Tips for Overwhelmed Autistic Moms
Overwhelm starts to set in when we have too much to do.. Overwhelm sets in when we think we cannot ask for help.. Overwhelm sets in when we don’t know how to ask for help. But what can an autistic mom do about overwhelm? In this blog post, I’m sharing some of my personal tips for how to handle overwhelm as an autistic mom.
Top Tips for Overwhelmed Autistic Moms
- Your Schedule
- Your Children’s Schedule
- Your household schedule
- Self Care
- Meal Planning
Those are just often the tip of the things that autistic moms are dealing with on a day-to-day basis. When our children are younger, and if they are also autistic? Then you add in things like: IEP planning, meltdowns, sensory adaptations.
And some days it may seem like there is no end in sight. Some days it may feel like we’ll never get anything done. Then Imposter Syndrome sets in and we start to feel even worse.
But it doesn’t have to be like that and it all starts with setting a realistic routine and schedule for yourself.
In fact? My top tip for reducing overwhelm is to create a schedule.
This not only helps your autistic brain but it also helps you to visually manage things.
However, sometimes even setting up this schedule can seem difficult, right? And trust me, I get that. There were days that the thought of looking at my planner sent me into anxiety and overload.
If you are at that point, I would encourage you to just start with one thing. What is one thing that you can do right now.
And then you move to the next.
As your energy and as your brain allows for it. Because trying to do too much at once will only lead to further overwhelm.
Once you’ve at least identified the one thing you can do and have completed it, allow yourself that win. Get the dopamine fix that you so greatly need. Because that will carry over to the next thing.
Keep building on this because as you are developing this habit, it can evolve into long-lasting habits that become part of your routine.
The next big tip I can offer? Take care of yourself.
We, as moms, often think that it’s selfish to take care of ourselves. But, the truth of the matter is? If we aren’t taking care of ourselves, we simply cannot take care of others.
How to Help Overwhelmed Autistic Moms
So how can you help an overwhelmed autistic mom?
For starters, simply being there is a gift that many of us would welcome. A non-judgmental ear that can listen to us just vent about what’s weighing on our minds.
We may not always know how to clearly communicate exactly what it is we need because we have so much in our brains. Everything seems like a priority in a state of overwhelm. But, being able to just talk?
Sometimes that can make the world of difference.
Kori
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