Since trying to blend in with the world is a full time job for me there are many coping skills I’ve learned along the way to help me on my journey. One of the best mechanisms for whenever I feel anxious or think I am going to have a meltdown is text messaging. Luckily I have unlimited texts otherwise I would hate to see my phone bill. When I am not in the safety zone of my parents or sister this is the next best thing for me. It allows me to be in contact with them and vent out my frustrations in an appropriate way when they are not with me. The moment I leave the house for work to until the minute I get home all hands ( or in this case cell phones) are on deck. I can text them at any time and know that they will pick up my calls.
One day this week the express train I take every day decided to add additional stops on the way to Penn Station which caused me to be 20 minutes late to work. I was annoyed and unprepared for this and it was the last thing I wanted to deal with in the morning. As you know a change in routine and structure is devastating for a person on the Autism Spectrum. Instead of screaming at the man sitting in the next aisle who was annoying me by eating I grabbed my phone out of my bag and started texting my mother. It was my life line and helped me ease my anxiety which got me through the rest of the train ride. Basically texting has become like air for me. I can’t live with out it .
Thank you for reading!
Autistic Female
Autistic Female's Blog 