Goodnight! I'm so hoping to (hopefully!) read some messages from people who couldn't make it tonight later!  ... View more

@GinnyRA absolutely agree with all of this! Thank you so, so much! I really enjoyed this chat! Now time for that bath I've been looking forward to... hahaha. ... View more

Oh man I kinda relate to that @Lost_Space_Explorer5... when I was a teenager I only really listened to one band but for some reason I didn't want any one else to listen to it/ find out what it was because it was 'mine' lol.  That story of the CD sounds so lovely    ... View more

Wow I just wanted to say I relate to this question so much. ESPECIALLY during/ after COVID + lockdown/ this new age we're in! A lot of people I know have been saying they've never experienced so much sensory overload, and I definitely agree.  ... View more

Linking with the disability resource centre at my uni changed my life, and I'm really grateful that I've had mostly understanding lecturers! Definitely recommend that, I don't even think I have the fact I'm neurodivergent on my plan it's just good for anything really if you feel like you need it! ... View more

I'm always trying new things to try and take away stress! Totally relate on your point on meditation, for me it's the fact that I only ever do meditation when I'm stressed, so my brain has associated it with stress (same with walking to a particular place in my neighbourhood). For this reason I always like to switch it up a bit, haha. Nose-cancelling headphones are good, I need to try them more! I love those new fidgets that are like popping bubble wrap!  ... View more

Oof, I so relate to that experience of being 'pinballed'. Again there's that missing middle, not sick enough for hospital, not well enough just for fortnightly therapy. It's a tough place to be in and I hope it can get better. I feel like it's not just an Australian issue, it's something everyone everywhere can do better. A few years ago I attended an international conference for youth mental health and I felt so frustrated in the lack of discussions about autism/ neurodiversity. Hopefully I will attend again one year and see lots of discussion! I feel like tags like #actuallyautistic and things like it are trending more often on twitter and things lately... or maybe it's just the people I follow hahaha ... View more

@Lost_Space_Explorer5 haha yes there's many kinds of ways! Anything that's sensorily stimulating, like making noises + touching things + moving your body + etc. Even people that aren't neurodivergent stim by whistling, cracking their knuckles (guilty lol), bouncing their legs, petting something smooth, etc. Since I was a child the main way I stim is look at pictures I really like, like just stare at them? Like pictures of my friends or drawings of my characters... lol I've never heard of anyone else that stims like that but anyway  . I also pace a lot, and I love to wear my oodie or something heavy to study with haha. ... View more

Yes! Allowing myself time to stim rather than getting frustrated with myself for 'not getting onto work' makes me feel more productive. I also love the point about animals! I definitely think animals should be implemented more in all mental health spaces lol.  Irrelevant but my cat sleeps on me every night, it's like an extra warm weighted blanket (which I already have, haha). ... View more

Also, just gotta say welcome to the forums @Autistic_Pegacorn!    ... View more

Aww thanks for being so open @Lost_Space_Explorer5  . Sorry if I came across too strongly in my reply! Just something I've been passionate about lately. I definitely get where you're coming from. Even still I think that I'm just trying to be unique or jumping on the neurodivergent train to be interesting lol. But it's also the case of finally having an answer for why I am the way that I am... a lot of companies use the symbol of autism as a 'missing puzzle piece', but I think it completed my puzzle. I've seen a bunch of memes stating that young people bully people for displaying autistic traits without even knowing what autism is/ that that person may be autistic. For example all my life I've been told I'm weird, that my interests in certain things are too strong, that I should be marked-down for not making eye contact during a presentation... none of these people knew I could be autistic, so I thought there was just something deeply wrong with me. It's taken so many years to accept this, I remember another psychologist suggesting it when I was 15 and being like 'there's no way'. Your feelings are totally valid though!  @GinnyRA love the phase 'neurokin'!. I've made a lot of neurodivergent friends lately and it's really helpful sharing our experiences. ... View more

@Lost_Space_Explorer5 I relate to that! This might be irrelevant but I feel like as I'm coming more to terms with my identity as autistic the more I feel disconnected by my psychology studies. I find most psych studies focus on one specific 'type' of autism (i.e. young males) and ignore other voices. Sometimes I feel like it's borderline eugenic, so I'm not sure I want to work in that environment... we'll see, though! This is why it's important for neurodivergent voices to be heard! ... View more

@GinnyRA wow, that's incredibly inspiring. I'm dealing with a lot of the same things too (depression, OCD, anxiety + have been seeking an 'official' autism diagnosis for years). I'm much younger than you but sometimes I feel like I will be too unwell to ever recover enough to make my voice heard or do anything I love. It's nice to hear these things from older people, haha. SO inspiring that you found an autism diagnosis well into adulthood! I find that so amazing (and funny, when I was first 'diagnosed'/ suspected as autistic by a professional when I was about 11 my mum rejected it because it was 'something that only affects toddlers'.... okay). One of my friend's parents was recently diagnosed in his late-fifties, I believe! ... View more

