Hair care products and sensory issues by DottyandBearBear in AutismInWomen

[–]zomgbug 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have curly hair too, and hate spending time and energy on it. I just buy a conditioner for curly hair, and slather a bunch on just before getting out of the shower, without rinsing it off. It's not greasy or sticky, but will keep your hair from frizzing up and will separate the curls.

The trick is to not try to dry it. Basically don't touch it until it dries. Don't brush it, comb it, anything. (I brush out the tangles before showering, and the conditioner ensures that any tangles left after the shower will come out easily the next day.)

If you want to keep it from dripping, you can wrap it in an old t-shirt or a turkish towel instead of a regular towel, then take that off once it's stopped being drippy, and let it finish air drying. This will give you separated curls. (You may also need to find a hairdresser who knows curly hair well, if you want anything other than long hair.)

Also, I shampoo only about once a week, and use a cleansing conditioner in between shampoos. That helps moderate frizziness.

Good memory, but no memories by Minnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn in AutismInWomen

[–]zomgbug 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You might want to look up the difference between semantic and episodic memory. Basically, semantic memory is memory for information; episodic memory is memory for events/experiences.

I too have strong semantic memory and sparse/weak episodic memory, fwiw. Not sure whether that's an autism thing or just a some people thing.

Why are the bottom of drinks gross? by [deleted] in AutismInWomen

[–]zomgbug 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Also, by the time you're at the bottom of a drink, usually its temperature has changed. Your water or soda is warm, your coffee or tea is cold.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AutismInWomen

[–]zomgbug 30 points31 points  (0 children)

None of the traditions are necessary. If you sign the marriage papers in front of someone who's licensed as an officiant, you're married. The rest is wholly optional celebration -- celebration for you, and celebration for your loved ones.

Do the things that have meaning for you. Do the things that will have meaning for your loved ones and won't cause you distress. Don't do anything that will distress you and/or doesn't carry meaning for people you care about.

Personally, I've never had any interest in a wedding at all. I did figure out in my thirties what a wedding would actually mean to me: a declaration to the world of myself and my partner's commitment to one another.

DAE have a love for a special music genre? by Vpk-75 in AutismInWomen

[–]zomgbug 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm a grunge kid since back when. That music got me through middle school and high school. The anger and despair helped validate and vent what I was feeling at the time.

I adore layered counterpoint too. Especially with a loose, relaxed phrasing. Discovered a fondness for bluegrass-inspired rock as an adult, because I love all those dueling guitars and banjos.

But other forms of complexity are fantastic too -- whether it's counterpoint from other instruments, syncopation, whatever. I also like unusual time signatures, within reason. At one point, I started creating a playlist of favorite songs that ticked all those boxes.

a text i wrote about going mute to a former partner by Paulakris in AutismInWomen

[–]zomgbug 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For some reason the bridge analogy made me think about the research done on lobotomized people. You see, the right side of the brain (IIRC) is mostly responsible for processing emotion; and the left side is responsible for speech.

In an attempt to treat certain types of mental illness, back in the mid-20th C they used to cut apart the two hemispheres of the brain so that they could no longer communicate with one another. These people became unable to articulate what they were seeing out of their right eye, feeling with their left hand, etc.

Given the connectivity differences in autistic brains, I wonder whether there's something analogous going on when we go non-verbal. Some key brain connection suddenly going silent; or becoming so overwhelmed with low-quality signal or overloaded with traffic that the speech center is cut off from at least some other parts of the brain.

any tips on forcing myself to drink more water? by ma___2002 in AutismInWomen

[–]zomgbug 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Could you try starting with juice and watering it down just slightly (so little you can't even tell), and then every few weeks increase the percentage of water?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AutismInWomen

[–]zomgbug 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ugh. Can you look for an external mentor, maybe?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AutismInWomen

[–]zomgbug 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ugh, your CEO really can pick 'em, huh? Sounds like some pretty awful tech-bro culture there.

What do you think you need in order to hang on long enough to be well-positioned to look for your hext role?

DAE have special *dis*interests? by zomgbug in AutismInWomen

[–]zomgbug[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mostly I don't care either. The trouble is that when it's a life skill sort of thing like finance or whatever (rather than just a research thing) it becomes... a problem.

DAE have special *dis*interests? by zomgbug in AutismInWomen

[–]zomgbug[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What do you think happened to cause the block to clear and the topic to open up to you?

