Rebalancing: Living whilst Working

This week, I took a self-care day off. Working 5 days is the norm, but it doesn't mean it's healthy. Right now, work tires me out more than when I worked 12 hour shifts 3 times a week. Technically, I get more time to sleep and recover, but mentally it's a challenge to stay focused …

If Speech is Dangerous, Not Speaking Is Too

This post is mainly inspired by Mel from "Cussin' and Discussing", who is one of my favourite bloggers. Their well-written piece about the pain of emergency speech when your body isn't built for it is incredible. I can't claim to feel the exact same way about talking as Mel does, but their words are excellent …

Kindness is now a Luxury Good

Why are there not more simple acts of kindness by ordinary working people? Why should Corbyn-like idealists live puritan lives in an effort for the greater good, whilst the greater mass of the population think nothing of commuting to work in a car every day, and flying multiple times a year, buying bottled water, wrapping …

Take Risks, Relax, and Grow Because You’re No One Special Yet

It's easy to feel like obscurity makes effort meaningless. But do we have to see it that way, and isn't there maybe a  more positive way to look at this, which is more motivational and productive? Instead of being a failing, it's pre-success. There's nothing to lose by being nobody and trying your best, or …

Cooling Off Instead – Healing My SJW Tendencies For the Better

  The internet has had a reputation as a cesspit for years. People are braver and more aggressive online to the point where “the comment section” is a by-word for a snake pit of vicious, circular and vindictive arguments. It shouldn't be a surprise that it’s only after this new online frontier that the phrase …

No break from self-care, and (almost) no post this week

I wanted to post this week about how self care is an ongoing challenge, that you can only take day by day, and you can't take for granted. I set my goal to post weekly because it's important to me, but the most important thing is my wellbeing. Even if this blog got big, I …

“High” vs “Low” Functioning is Outdated; Here’s My Replacement.

Autism labels are controversial. The "high functioning" label leads to ignoring people's difficulties, and the "low functioning" label has been used to devalue people's abilities. Many people grew up unaware of autism, aware that they were "weird" and "different", and are only just now discovering that they are autistic. The diagnosis comes with grief, and …

Is Anyone Else in This Autism Closet With Me? And How Do We Get Out?

Autism makes me vulnerable and I don't always want to share it. I got diagnosed because I wanted to confirm my truth, but also because I felt it was vital for "invisible" autism to become more visible in society. How could I convince others that diagnosis and acceptance were important if I had not even …

Does Belief have Limits? (feat. a poem)

This week I wanted to write about the fine line between finding yourself, and escaping from yourself. It's hard to put into words, so I hope this poem makes sense. Pains ( A Glittering Gown) Are you depressed or are you deep? Inspired or insane? Going through a bad time or growing through a bad …

When Self-Care Feels Futile, Remember This

Trusting myself enough to build habits and build a life and care for myself isn’t easy or simple. It takes resolve and power that you might feel you never had. You might feel you never earned the right to decide that you matter and deserve to exist. That's an impossible argument; there’s no objective way …