1. My Poor Brain
May is 🧠 Mental Health Awareness month & I’m starting to realize that my mental health has been poor about 93% of my adult life 😂. Now that I know why (undiagnosed Autism), I’ve finally started to see why my mental health has been so sh** ~Why I have been so angry/not been able to mentally cope.
2. The Big Move
(TW ⚠️ : Mention of self-harm)
When I was a junior in high school my family moved overseas to Japan & it was a HUGE adjustment! So much so that my first year in Japan = the first time I had ever attempted self-harm. Looking back it makes perfect sense because my Autistic brain did not yet have the necessary coping skills to process such a life altering move. This is just one out of hundreds of events that I FINALLY have answers to since being diagnosed Autistic.
3. Mentally Prepared
Despite my 30+ year set back ~Today I finally feel more in control over my mental health. Example: I recently realized that I accidentally “backed myself into a corner “ & have to change music distribution services. Before I was diagnosed with Autism, I’m sure I would have had multiple meltdowns within this process. But now that I know I’m Autistic; I can mentally prepare for the unwelcome change. Which means:
1. I have to do ALL OF THE RESEARCH,
2. I have to go SLOW/take lots of breaks,
3. I have to ask A LOT of questions.
My Autism diagnosis has given me the tools I desperately needed to take care of my brain. It’s given me the confidence to make better decisions for my life & my mental health.
Thank you for sharing this. Being mentally prepared is something that I can now see that I struggle with. I couldn’t fathom managing a move like you had to do. I went into a bad depression when I moved out of my childhood home to the next city over.