Dr. Tony Attwood on dealing with Anxiety Issues
Vložit
- čas přidán 28. 08. 2024
- As a part of the Aspie Mentor panel discussion at the June 2014 Flying High with Autism Conference (Pensacola, FL), Dr. Attwood SKYPED in his comments on how to deal with the 17 most common stressors of people with Asperger's/HFA.
The stressor research was the basis of the book: Been there. Done that. Try this! (Jessica Kingsley Publishing). In the book, each chapter presents anecdotal wisdom, insights and stories by the Aspie Mentors who have learned how to deal with the stressor.
At the end of each chapter, Dr. Attwood adds his advice on how best to succeed in overcoming the issue. Here is a video excerpt of that wisdom.
Tony Attwood is the best! I feel like he is the only person in the whole world who understands me and he has never met me.
Tony Atwood is a rare beast among ASD specialists in that he seems to actually understand what it is like from the inside. So many people make quite ridiculous and comical mistakes from misinterpreting what ASD people are on about.
Viva Tony!
I have a special interest that not only acts as a "thought blocker" but it also gives me physical activity and gets me out in nature ... I go Geocaching :)
Man. I could have used this advice 5 years ago. Had to discover lots of those on my own (including the bad ones - alcohol makes it worse)
I've found that eating a lot of fresh fruit and veggies helps a lot.
plank hi, you're right! Check out Nutrition Facts here on CZcams. Try searchwords" Nutrition Facts Autism". Your observation is supported by science but some veggies are better than others 😊
fruit is just sugar how is that supposed to help
I find that the carnivore diet helps immensely
Meditation definitely helps stay calm! I still get very anxious in certain situations but meditation has helped a lot!
Meditation can be harmful for those who have trauma and PTSD because it can bring it into focus.
Meditation doesnt work for me
I had my first brake down at the age of 11year old. I am 61 now.
Being in tune with energy and vibrations is why nature is soothing to us. It's a natural feeling to us as humans and especially the us autistics in tune with this.
Where as electricity and radio waves and wifi is very unatural and confusing i find to me anyway. I feel it and hear it so i bring it down to the stimulation nature gives is alot more soothing than an electronic stimulation.
I love Dr Attwood!
Tony is spot on. I need this book.
I’m interested in the book too and I’m Neurodiverse diagnosed late adulthood
My husband is hyper-anxious. His outburst and controlling has hurt his relationship with his daughters, and occasionally myself.
As for the junk food thing, I agree. For a while there I was ok monday to friday but would fall appart on the weekends, I couldn't go out, I was sensitive to light, I was jumpy and distracted. I eventualy figured out it was the junk food, particularly soft drinks I was binging on during the weekend. I cut it out and I was fine.
Dr Tony is great. I like to exercise regularly and I do find it a desressor. Also a healthy diet and one that is rich is certain foods including ones rich in essential amino acids (or supplements) can help with mood and anxiety. I do that and I love yoya and walking in nature can be a form of mindfulness. Also, yes I find taking my mind off of the things I am worrying about with my special interests can help. Yeah. Completely true.
Also I would like to learn more about Mental Health and Asperger's as I have ASD myself and I have depression and have problems with medication side effects and I have got misdiagnosed twice already from ignorant healthcare professionals. Example: got diagnosed as Bipolar after getting better from depression after a two month stay after taking some meds and got excited about Christmas while in Hospital w and then got labelled bipolar!!! Read up about the condition and I do not qualify for bipolar. LOL
I have abandonment anxiety wanting to love and be loved making me clingy and I get dumped and hurt, its a viciious cycle.
Diet and exercise really helps my anxiety. It's mentioned a lot that outside sensitivities can cause irritation but I think it can be as irritating, or even more so, to not feel right inside.
+Jane Dean Exercise is a big one.. gets the endorphins going
I ride my bike...solitary activity and feel I’m flying. Anxiety is other people.
Even constructive strategies can have problems. It is no good launching yourself into an exercise program, if you have not exercised for a long while. I would advise starting with walking for a period of time and gradually increase the time by no more than 10 minutes per session in a week. Have at least one exercise rest day a week: Exercising every other day is often considered beneficial, because muscles need 24 hours recovery time. In towns, some people suggest that when you start to jog, you should try to do the distance between two lamposts. At the second lampost, stop jogging and continue at a walk, until you are no longer breathless at all. People say that the difference between running and jogging is that you can hold a conversation while jogging. Running means you need all your breath to power it.
