Recently I have been delving into the vast pool of knowledge surrounding Autism and what this means to different individuals. As someone who is suspected Autistic (I am STILL on the ever growing waiting list for assessment) I came across a lot of anecdotal accounts of special interests and what they means to autistic people. I first came across this on YouTube whilst watching 'I'm Autistic....now what?' (side note: Meg is honestly one of my favourite YouTubers, she beautifully blends factual research and her own experiences, so makes her content easy to follow and makes your brain feel like it's had a nutritious and satisfying meal by the end of her videos). 

I can honestly say my obsessive tendency to research hard on certain topics, whatever that may be honestly bring me inner peace and a feeling of being in control of my brain. I am ADHD (inattentive flavour) and my brain is constantly switched on and I find that the only way I can take a rest is in those moments of hyper fixation on whatever it is I am researching. Recently it has been Autism because I have been completely my very lengthy self-assessment form and I must say reading Pete Wharmby's book on special interests and listening to my clients has brought me so much joy and autistic happiness. Watching the glow of positivity and passion in someone whilst they talk about what makes them happy is a true privilege and a gift I will treasure forever. 

​So for those who are / or suspect you are autistic, what brings you joy?  

I have recently been doing some work around self-esteem and the biggest things that crop up is that we are all too often our own worst enemy. Out inner-monologue can be cruel and tell us so many negative things about us that are simply just not true.
In therapy, I like to get a little bit creative and one of the activities I like to do is create a positivity jar. These are words of love, admiration and good ways to describe yourself all contained in a jar for the times you may feel a bit pants in the future. These can be words you would use to describe yourself or words that other people have used. You can even put things in that make you happy like a little picture of your favourite thing. 

It's amazing what a little self-kindness does for your soul, have a go and see how you feel. 

All to often during my work with ADHD folks I hear the same things repeated, 'I have to keep educating people about my ADHD' and 'my symptoms are so misunderstood, I'm not needy at work, I just need the right support'. 

This is something I am also facing in my day job, it's hard enough coming to terms with your new neurospicy status but then to live life and do work on top of that creates more of an energy zapping drain on your social batteries that by the time you've done your in a heap at home quiet in a corner doom scrolling social media to get a break. 

So, what do we do about it? How can we get our managers to understand us and put those all important reasonable adjustments in place? Well, as it happens, if you are in the Sheffield area (there will be a version for your local area, if not) there is a service called "SOHAS", Sheffield Occupational Health Advisory Service. It's a great group of professionals who can help you by understanding what can be asked for, how to communicate your condition and they may offer to advocate for you on your behalf if this is something you struggle with. I have used this service in the past and the advisors are knowledgeable, empathic, caring and very much on your side. I will share a link below for your perusal. 

If have have been diagnosed you could use the Access to Work system which works along the same way as SOHAS but more focused towards ADHD and can offer your workplace support in funding equipment needed for you to do your role successfully. I will link that below. 

If you are looking to process your ADHD diagnosis and try to understand it further so it is easier to communicate it to your managers and colleagues, talking to a specialist therapist or ADHD coach may also be useful. There is far more support out there than even I realised and I wanted to share this with you. 

Never stop being you, your unique brain makes you beautiful! 

https://www.sohas.co.uk/
​https://adhduk.co.uk/access-to-work/

All to often anxiety can creep into your day and make your life unbearable and the feeling of impending doom can bring you to have both physical and emotional symptoms. 

Clammy hands, shaking, sweating, heavy breathing, hypervigilance and the need to choose between fight, flight, freeze or fawn becomes increasingly intense. Thoughts of 'what if...' stick in your mind and all you can think about is how to get out of this feeling you are in right now. 

Anxiety, simply put is a protective mechanism your body uses to alert you to a potential threat. While anxiety is not harmful to you, it can be distressing and panic provoking when you don't know what is happening to you or how to stop it.  So, what can a person-centred therapist do to help with anxiety? 

A person-centred counsellor can listen and help you to notice your triggers, reflect back on the first time you ever experienced anxiety and work with you to figure out why it's intense for you. Whether it be the overwhelming feeling being in the supermarket, being bullied at work/school/college, or that tight deadline that your boss has been pecking at your head about. It's perfectly normal to feel anxiety and even have a panic attack. 

By learning about how anxiety crops up for you and what triggers it you will then start to notice different strategies you can put in place to deal with them. You may find that mindfulness/ meditating works for you or taking a walk away from the office to regulate yourself or even listen to some really feel good music in your break could help to ease the anxious feelings and make them more manageable to cope with.  

By talking it through with your counsellor it provides a safe space that is your little pocket to be present in those feelings and even vent about what makes you anxious. Your person-centred therapist is there to help you navigate your anxiety and walk along side you while you develop a coping plan to breath easy and be your fabulous self!!