Storing things as close as possible to where they are used, and in a way that is very easy to put away even if that makes it more difficult to get out.
Strategic duplicates when something is used in multiple places (e.g. pens and pencils both in the home office for work use and the livingroom for tabletop RPGs).
Only having one option when I don’t need the strategic duplicates, so there’s no decision-making required (e.g. one handbag, one belt, one backpack).
I chose to remove the old unless keys out of one of my draws as my first item. (I know I could have counted each key as single items but I thought it woud be better just getting rid of them all in one go).
Nice one! The day count thing is only a minimum, I’ve stalled before trying to save stuff up for later in the challenge, all in one go is a much better approach.
I dropped off a bag of pyjama trousers/shorts at a clothing donation bin this morning, that can be my “one”.
Yesterday I went shopping in a very crowded supermarket. It was exhausting. I almost had a meltdown in public. do you have any advice on how to calm down / avoid overstimulation during such situations?
The goal for this list is a collection of resources and challenges that can be used/done for free, without having to sign up for anything like a mailing list (though you can always use 10 minute mail for the downloads that require an email address). That said, the sites linked will have paid options and/or mailing lists that...
I am looking for a game system for a modern urban fantasy campaign that I have built. The world is as if a standard fantasy world exists in 2023 on Earth. I am having difficulty finding a system I think would do this style of campaign justice, and could really use some help....
“Modern Urban Fantasy” is synonymous with Unknown Armies 2nd Ed to me. Though it is very gritty in tone and revolves around the idea that magic makes you crazy, but the core mechanics are very flexible and it’s a d100 system, you could probably just change the narrative fluff and have a perfectly workable, if lethal, game.
Eh, we’ve tried it, but the skills being tied together and to the sanity meters ruined character builds, so it just wasn’t fun. We’ve kept the idea of making connected characters (just an ally and a rival) because it makes for excellent plot hooks, but otherwise went back to 2nd Ed.
There’s also no shortage of people who have been on waiting lists for years for a diagnosis.
Mine took almost 4 years between referral and assessment. Two of my friends have been waiting two and four years respectively when both were told the list was “about 18 months long”, with medical professionals asking the latter if they’re sure they want to keep waiting, trying to get them to come off the list. And this is an area that has shorter wait times than average for the country.
When you’re dealing with that kind of scarcity of diagnosis it’s not reasonable to dismiss anyone who has self-identified out of hand. Of course there are and have always been pretenders and misguided teens who want to feel special, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out that a lot of those are some kind of neurodivergent and that desire to feel special is born of trying to find a “right fit” in a world that feels wrong.
I think getting rid of the Aspergers label was a big mistake on that part. Yeah he was a nazi eugenicist, blah blah blah, but having a label that both differentiates “people who seem like weird fuckups but are otherwise kind of normal?” from “people who have significant disabilities preventing a normal life” and is widely known was a useful shorthand to have.
Plus “aspie” is a much cuter term than “autist” that hasn’t to my knowledge been used as a slur.
That is a concern, but it’s still true that you operating at your best will look very different to someone whose autism comes with intellectual delays/impairments and mobility impairments. And the diagnosis is still graded in “levels”, all that has changed is now you have to explain “level one is what they used to call aspergers”.
If you’re fine as you are, then there may well be no point. Just make sure you actually are fine, rather than getting by at the expense of your own happiness/sense of belonging/burning out.
For me, diagnosis was almost an act of desperation after 15+ years of depression and anxiety that no amount of medication or therapy seemed to help. I didn’t go through a self-identification journey or anything, it was suggested off-hand by a therapist who offered to write a referral. I forgot about it for several years, finally followed-up and got assessed and diagnosed in 2021. And to start with, knowing did nothing, but now that I’ve started exploring adjustments for autism it has made one hell of a difference. Which also means that if you do have struggles you may not need a formal diagnosis to work out how to alleviate them, though if it would qualify you for official support services or workplace accommodations it may be worth considering.
I had my assessment aged 29. It was a multi-hour conversation with two assessors via videocall (would have been face-to-face, but pandemic). I had my mum with me to attest to my behaviour as a child, though she left the room for about half of the time. Part of it was casual conversation, part was more interview-style with questions for both me and my mum, then there were story-telling exercises based on different kinds of prompts. I was a lot more honest during the conversational parts than I usually am in social situations, precisely because they were there to assess my actual mental state, not the socially-polite front I put up.
The woman who runs my local autistic adults support service was diagnosed age 50. I’ve no idea of her age now, but she has remarked how freeing it was when she stopped masking that day. I think her “I’m old enough to no longer give a shit” energy kicked in early.