I dislike the use of the term 'running', because it carries the connotation of speed. Some people with Asperger's were clumsy and uncoordinated as children and labelled as 'not good' runners. I was. If you are not an athletic build (I'm not), you will probably not be a sprinter. My sister smoked 20 cigarettes a day, but could still beat me in a sprint. She was exhausted at 100 metres though, whereas, I would be just getting into my stride. Almost anybody can build up to be a jogger, but if you have health problems, consult a doctor before starting.
Although personal trainers seem like a good idea, I think they might misunderstand the point of your exercise regime: the reduction of anxiety.
At one point in my life, I had a colleague, whom I used to jog with and this was very successful. If you have a friend with ASD, you could work together on an exercise program and chart your progress with regard to anxiety reduction. Make notes of your anxiety levels throughout the day, and find out if some jogging routes or times of day are most effective for you. If you have joint problems, then walking might be more beneficial. A supportive, comfortable pair of sports shoes is essential.
Other handy hints from my experience.
There is only one difficult step with an exercise regime like walking. It is the one that takes you out of the front door. If you make it out of the house and start, you have already done the most difficult bit. Every bit of exercise helps. Even if you can only do five minutes walk every day to start, one day the wave will catch you and the sun will shine and you will accidentally walk further.
1. Find a safe place to jog.
2. Don't cover excessive distances: remember that you have to jog or walk home.
3. If you have an infection of any kind, stop jogging, until it has cleared and then re-commence at a lower time/distance. The same goes for injuries.
4. If you have any type of epilepsy, watch out for the flashing effects that you can get as you run past metal fence posts when the sun is rising or setting behind them. In the dark, headlights passing behind the posts might give similar effects.
5. I used to listen to music, while jogging. The beat can help you maintain a steady rhythm.
I hope this elaboration on the theme of exercise for anxiety is helpful for someone.
There are connections between healthy fibre rich diet and healthy gut microbiota and good mental health.
Oh how I wish the sound was better. Such an interesting subject, and with wonderful Tony Atwood. But I cant handle that sound. 😭
For physical activity I've found martial arts and climbing the best. Going to the gym is ok but it doesn't stick for my but Martial Arts and Climbing are skills first and exercise second. This means they click with my brain in the way other activity just doesn't, I can obsess with them a bit, I can studdy them when I'm away from them and that studdy will draw me back.
I don't have a diagnosis, it would be helpful if I did but I get anxious even thinking about having to deal with mental health professionsals who don't really understand this condition and using up more energy trying to get across to them what's really going on in my head. Almost every single point raised here I can strongly relate to. Anxiety has caused immense emotional pain and self-harm for me. Ironically, I spent a career gap year working in supported living with a man who has debilitating autism, we got on brilliantly and I think it was because I really understood what troubled him and appreciated where he was coming from.
Did he you suffer constant muscle pain
Great advice and I agree. I've found on my own that those ideas have worked. I've also found energy medicine/healing techniques through Barbara Brennan practitioners to be the most helpful followed by regular self meditation and self energy healing. I've also found Emotion Code to be extremely helpful. Both have helped to lift incredibly intense anxiety.
Definitely nature.
I have found that detoxing has greatly reduced anxiety over the last three year period, and recently detoxing the congestion behind my eyes has made sense of eye contact at last, which I did not experience before, and preferred reading lips. Actually feeling the sensations behind my eyes is now a pleasure, although I am still puzzled why eye contact with certain people should be so pleasant, and not entirely sure how people communicate that way, yet....
There is more to AS than accepting it is strange mysterious unknown condition, without any psychophysical component. Diet, care in keeping the conscious overload problem within bounds, understanding how NTs function in games people play, optimum amount of exercise, good sensible habits, silk clothes that do not irritate the skin, etc., all contribute to improving health, so reducing anxiety.
I wouldn’t be encouraging people to run tbh. It is a form of stress and will fatigue your adrenals. I would just move more. Do not be sedentary but don’t burn through adrenaline doing cardio either.
My emotional reactions have leveled out since my hormonal levels decreased. I'm 53 now. However, I internalize my stress more; and, I'm experiencing a lot of chronic health issues that are stress-related.
Pain issues?
@@Truerealism747 Pain, stomach issues, tension headaches!
