Autism HWB

Give The Drummer Some

Image is a photo of a set of well used drums with somewhat battered looking sticks laid on the snare

Written by JoJo

Looking back it seems obvious that drumming was going to be such a good fit for me. At school I was that kid who was always playing with his hands, tapping on a desk, or a wall, or a lunchbox, or anything really. I didn’t enjoy school for the most part; I survived it. Each day started and ended with a 45 minute minibus journey. I would spend that time lost inside my headphones. Retransmitting the beat of the music by tapping on my legs. Tensing my muscles or flexing my toes. Except I wasn’t really lost. I needed this time to prepare for the next part of my day, it was essential to my survival.

Sleep Strategies

Image is a photo of a full moon in a dark starry sky

Written by Florence Neville

Last week I tweeted on behalf of @AutismHWB –

#AskingAutistics What are your top tips for getting to sleep and staying asleep?
Whether you find conventional advice helpful or you have your own methods that help you calm down and drift off, we’d love to hear your strategies!
(Please RT for a wider response.)
-Flo
https://twitter.com/AutismHwb/status/1302899150846070789?s=20

Pilates for Autistic Bodies

Photo of flat pebbles balanced in a pile on the beach

Written by Karen-Anne Manghan

I am an autistic woman, I have been working in the autism field as a mentor, adviser and advocate for many years but I trained as a Pilates teacher in 2016 with the aim of providing more autism friendly teaching and classes.

Scents and Scentsability

Image shows a spider plant and it's shadow on the wall behind

Written by Florence Neville

Firstly, apologies for the title. It gets better from here I promise…

Running for Mental Health

Written by Victoria Ellen

It was May 2018, I was stood in a car park surrounded by a ton of other people, questioning what was I doing here. Lets rewind for a moment. My mother had decided to secretly sign me up for a Couch to 5K running class with a local running club. I was furious, but I went along to see what it was all about.

Creating a Mindful Morning Routine

Image shows a cat on a chair by the window. In the foreground is a table with a vase of flowers and two coffee mugs

Written by Becca Lory Hector

As I walk inside from the side door, dogs in tow, I look to my right and see it. The red light on the coffee maker is still on and I take a deep breath and smile to myself. If today is the kind of day that I can have a second cup, and it is, the coffee left in the pot will still be the perfect temperature. It will be hot, but with just the right amount of creamer, it will cool down just enough to be palatable while still remaining warm enough for the steam to build up in my glasses as I tilt the mug to my mouth for that first sip. This idyllic temperature cannot be replicated by microwave oven nor does it remain for long. Today, the stars have aligned. This morning, my husband has his own stuff to accomplish, leaving me alone to do some computer time that does not include a single meeting with anyone. As I pour that second cup and listen to the sugar dissolve into the dark liquid, I think to myself, today is going to be a particularly good day.

Wellbeing through Weightlifting

Written by Cerys The Chameleon

The stale stench of the changing rooms, lit with furious fluorescent lighting that felt like lasers when I looked at them, mixed with the laughter of my peers ricocheting around my brain, it was a recipe for sensory overwhelm.

Patterns

Image shows a close up of an irregular brick path

Written by Zephyr Penoyre

There is an innate value in patterns and maps, as tools for exploration – of worlds simple or complex, imaginary or realisable, and the porous boundaries between.

Gardening and Recovery

Image shows a long strand of daisy-like flowers

By Mair Elliott

Often seen as an elderly person’s hobby, gardening and it’s benefits to health can often be overlooked. With benefits to physical health, mental health and emotional health, I truly believe we should be discussing its value in holistic care for those with chronic illness, mental illness and disability.

Cass’s “New Normal” under Lockdown

Image shows hands typing on a laptop keyboard

We have decided to take a temporary break from publishing our usual posts in order to share how our contributors are handling current lockdown measures.