Making Accommodations for Myself as an Autistic Adult
As an autistic adult, I do what I can to work with my brain.
Before I knew I’m autistic, I would get upset and judge myself for not being able to enjoy or even tolerate the same activities as other people (for example, I hate the feeling of a shower on my skin).
Now that I understand myself better, I accept more of my differences and try to accommodate them (for example, I usually take a bath instead of a shower).
Some of my adjustments have also been a matter of privilege.
I was able to restructure my work schedule because I run my own art therapy private practice. I see a limited number of therapy clients a day to respect and honor my energetic capacity.
I absolutely hate grocery stores and making meal plans, so I sometimes order Blue Apron, a delivery service that sends recipes and the necessary foods to make them.
I pay a personal assistant for three hours a week to help me with tasks that I find exhausting (such as running errands, finding and wrapping gifts, etc.).
These are things that help me to experience my life with more ease and avoid overstimulation and the accompanying exhaustion.
If I had unlimited financial means, I can dream up many more ways I could make my…