@@LEO91968 where is your pain mines constant in shoulder armpits tingling left shin and heal pain from rest have you tryed tms approach have you had many symptoms before
@@Truerealism747 Mostly stomach, neck, back, and head! No.
@@LEO91968 how long for
Fish oil is great for depression! And I love honey, that lifts moodiness.
+eastbaysf I prefer Zoloft.
Fish oil is a great source of vitamin D.
Vitamin D deficiency causes depression.
However, if one's depression is not due to a vitamin D deficiency the fish oil won't do anything for it. So always keep that in mind.
(You could also just go for a stroll on the beach to boost vitanin D. But not during lockdown. )
@@QlueDuPlessis Fish oil is also rich in DHA, a long chain Omega 3 fat which is very important for brain function. So it has a dual benefit.
I feel like when I try to exercise it can trigger my anxiety as well. and expecially if I'm by my self bored or just trying to fall asleep at night, it's getting worst
I am wondering if you have lost the ability to discriminate between high heart rate from anxiety and high heart rate from exercise. It is normal for your heart rate to increase with exercise. If you can buy a heart rate monitor or learn to take your own pulse, then you can relearn the ability to distinguish. Take a note of your heart rate through the day and record your thoughts at the time. If you notice that your heart rate increases with anxious thoughts, then you can tell your brain, that is what is causing it. Likewise, if you notice a heart rate rise while exercising, you can tell your brain, that the heart rate will settle after the exercise. Once you know the difference again, then you may lose the anxiety with exercise.
As exercise, I would suggest starting with walking. Take some music to listen to. I would avoid very fast, noisy music. There are some very nice classical pieces, which can lift your mood.
I hope this is helpful.
Maybe the maturity thing is because we're forced to suppress our emotions our entire life?
Showing emotion is allegedly what causes us to be bullied.
When you suppress those emotions, as any good shrink will tell you, you get bullied less.
Anyone else find black metal relaxing?
Yes, I do, it's the only thing that chimes in my head.
I dearly do, because of its hypnotic property.
Yes
I find plastic noise relaxing
Yup
My daughter is struggling with her own diagnosis. She is 12. She pushing back against any therapy or assistance - including any help from her teaches at school. She is retreating into her own world more and more. She is very defensive about the idea of her having autism and is in total denial. I think she feels like we are trying to "fix" her rather than helping her learn to cope with responsibilities and organization.
Elke Overton are you still having trouble? I didn't know I was autistic until recently but she sounds like me at that age. I suggest if she's still struggling then give her space, especially during meltdowns, give her a safe place to retreat to when she's overwelmed and stressed. Allow her to feel comfortable being herself and let her indulge it what makes her happy, any special interests, this will help her relax and unwind and is very useful after school. Don't overload her with information and tasks at home, she'll need it to be a place free from stress so she can relax and absorb what she learned at school. Be sure to ask her if she needs help with home work and let her know she can come to you about anything. She'll have a lot of questions and concerns and you need to let her know that they are all valid, talk through them with her and help her minimize the concerns before they grow too big for her. That's a few brief suggestions but if you need more I'll try to help.
Linde Rock thank you! We still have a lot of stress at times, but mostly when I am correcting her about something or expecting something of her. I am always concerned about giving her too much freedom (not learning life skills and doing this for herself -chores) or too much time on the computer and not helping her create good lifetime habits.
Elke Overton Hello, glad I could be of help!
First there's a video series (owner is Amethest Schaber) called Ask an Autistic on CZcams which gives some really good tips and resources for helping autistic children, so if I can't answer a question they'll probably have an answer. Check it out its invaluable!
Okay, well one thing that is important for aspies is structure and routine, if we know when and how something is going to happen it alleviates the anxiety of the unknown. Have you tried making up a structured schedule with her so she knows what to expect and when? If you mark on it set times for meals and bed times, have time set aside for homework, chores, playing on the computer and down time to just relax, she can see clearer what time she has for things.
It sounds like playing on the computer is her special interest, what sort of thing does she like to do? Special Interests are very important but don't necessary need to have a bigger purpose, they help autistics to function better and make sense of the world, and are immensely rewarding and stimulating for us. As long as your daughter has done all the other things she needs to do on her schedule then allow her time with her special interests. Also to help get to know more about her as a person the best way to go about it is asking about her interests and really listening, she'll probably be really happy to share her knowledge as well, which will also help her confidence. I hope this helps!
