ella_rose88 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ella_rose88) wrote2020-12-22 07:03 pm
ella_rose88) wrote2020-12-22 07:03 pm
Entry tags:
Personal Update - Yes it has been a while...
At the end of last year, I had the goal of trying to post on here (though who knows if anyone reads personal journals anymore). Sadly, I failed at achieving that goal because well... we all know how this year turned out. Though, I'm incredibly lucky that the pandemic has not so bad in Australia, there were periods of time where we did have to go into lockdown and I was not able to go out anywhere (including uni) except for the supermarket. I found not being able to go into uni particularly hard in the first semester as I usually prefer learning face-to-face, but I managed to get through it and ended up with a High Distinction and Credit for my topics. I was quite happy with that as I wasn't sure how well I would go having to watch lectures online and participate through online forums.
That being said, I did manage to do a lot of reflecting since I was diagnosed as autistic late last year, particularly after I received my official diagnosis and report. It really cleared things up for me and provided clarity on who I am, why my brain works the way it does, and why I find certain things challenging. For many years I struggled with trying to fit in and wondering why it didn't work and why I didn't feel "normal" (or neurotypical). Of course feelings like these also caused a lot of anxiety and depression for me because I didn't fit the 'norm' and would constantly ask myself what was wrong with me. Knowing now that I am neurodivergent makes me happy because I now know that there is nothing wrong with me - it's just that my brain is wired differently. That is empowering because its allowed me to discover my needs and the supports I need to be able to have a good quality of life and achieve my goals.
And I'm doing that already. After getting diagnosed I was able to apply for NDIS (this stands for the National Disability Insurance Scheme which provides reasonable and necessary funding to support people with disabilities) and my request was granted. While, I'm still not used a whole lot of my funding as understanding what can be used for each funding area is complicated and it took me a while to navigate it, I have been able to access occupational therapy, exercise physio, and psychology. OT was great as I learnt so much about how I process sensations and discovered that I am both hypersensitive and hyposensitive (this can happen with Autism), in particular to sounds/noises (auditory), visual, movement and taste processing. When I was a child I was given a diagnosis of auditory processing disorder so I knew that I didn't like noisy/loud environments as it makes processing more difficult, but now I know the reason I am really sensitive to sounds and noise is because a little noise is a lot. Knowing this is so important because now I can implement strategies, and the one that I have found so helpful is noise-cancelling headphones. Using my funding I was able to buy some and now I use them whenever I'm somewhere noisy and loud (mostly at uni).
The second most helpful support as been the exercise physio. In the past I've joined gyms but usually it didn't last long as I would stop going because of my hypersensitivities. But now, having an exercise program that's been develop by the physio has meant I can do a workout at home. This has been great as I'm in an environment that I can control more and since there's a pandemic I don't need to go out to a gym to get exercise. I can achieve it all at home. And it's making a difference as I'm building core strength and muscles (I still need to loss some fact on my stomach as I have PCOS stomach!), and its really helped improve my mood.
I hope everyone are okay and coping well. Feel free to comment below and tell me how you have been doing this year :)
That being said, I did manage to do a lot of reflecting since I was diagnosed as autistic late last year, particularly after I received my official diagnosis and report. It really cleared things up for me and provided clarity on who I am, why my brain works the way it does, and why I find certain things challenging. For many years I struggled with trying to fit in and wondering why it didn't work and why I didn't feel "normal" (or neurotypical). Of course feelings like these also caused a lot of anxiety and depression for me because I didn't fit the 'norm' and would constantly ask myself what was wrong with me. Knowing now that I am neurodivergent makes me happy because I now know that there is nothing wrong with me - it's just that my brain is wired differently. That is empowering because its allowed me to discover my needs and the supports I need to be able to have a good quality of life and achieve my goals.
And I'm doing that already. After getting diagnosed I was able to apply for NDIS (this stands for the National Disability Insurance Scheme which provides reasonable and necessary funding to support people with disabilities) and my request was granted. While, I'm still not used a whole lot of my funding as understanding what can be used for each funding area is complicated and it took me a while to navigate it, I have been able to access occupational therapy, exercise physio, and psychology. OT was great as I learnt so much about how I process sensations and discovered that I am both hypersensitive and hyposensitive (this can happen with Autism), in particular to sounds/noises (auditory), visual, movement and taste processing. When I was a child I was given a diagnosis of auditory processing disorder so I knew that I didn't like noisy/loud environments as it makes processing more difficult, but now I know the reason I am really sensitive to sounds and noise is because a little noise is a lot. Knowing this is so important because now I can implement strategies, and the one that I have found so helpful is noise-cancelling headphones. Using my funding I was able to buy some and now I use them whenever I'm somewhere noisy and loud (mostly at uni).
The second most helpful support as been the exercise physio. In the past I've joined gyms but usually it didn't last long as I would stop going because of my hypersensitivities. But now, having an exercise program that's been develop by the physio has meant I can do a workout at home. This has been great as I'm in an environment that I can control more and since there's a pandemic I don't need to go out to a gym to get exercise. I can achieve it all at home. And it's making a difference as I'm building core strength and muscles (I still need to loss some fact on my stomach as I have PCOS stomach!), and its really helped improve my mood.
I hope everyone are okay and coping well. Feel free to comment below and tell me how you have been doing this year :)
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