@pathfinder @darrellpf @murdoc @Still_Evolving @actuallyautistic

#OldPerson’s perspective here.

Since leaving work with chronic #burnout 12 years ago I have worked hard on learning how to heal. I have been fortunate to be able to curate my home as a #SensorySafeSpace with cats, garden, books, music, food, occasional visitors & all the things that bring me joy. I have learned to recognise & be kind to the denial & shame I learned about my difficulties & accept & forgive myself for the strategies I used to navigate them. I am ‘out’ to & accepted & loved by my family & friends & present in public as my autistic self (tiny 👵🏻 with grey teeth, overalls, home haircut, unmodified body, headphones, mask, stims. Cute AF).

BUT HERE’S THE THING. I just took this test & my score is 142. The reason? It measures not how well I accept myself but how I choose, still, to (try to) adapt my behaviour to circumstances when I am with others in order to interact comfortably with them.

Interacting with my #neurodivergent peers is a whole other dynamic, with much more comfort inhabiting communication styles (aka mutual #InfoGifting) that suit our autistic selves.

Sometimes masking is just good manners. Let’s give ourselves credit for all the ways we’ve learned to live gently with ourselves & others 💜