For everyone this is a very surreal time indeed, the shops are nothing like they used to be, we are isolated from family and friends, routines for most have been replaced with social distancing measures and the whole world in general is like some disaster movie.
For a lot of Neurodiverse people it is much harder, and I am speaking for myself and a few others I keep in touch with. Even before the pandemic and subsequent lockdown the world was a very weird place for us, I’m talking from and ADHD, Autism and Tourette’s point of view but there are many other disorders that make people who live with them feel the same.
We rely heavily on our routines and rituals, strict specific socialisation, we struggle with the slightest change even when its eased upon us gently.
So, this whole madness is very hard to take in and I have managed to find routines to replace some lost, but I have been struggling with a lot of things and tried to keep them under my hat. I realised this was raising my anxiety and stress, my hyperactivity doesn’t help, and the possibility of a meltdown or explosive rage was imminent.
What I did was take my own advice and started to be honest with the people I’m trapped with.
For example, I told them I am struggling eating meals in the same room as them as it was raising my anxiety, they understood I eat alone anxiety lowered.
This is just 1 example of many of the triggers I face daily but being honest helps. This has also allowed me to realise the impact I am having on my wife/carer and now try to give her space when I’m very hyper and my tics high for a long period.
One of my Autistic friends just cannot get his head around the pandemic, social distancing and the length of time this lockdown will last, and he keeps trying to escape his home to wander and look for people to talk to.
The message I would like to convey is this, Talk to the people around you Be Honest about how you feel and what is triggering you. Make contact with others like yourself if you can, try using the internet or phone, sometimes people with the same conditions just understand in a different way.
You will be surprised how understanding your family and friends can be when you open up, its better than bottling up the anxiety, stress and rage.
Be safe and look forward to the day we look back on this crazy time.
You can always post a thought or question on the face book page https://www.facebook.com/neurologicallychallenged/
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