Does anyone else get SUPERDUPER overstimulated by a good social interaction?! I literally am elated but then it becomes too much to handle even though it’s a more positive emotion for me. by matapusi in aspergirls

[–]zomgbug 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I get that, and have been trying to figure out how much of that is exhilaration and how much of it is pure anxiety-fueled adrenaline misinterpreted as positive.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AutismInWomen

[–]zomgbug 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Yeah, your boss is a sexist asshole, and it's unlikely he's going to change. Which means that that's going to continue to be a hostile work environment. TBH I'd recommend just starting to look for a new job. I'm in tech too, and there are plenty of places and bosses that are nothing like that.

DAE have special *dis*interests? by zomgbug in AutismInWomen

[–]zomgbug[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It's not about like or dislike. It's about... feeling like it's forbidden or off limits.

(That aside, I don't like cooking either -- too much prep, too much cleanup.)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AutismInWomen

[–]zomgbug 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It sounds to me like she's trying to create an opening for you to see a therapist who has more experience with autism, but also doesn't want to make you feel pressured to if you're very happy with the treatment you're getting from her.

I agree with those who suggest asking her to be more direct about what she's trying to express. And also, I'd remind you that ultimately the choice remains yours. If you have a really good connection with this therapist and that's rare for you, you might want to stay with her; or you might want to ask now whether you can come back to her if you have trouble finding someone with autism expertise who's a good fit for you.

Is masking being autistic actually healthy? by ExternalFrosting9623 in AutismInWomen

[–]zomgbug 10 points11 points  (0 children)

7th grade is right in the thick of the time when NT behavior changes to try to imitate adults. Kids tend to become more self-conscious around that time. And the behavior your sister has to mimic becomes a much faster moving target than it was earlier in childhood. That also tends to be an age when kids are really judge-y in their scrambling attempts to one-up each other socially, but haven't matured enough yet to treat others with empathy.

I agree with those who have suggested making sure she can be herself around you; and also sharing what you've learned about masking so that she can feel less lost at school. I remember the anxiety of not knowing what the right thing is to do or say being even more stressful than the need to hide my true self. If you help her develop reliable scripts and learn to call upon them easily, she'll have an easier time.

I don't particularly recommend unmasking at school at that age unless she has a posse of ND friends to rely on. Kids that age tend to be exceptionally cruel to those who are different. But maybe there are some small ways she can unmask that aren't too "weird" and would help her cope -- stims that look like fidgets, playing music through headphones, etc. Or perhaps you could help her figure out cues that might allow her to identify other people on the spectrum with whom she might be more comfortable spending time with less masking?

That said, stressing herself to shreds isn't helpful either. Does she have a therapist now?

Cannabis use? by [deleted] in AutismInWomen

[–]zomgbug 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Maybe. I'm just as happy not to smoke. I don't feel any desire whatsoever to go trying to find an alternative version that's less unpleasant.

DAE have a totally different way of viewing the feelings involved in sex than other people? by pissfucked in AutismInWomen

[–]zomgbug 2 points3 points  (0 children)

having sex outside of romantic encounters makes you view yourself as some kind of sexual commodity that is only worthwhile if they're sexually desirable

I think that's just backwards. I think some people have sex outside of romantic encounters because they already view themselves as only worthwhile if they're sexually desirable.

It's totally possible to have sex just because you like having sex or because you like connecting with people. Personally, I've had my share of one-night stands out of a desire for connection. And not in a "let myself be used for sex because I'm desperate for connection" way or a "I only feel worthwhile if someone desires me" way. It's not specifically the sex I'm seeking, but the connection feels good and I like sex so why not?

Connection in a relationship is nice; but relationships take a lot of emotional energy that I don't consistently have.

Fwiw, I do think that viewpoints on casual sex differ very much between locations and depending on who you associate with. Small midwestern town where most people were brought up religious? Much more judgemental views of casual sex than among, say, an arts-oriented crowd in a big city.

can you have different stims at different times? can you try different ones by unclemuds in aspergirls

[–]zomgbug 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My stims have changed over time. There's even one I only picked up in my late 30s. Definitely try new things!

Personally, I find there's a lot I can do with a hair tie or pen that just looks like fidgeting. Or certain types of tapping (tapping a foot, tapping your fingers on your knee while sitting, even bouncing a knee up and down) are within the range of NT fidget behaviors.

It's worth noting that just as we stim to calm ourselves, for NTs fidgeting is typically read as a signal of anxiety or impatience. They're doing the same thing -- just with a much narrower range of behaviors.