a duck, but like, with a possum on the inside

Here is a simple rule, eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full. Eat many different foods. There are no “bad” foods.

It’s not good for you to diet, skip meals or avoid entire groups of foods. If you do not eat lots of different kinds of foods, you may not feel well and could make yourself sick. Skipping meals can make Youso hungry that you eat too much food when you finally do have a meal or snack.

10.01-21

Misc.

My mother is a “Live and Die by the Routine” autistic and is really good at keeping spaces clean. I am a “Random Chaos Filing System” autistic and here’s some things I’ve learned from her. 

1. You actually don’t have to enjoy it. There is not a dichotomy of “people who love cleaning” and “people who hate cleaning.” You can dislike the process and like the results. You can despise it sometimes and tolerate it others. 

2. You don’t even have to be that great at it. It’s okay to do what you can. It may be easier to do small tasks more frequently, rather than “Super Cleaning” all at once. It’s okay to not clean your whole room today, but just putting away your clothes can make you feel more accomplished and organized. 

3. Cleaning doesn’t have to some deeper meaning. It doesn’t have to be your emotional outlet or symbolize you “clearing away negativity” or whatever garbage. It can just be cleaning.

4. Focus on the practical reasons for cleaning. Picking up clothes from the floor removes a trip hazard for those with balance/coordination/mobility issues. Sanitizing the bathroom counter helps remove germs for immunocompromised folks. Vacuuming can help remove allergy/asthma triggers. Rinsing the dishes now means it will take less scraping/scrubbing later. 

5. Clean by routine, not by need. Easier said than done, I know. As an example, if you plan to tidy up your kitchen ‘as needed,’ then it is harder to plan for the cleaning, because you may reach the ‘Need to Clean’ zone at a different day/time each week. Knowing when you’ll clean by routine makes it easier to plan ahead to have the energy/spoons available.

6. In a similar topic as above, you don’t need to wait until your space is dirty/messy in order to clean the entire thing. Maybe on Sundays you vacuum your room or on Thursday evenings you wipe down your bathroom sinks. While sudden cleaning sprees can feel rewarding, it often doesn’t lead to long-term results, and you might remember the overall depletion of energy/spoons and significant time spent more than you remember any positive aspects. 

7. Adapt cleaning to meet your needs, as possible. You can bring a chair into the kitchen to sit and do your dishes. You can vacuum with ear-defenders. You can use supplies that are unscented, or a scent you enjoy. You can listen to a favorite podcast while tidying your desk. If you hate hanging up your clean laundry (I do…), find places where you can fold them instead. Whatever works to assist and motivate you is worth it. 

Maybe it’s not that your best isn’t good enough.