Elke Overton I can relate. My daughter, although we don't yet have an official diagnosis, also struggled thinking people were trying to fix her. I had to tell her over and over that she was not broken, I was not trying to fix her. She is exactly who she is supposed to be. I emphasized that my job as a parent is to help her understand herself and prepare for life as an adult, just like I would with a child not on the spectrum.
The problem with autism is that everyone only knows the bad side of it. I wish there were more positive stories from children and adults on the spectrum. I don't like it being in the DSM, because it suggests autistic people are mentally ill. I think we need more positive role models for the teenagers especially. Teenagers' fascination with computer games may be a sort of search for positive role models.
Everyone wants to tell the teens what to do. I realise that you have to give children guidance, but the old edict is true.
"When I do something right or good, nobody notices. When I do something wrong, everybody does."
I would advise any parent of a teen struggling with autism to give them space, when they are behaving in a difficult manner and notice more, and praise them sincerely, when they do something well.
I would also encourage the child to learn self-reward techniques. I use one, which I call, 'good brain'. When my brain or body has done something well, I say "Good brain!" several times with great feeling. This rewards my brain and makes it more likely that my brain/body will behave in a similar fashion in the future. I also try to praise other people and remark on when they do something well. It establishes a positive pattern.
I think you should also encourage problem-solving skills in the teenagers. You should also get them used to the idea, that unlike at school, there is not just one correct answer to problem-solving in life. Encourage the teen to suggest as many possible solutions to a problem as possible. Include funny ones as well. The good thing about this game is that you always have some strategies in reserve, if the first one doesn't work.
The world can be quite confusing for people on the spectrum. I would suggest arming your teen with something to make her laugh. As a child, I learned all the Spike Milligan verses in his 'Silly verse for kids'. I find that I can't laugh and be anxious at the same time, so I recite one to myself, when things are difficult. They always make me smile.
What if the routines you build are having positive effects? Like eating certain healthy foods, working out.. they are still cumpulsive but they are positive...
I'd say you have to be careful, and judge this on an individual basis. Personally, some of my best early progress in my health involved getting pretty rigid with certain eating and exercise habits, but over time it became a cognitively unhealthy expression of my OCD issues, and I realized I was causing myself more physical harm than good by trying harder and harder with it. Relaxing on those routines has helped me be healthier and more consistent. So it just depends on the person, and what phase of life they're in. Having some reliance on rigid routines, within reason, can -- I think -- be a healthy thing. It's all about our relationship *TO* our coping tools, in my opinion, instead of what coping tools we choose to use.
Then that’s not necessarily a problem
My daughter is only 10 but we got a treadmill and that way she can be on her iPad but still exercise ✅
Does anyone else think the aspergers is more of a subconscious pattern than social interaction. From my observation, its always been like this. For example, if you put a Russian in Australia, he is more likely to meet another Russian because of his subconscious pattern of meeting his own kind. Similarly, for an aspie, no matter what he does to socialize, it always ends up having 1 or 2 evaporating friends to go out with or to have an intellectual orgasm. The relationship ends at that point. If he gets to meet the same friend after 6 months of parting, it almost feels like he is a stranger and couldn't talk to him like before. Whereas for NTs, they don't even try to socialize. Wherever they go, just like the Russian attracts another Russian, they have a girlfriend and a group of friends who are almost like a family that share similar interests, excited abt each others birthday parties, their friends marriage is like the most important event in their lives. Because I have seen NTs postponing work schedules, or even skipping uni exams for attending a friend of friend's marriage, whereas I skip my own birthday party. How many of you agree that it is a subconscious pattern more than social skills...
here's a few ideas you can try
Do Not have stimulants including alcohol and caffeine
Try to relax
Exercise regularly
Join a self-help group
(I learned these and more tips from Trevs Panic Fixer website )
Actually caffeine isn’t a stimulant for those with autism it has a calming effect on us
@@Dancestar1981 I'm not sure that's generally true, it's definitely a stimulant in my experience
@@b3a3n3a3n3a3s caffeine works for me I have the Inattentive type and it helps me focus and wakes my brain up
I have realy bad axnity.
hi i want to learn more about autism. and hi am new subscriber. do you think i have aspergers?
I focus on my hands or posture when anxious. Get out the head