@Bre-RO wrote: We received more questions than any other AMAA we've done before! WOW! I love that so much!  Hi @GinnyRA! Welcome!  I really, really love that Reframing Autism is run by autistic people + nurtures autistic culture. It's so important to make sure no one is speaking over voices less often heard. I feel like a lot of companies etc deceptively try to make it seem they 'care' about autism but they employ no autistic people + use harmful and noninclusive methods.  ... View more

I might be popping in and out, in the middle of uni stuff and thinking about having a bath (it's freezing here!!  ) ... View more

Hi @FederikFer welcome to the forums! I hope you don't mind that I moved your post here where more people may see it! This is my first time answering these in a while, I used to answer them every month haha I miss it! 1. I do not....  I keep trying to give them a chance but the smell/ texture is not for me. I prefer them in baked goods, not on their own hahah.   2. Probably opals as well, they're so pretty. I also like obsidian, especially snowflake obsidian. I've had jewellery of it since I was young as it reminds me of a story I wrote once.   3. Probably the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland... I can't think of many fictional bunnies right now and he started the whole adventure.   4. Go to the USA all by myself, including going to the Grand Canyon on a tour where I knew no one! So proud of myself for that. I've also been both sky-diving and bungee jumping, haha. Sometimes the most adventurous I feel though is simply trying something new in my hometown, and that's okay!   5. Definitely agree with @Taylor-RO, just a day of rest!! Absolutely no work, no obligations... just rest. A lot of people I know say they're scared of rest/ doing nothing and that makes me so upset.   6. Hmm... my cousin and I are born on the same day so I thought cousins were people you shared a birthday with  .   7. So many different ways! With makeup, dying my hair, celebrating pride, writing stories or creating things I like! ... View more

Curtain ... View more

Just have to say I love your username @Onion!  nice to meet you!  ... View more

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Open ... View more

West coast is my dream! So much empty space! I've done a tour from Perth to Shark Bay. East coast would be fun, too, but I love all the emptiness haha. Giving gifts or receiving them? ... View more

Hahah at the moment for some reason the place I'd like to travel to most is Alice Springs, something about a desert city is just so great. I haven't been there in forever. But in regards to countries: 1. Iceland - It's so isolated hahah and, again, the scenery looks great! A lot like New Zealand (which I've been to before and love)! I'd love to go in Summer and experience a midnight sun. 2. Japan - so much history and so much variety -- from busy Tokyo to the mountains... 3. Italy - again, so much history! I'd love to do a tour all the way down the country. Hard to narrow down, haha! I want to go everywhere! I also really want to go to Germany + Denmark (though I guess I couldn't justify it with an explanation?). ... View more

Oh, I'm so glad I logged on to see this! SO excited!  ... View more

That sounds like a great inspirational speech -- almost like a TED talk ahah I love how it's written! So important, not just for the LGBT+ community but for other minority communities as well! ... View more

Yay! Such a great chat... now back to my essay hahah. Thanks so much @Bre-RO and all the staff! ... View more

Also awesome that your parents are queer @Bre-RO! I feel like a lot of parents aren't so open with their experiences. Sometimes my mum says things about other women and I look at her like...  hahah.  Also wanted to add writing things down is great, I came out to my mum in a text haha. Also while driving, gosh I hear sooo many stories of people coming out to their parents/ saying important things in the car (I know I do too!). It's less confrontational as they're focused on something else + no need for eye contact. ... View more

@Bre-RO YES! So true that there's never just one 'coming out' event. I don't think I've ever explicitly told someone 'I'm gay', I've just like used she/her pronouns when referring to potential partners, or expressing support of the community and hope they get the hint.  . I don't even think I've explicitly told my parents I'm gay, just that I used to date a girl hahah. I still panic using she/her pronouns for potential partners for people I don't know (even if they're LGBT themselves?) and I don't know if that feeling will ever go away... but I think that's more of a 'I don't know how they're going to react' thing. ... View more

@Lost_Space_Explorer5 hahah I had a similar feeling with my ex. I had no idea if I really liked her (I'd never had a relationship before), or if I wanted a relationship. Initially she rejected me and I felt kind of relieved because I didn't have to do anything new  . Ah, it's such an awkward part of life!  ... View more

@WheresMySquishy hahah so true. It's funny how sometimes LGBT+ people sometimes find each other, unknowingly. Like all of my friends were 'straight' in high school but now we're all LGBT+ except for one (as of now... just kidding, of course!  ) ... View more

This is so helpful, haha. I feel for myself, and I know that a lot of other people feel the same way, that once you discover you are LGBT+ it's like living through puberty/ teenage years all over again. Recently I've been through the pain of liking someone for a few months, and debating whether she liked me back... turns out she has a partner but is still a great friend (I think I'd prefer friends at this point in my life, anyway)! It's best to just ask, as painful as it is hahah. ... View more