its a stressful time of semester for uni, assignments :((unfortunately not shifted at work due to a lack of students, I can just feel the uni pressure with the last 4 weeks of semester, I hate this I hate the content I wish the people who designed the curriculum had hearts and realised how overwhelming this would get for usI need a daily recurring thing to keep me happy, but I'm not sure what that could be. something consistent but capable of preventing me from feeling moody, there has to be something I can add to my routine right?

I had a crush on a celebrity and I took some pictures of her face and body and used an ai generator to generate some fake photos of herand I only made them for my own fantasies but I hate myself and feel so shameful and disgusted with myself that I did it.I can't stop thinking about it and the fact that she probably hates me now and would want nothing to do with me now and I'm feeling really shameful and hating myself over it.

looking at what's required for each task in this portfolio assessment, I don't think I'll be able to do those tasks since they seem very complicated to do and accomplish - especially the drawing tasks. I just don't think I'll be able to.It's due in less than 3 weeks time, but with the extension due date that I'm being given, for me I still have more time to do and finish them all.Just gonna see how I'm gonna go with it all over the next few days time and so forth. Maybe I'll email my lecturer about it if I do have major concerns and if I get to point that I'm fully unable to do them before it's due.The only thing that's important for me right now is just to pass this assessment, especially if I can get a minimum of 50% which would mean I'll pass this unit as a whole after passing this assessment.I hope I can do it I guess...

Transitioning from High School out into the big world can be so hard. I'd love to hear everyone's tips and tricks they used to adapt to the change. Things I did were; keeping in contact with my friends and scheduling regular hang out, spending more time with my family and finding a job that I really loved!!💕

