James's Notebook

The last problem I see is not with autism but with bullying and it is not easy to deal with. But the way I deal with this is by either talking about this issue with a close friend, family members, or people who could be able help with this issue. Another way I have dealt with this issue was to defend myself, and the way I learned how to defend myself was by studying mixed martial arts. By empowering myself with self defense skills I wouldn't fall into a state of helplessness and by communicating with people that I know I could trust I will be able to diffuse the situation and take away power from the bully. by doing this I learned that asking for help was a position of strength rather than weakness and that to take power away from them is to not allow them to have power over me by fearing them.

Following the issue of navigating stress I would learn to help prevent myself from becoming overwhelmed by first identifying my body’s signals to stress, such as yelling instead of talking, spinning or getting stuck in a "loop". The first thing I would first identify my breathing patterns, because I noticed that if i focus on my breathing I will be able to prevent myself from panicking. Then I would tell a close friend or relative of mine about how I am feeling, this could be relevant in a situation when I am in a crowded environment or when I am in a situation that I am uncomfortable in. following this I will ask for pressure which is like a hug if i cannot leave the area.