That’s how I got into ttrpgs: started dating a massive nerd and fell in love with both him and the gaming. Married him and everything, now we host two games a fortnight.
Agreed, it’s the only way we get to “hang out” with the parents in our friend circle, regular in-person games require too much commitment when you have a toddler and an infant.
I have meetings all day today starting right off the bat at 9am. The anticipatory stress of that made it difficult to wake up this morning and have me a bit of a migraine so I took my time this morning and made sure to eat a hearty but comforting breakfast and took my supplements and drank a half liter of water. I took a shower...
I worked from the office this morning, as I’ve recently found that working mornings from the office makes me less lethargic and anhedonic despite how much I’d love to just stay in bed until the last second and stumble across to my WFH setup. After getting a splitting headache yesterday evening I swallowed my fear of looking weird and wore my sunglasses the whole time at my desk. Earplugs too, but they’re much less noticeable. I think it worked, but I should have kept them on for the afternoon too as it’s feeling pretty bright here at home. The only person to say anything was my boss over videocall but we have a good relationship so I could explain why I was wearing them and just got a “fair enough, can’t argue with that!” in response.
Also made sure that my newly-assigned desk will still be there when the office switches from the current desk-booking system to a true hot-desking-hell-free-for-all and that it will be marked as such so no one accidentally sits there like someone did yesterday (wasn’t his fault at all, and he was perfectly lovely about moving, but still wasn’t a fun social encounter).
Or presumably there’s more than one virgin woman in this world. Dude might have wanted the lord’s daughter but some other random girl will do and now the party has no idea who the next target will be.
I know what you mean, I had the same contradictory feelings (diagnosed two years ago aged 29) but the assessment label doesn’t actually change anything about you, or much about life. If you have autism you’ve always had it. If you don’t, you can still use strategies that help with autistic sensitivities/limitations, a lot of the techniques for mental limitations will help pretty much anyone.
I can only speak to my own experience, but identifying the specific environmental issues has been far more important than knowing that my problem is autism. Two years of “yes I’m autistic but I get on fine, I don’t need special adjustments” with medication and therapy for anxiety did nothing. Six weeks of wearing sunglasses indoors and outdoors, earplugs most of the time, letting my husband know exactly how many terrible puns I think of instead of quietly assuming they’re too lame to share, and accepting that we need to hire a cleaner because I’m never going to manage the house and it’s like the depressive shroud of my entire adult life has lifted.
I hope you get the answers you need from the assessment, and I encourage you to explore what you can change about your environment regardless of what those answers are. You will get through, and things will get better 💜
What is a way you arrange your home that makes it simple?
Was just wondering how people here make their home, simple....
The 30-Day Minimalism Game - Day 1
I chose to remove the old unless keys out of one of my draws as my first item. (I know I could have counted each key as single items but I thought it woud be better just getting rid of them all in one go).
How to deal with overstimulation in a crowded space?
Yesterday I went shopping in a very crowded supermarket. It was exhausting. I almost had a meltdown in public. do you have any advice on how to calm down / avoid overstimulation during such situations?
[Self-promo] Declutter community on lemmy.world
Because I miss the subreddit....
Decluttering Resources & Challenges
The goal for this list is a collection of resources and challenges that can be used/done for free, without having to sign up for anything like a mailing list (though you can always use 10 minute mail for the downloads that require an email address). That said, the sites linked will have paid options and/or mailing lists that...
Modern Urban Fantasy
I am looking for a game system for a modern urban fantasy campaign that I have built. The world is as if a standard fantasy world exists in 2023 on Earth. I am having difficulty finding a system I think would do this style of campaign justice, and could really use some help....
Telling other people Im autistic be like (lemmy.world)
Should I get tested?
I’m sorry if this is insensitive or if this has been asked already, but I would like some feedback from the ASD community about this....
Priorities (i.imgur.com)
What accommodations have you provided yourself today?
I have meetings all day today starting right off the bat at 9am. The anticipatory stress of that made it difficult to wake up this morning and have me a bit of a migraine so I took my time this morning and made sure to eat a hearty but comforting breakfast and took my supplements and drank a half liter of water. I took a shower...
Fairphone 4—the repairable, sustainable smartphone—is coming to the US (arstechnica.com)
Dude, nice. murena.com/america/shop/…/murena-fairphone-4/
The Virgin Wife (aussie.zone)
Transcription:...
I have my assessment tomorrow. So freaking nervous
I don’t know if I’m more scared of having autism or not having if.
Does anyone find shampoo bars leave a waxy feeling in their hair?
Some seem better than others but a new shampoo & conditioner bar I bought seems much worse.