I am autistic with no support needs and I masked my entire life, everything you said about your experiences resonated. I have autistic children with high support needs. For children who will need support until they die is not the same as someone who masks. That is the reality. For the parents of children with high support needs that label is the difference between their child having support if they die and they are left alone in this world and not. Low functioning is an offensive term and autistic people also shouldn't use it. Support needs is less offensive. The reality is that autism is too broad a term and is lazy. Autism for someone who has an almost neurotypical life will never relate to someone who is non speaking just as neither will relate to someone with high support needs who smears faeces and is a danger to themselves or others. The autistic community should also teach itself and across the spectrum as well as the rest society. Much of the autistic community can only speak for those with similar experiences. Thank you for making this video and you are making a difference in this world
Functioning labels definitely a no go. They cause harm every which way. Support levels is current medical terminology and I agree we need something to help communicate the differences in the community while still being accepting and inclusive. I think one issue is a lot of people think Low Support Needs equals No Support Needs and that just isn't true. I'm high masking and made it 42 years without being identified as Autistic, but part of that was because of hidden support. I've never had to hold down a job. If I had had to work to survive I know my Autism would have been identified sooner. (and hopefully as Autism and not some misdiagnosis which was more common for women, even 10 years ago!) Honestly I don't know how I made it through college. Just barely. But people think because I'm high masking that I don't need supports.
All the stuff you said about work is exactly my thought process too, except I did have to work for 35 years which did lead to burnout! I was lucky I was able to quit working (due to a small inheritance and some luck with an online business I started) but I'm still living in poverty, the thought of going back to work again gives me anxiety and depression just thinking about it because it's been 4 years and I just can't go back to that.
It's one of the big issues I'm having to face /process about myself after my autism diagnosis. I'm still in a position right now where I don't have to work, but it feels different when I thought I was choosing NOT to work. Knowing how much I'd really struggle and why changes the conversation. I hope you can find a job that accomodates and supports you!
I get it. I work full time hours and it’s a constant battle for me, balancing the level of performance I can maintain at work with the repercussions of burnout on my own mental health. I manage it, but it’s just so much all at once all the time. I literally just put in a vacation day so I could have a three day weekend to recover enough to keep the whole thing going. And today I’ve done practically nothing besides fix me some food and feed my cat. Just sat here watching RUclips videos and leaving info-dumping comments because that’s all I have the mental capacity to deal with right now.
I'm really becoming aware of how much I hid behind "I don't really want to work and don't really have to as a Stay at Home Mom/ Homeschool Mom." When really it was I have a disability (I didn't KNOW, so there is some self forgiveness there) but I could work with accommodations. Unfortunately, so much is misunderstood around Autism, fighting for accommodations are probably difficult in most workplaces.
@@i.am.mindblind yep, I hear you.
Functioning is more complicated than people make it out to be. It’s partially true that you have to push yourself to achieve fulfilling goals, but it’s also really important not to strain.
I’ve found that if I avoid taking care of myself and doing chores and such, I’m just really unhappy all the time. If instead I try, I’m miserable during and shortly after, but feel almost comfortable aside from that.
I’d fallen into a depression trap of recognizing that effort is just extra stress for basically no happiness, but I remember a time a lot of things had just felt easier. The stress of effort isn’t just a constant. It’s more like atrophy. It’s gonna take rehabilitation for months, or maybe years, to start feeling good again, and one of the hardest parts is ignoring the bystanders casting regular judgment, sometimes including educated “experts” just invalidating our struggle because they only read about it.
Great video and lots of interesting perspectives but I disagree with some of it.
Levels can help autistic people in a society not set up for them, because unfortunately labels dictate support. I am autistic with no support needs and I masked my entire life, everything you said about your experiences resonated. I have autistic children with high support needs. For children who will need support until they die is not the same as someone who masks. That is the reality. For the parents of children with high support needs that label is the difference between their child having support if they die and they are left alone in this world and not.
Low functioning is an offensive term and autistic people also shouldn't use it. Support needs is less offensive.
The reality is that autism is too broad a term and is lazy. Autism for someone who has an almost neurotypical life will never relate to someone who is non speaking just as neither will relate to someone with high support needs who smears faeces and is a danger to themselves or others. The autistic community should also teach itself and across the spectrum as well as the rest society. Much of the autistic community can only speak for those with similar experiences.
Thank you for making this video and you are making a difference in this world
Functioning labels definitely a no go. They cause harm every which way. Support levels is current medical terminology and I agree we need something to help communicate the differences in the community while still being accepting and inclusive. I think one issue is a lot of people think Low Support Needs equals No Support Needs and that just isn't true. I'm high masking and made it 42 years without being identified as Autistic, but part of that was because of hidden support. I've never had to hold down a job. If I had had to work to survive I know my Autism would have been identified sooner. (and hopefully as Autism and not some misdiagnosis which was more common for women, even 10 years ago!) Honestly I don't know how I made it through college. Just barely. But people think because I'm high masking that I don't need supports.
I don't understand how you're Autistic without support needs when the diagnosis criteria requires minimum support to be diagnosed in the first place.
What was your college degree?
The official name was Bachelor of Environmental Design at Texas A&M University. It is an architecture degree.