Heya, it's Astra-RO here🙂A little bit of self-disclosure -I'm a late-diagnosed AuDHD-er myself and am excited to share this discussion with the community and hear your thoughts!With Autism month having just passed, we wanted to start a discussion about self-care for Autistic people. In this post, we’ll take a look at some general strategies and hear from other Autistic individuals on their experience of self-care.🤔 What is self-care?While we can all benefit from looking after our fundamental needs like sleep, exercise, nutrition, and connection, ultimately self-care can look different for everyone. This is true regardless of a person’s neurotype, meaning self-care can look different between Autistic people as well.Nevertheless, there are some strategies for self-care that can be particularly helpful for Autistic individuals in general, including:Looking after our sensory needsEmbracing structure and routine which bring comfortGetting into special interestsEngaging in self-soothing activities (e.g., stimming, sensory self-care)Having ways of communicating your needs that work for you and othersSometimes it can be helpful to also have safe people and/or places to be able to reduce Autistic masking and its negative impacts. However, this isn’t always possible, and a big reason Autistic people mask is because it can be adaptive and have its benefits.🧠 Why is self-care important?Self-care is important for everyone, not just Autistic people. It can be helpful for mental health and wellbeing, and help prevent Autistic burnout.📝 We asked some Autistic young people and some of our Autistic staff members at ReachOut about their thoughts on self-care. Here’s what they said.1. What does self care mean to you? What do you do for self care?🐸@Matcha_Toad“Self care to me means that I am attending to my needs and giving myself some extra care, comfort and love. I practice self-care in different ways, and some forms of my self care involve stimming, like listening to my favourite music on repeat every day is so regulating and calming for me. Other self care I engage in includes making some art, taking time to play videogames, or even watching documentaries.”🔮Anonymous“Self care is all the little things I do to keep my brain functioning as healthily as possible. For me this often looks like keeping really strict routines in place. Routine brings me comfort and reduces ambiguity which gives me one less thing to worry about. Time is also a big self care tool for me. I allow myself to only spend one hour at the party or only schedule one social activity per day. Making restrictions actually gives me freedom and this is reflected through my self care practices.”🔋Triple_A_Battery“Self-care in the context of my Autism means space and time, and having to out boundaries in place in order to fully do this. It means space; not attending events, even if they are important if I don't have capacity, being alone to process things in my own way, dedicated areas of 'peace' live a cuddle-corner/hobby corner. Time; not responding to messages, phone calls, contacts straight away, some times it takes me a week, time to process big emotions, time to process and understand.When Im struggling with being overwhelmed I noticed overheat, so I will do multiple things to try and cool down first. Ice on wrists, cool face washer, shower, cold drink etc. I also use the 5 senses countdown.A lot of my activity-based self-care revolves around water. Exercise-swimming, day reset - shower, break time - cup of tea, etc etcSensory overload I use noise cancelling headphones, fidgit toys and rocking/rhythm to balance myself”🌲Pseudoname“It can mean a range of things that depend on what kind of care I need most at the time - calm, quiet rest with little to no stimulation, doing hobbies I enjoy (but not overdoing), being creative, exercising, going for a walk/being outside, doing something productive for myself, spending quality time with friends and family, eating well, being mindful/meditating, or doing something nice for others.”👾@Astra-RO“Self care for me feels kind of complicated and overwhelming at times. I think it's supposed to mean doing things, both regularly and as needed, to look after your wellbeing. Some types of self care seem easier at certain times and almost impossible at others. I think for me, self care looks like communicating and honouring my needs, looking after myself physically, and connecting with others.”2. Do you think self care looks different for Autistic vs non-Autistic folk?🐸@Matcha_Toad“I think self care in general is different for everyone, but in my own lived experience, my self care as an autistic person looks a little different in comparison to non-autistic folk.”🔮Anonymous“Sometimes the things you find in a non-autistic sensory box can actually be really overwhelming. Some things smell too strong or the texture is too sticky. It can be stressful when the things that are meant to calm you down actually wire you up.”🔋Triple_A_Battery“I think its different for everyone, I overheat when overwhelmed some people might feel really cold so all their techniques would be the opposite to mine. I would say though that some things I do for sensory overload might differ if they don't experience this.”🌲Pseudoname“I can’t speak for everyone but I don’t think my self care looks very different to non-Autistic people.”👾@Astra-RO“Self care can be different for everyone. But it's possible that in general Autistic people may find some parts of self care easier or harder than non-Autistic people. And that sensory and communication differences might mean a different approach to self care compared to Allistic people is necessary.”3. Are there some aspects of self care you find easier than others? How do you navigate these?🐸@Matcha_Toad“Some self-care things are easier than others, some of them require steps, or some planning/thought or energy, which can be challenging being Autistic and having ADHD too. For me, when I'm having a little to no spoons day but need to engage in self care, I'll pick something that doesn't ask too much of me, like listening to music.”🔮Anonymous“I find scheduled self-care easier than spontaneous self care. If it is planned and anticipated I feel better about doing it and often find it more effective. Unfortunately though, life doesn't always work like that.”🔋Triple_A_Battery“I really struggle with hygiene and routine because I also have ADHD. My sensory issues with Autism make things like using soap on skin or brushing my teeth really difficult. And my ADHD means I can't form habits so sticking to a routine I have not yet found possible”🌲Pseudoname“I find aspects to do with physical health easier than ones to do with mental health. I tend to get stuck with destructive behaviours and negative thought patterns and have to force myself to take a break from everything and be still. Taking a shower, going for a walk, working out, or just forcing myself to be present without any music or background noise is how I begin to reset my brain.”👾@Astra-RO“Yeah, sometimes I'll really struggle with looking after my physical wellbeing. Sometimes engaging in my hobbies is easier because I'm super interested in whatever my current hobby is. When I don't have a current interest, it can be pretty hard to find stuff that's entertaining. I also find it difficult setting boundaries and communicating my needs with people”4. Do you have any advice or strategies for self care you'd like to share with our Autistic community members?🐸@Matcha_Toad“For me it's really helpful to find a variety of self care activities with varying spoon levels required, having them written down or even as pictures, which are then organised, so you can figure out what self care activity you want to engage in. Also it's important to remember not to force yourself to do a self activity that doesn't feel quite right for you, what works for one person might not work for you, and that is so okay.”🔮Anonymous“Just because your self care strategies might seem odd or unnecessary to someone else doesn't mean they aren't self care. It starts with the word "self" for a reason”🔋Triple_A_Battery“The time of day doesnt matter. I shower at midday to reset from the morning and have a different vibe for the afternoon (only possible because I work from home though). But other things like chores and self-care, its okay to brush your teeth at any point during the day, to chuck washing on at 11pm at night. Something is better then nothing, and anything worth doing is worth doing poorly.Something that does matter is your commitment to you. To being more of your authentic self in a world that doesn't yet fully appreciate what that means. Quote all the things, tap and dance around, sing loudly, turn things off, skip a party if you need to. Its okay to just be you and to still be learning what that means”🌲Pseudoname“Hopefully it’s helpful to give the reminder that ‘doing nothing’ is not actually doing nothing. It gives your mind a chance to rest and reboot.”👾@Astra-RO“I feel like there's a bunch of things that helped me regulate that I learnt not to do, like stimming or infodumping. But when I feel able to do those things, I feel better in myself. So I'd say having less shame around things I do to self-regulate has helped a lot. Also, trying not to do things perfectly. Try finding shortcuts and self care hacks that make chores and life admin slightly easier.Some of my favourite stims include listening to music (especially the same song over and over again, until I don't want to listen to it anymore), spinning (e.g., on my office chair), singing or making random noises, and pacing“5. Is there anything else you'd like to say to the community about this topic?🐸@Matcha_Toad“Self-care is so important for everyone, especially us Autistic folk! Daily life and all the tasks can be really overwhelming, so it's important that we dedicate time to showing ourselves some extra care and self love”🔋Triple_A_Battery“Don't be afraid to try other peoples strategies, even if you aren't diagnosed. If something in your life is impacting you, you are deserving of support and care to work through that. Its okay to be accessing resources and trying things outside of a formal diagnosis.”🌲Pseudoname“You’re doing great :)”🪞 Over to you! How would you answer these questions?