April

“I now understand that an aversion to holidays is extremely common in autistic people – the disruption to routine, the unpredictable nature of travel, the lights and noise of the airport and the extreme temperature change on arrival creates a special kind of sensory hell. Sameness is what I thrived on. I’m told that the appeal of holidays for most people is the novelty and break from the humdrum of everyday life. My family concluded among themselves that I was an arsehole. I didn’t know why I was so unhappy on holidays either, so I had no other option but to agree with them.”
― Fern Brady, Strong Female Character

“(What is a river but an open throat; what is water but a voice?)”
― Amal El-Mohtar, The River Has Roots

“Though masking is incredibly taxing and causes us a lot of existential turmoil, it’s rewarded and facilitated by neurotypical people. Masking makes autistic people easier to “deal” with.’ —Devon Price, Unmasking Autism”
― Fern Brady, Strong Female Character

“Did you know that burnout is one of the causes of depression and suicidality for Autistic people? Do you know what one of the causes of burnout is? Not getting sufficient rest! Autistic people need a lot of rest. Indeed, the sheer amount needed can be frustrating. Yet the alternative—a debilitating burnout—is even less appealing. So one of the best things you can do for your emotional health is to prioritize rest. Prioritizing rest can be difficult for many people, especially those driven by an internal belief that you should be able to just “push through”—a notion often tied to internalized ableism.”
― Dr. Megan Anna Neff, Self-Care for Autistic People: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Unmask!