Does anybody else regularly have to deal with autism and irritability? My overload and anxiety often presents as irritability and it’s a really difficult emotion to deal with. Irritability starts when I wake in the morning, and can grow and grow throughout the day. If the scales tip too far then I end up having a meltdown, which causes disruption and exhaustion.
So in this video I’m examining the irritable. Laying bare one of my ugliest traits and finding the cause, and solution for these distressing days. Why am I irritable? What can I do to avoid the irritable days? When all else fails and they happen anyway how can I minimise the impact of my mood on myself and the people in my life? I’m looking at it all to see if I can improve this aspect of my life.
Perhaps you can relate to it? If so do you have any solutions? If you do I’d love to hear about them, they may help in my ongoing quest. Sometimes life feels so challenging, a constant battle for survival of the good moods and banishment of the bad. More and more I recognise that I’ve been looking at it all wrong. I’m not trying to banish the bad, that would be like trying to get rid of winter, because you prefer the sun.
I’m recognising that the aim is to be able to ride the bad days, and minimise disruption. So I’m in an optimal position to really make the most of the good days!
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Interestingly I found this post I wrote before my autism diagnosis, sounds like I had a meltdown and I didn’t realise, this is where irritability inevitably used to lead.
Crikey, I feel just like this and it is especially bad when i have a very busy time with lots of people drawing on me. I have bad melt downs which can involve crying up to self-harm. Hormonal factors don’t help much either. i am not diagnosed with autism in any way, but am seeing it in my daughter and starting to think that i may be autistic too.
Like all people with autism, I suffer from severe agitation and have since my diagnosis at 6 years old. I am on a small dose of Klonopin which is an anti anxiety medicine and it’s now my PMS week so I am on a whole pill. Most of the time I only take a half pill
I wanted to just write to encourage you. I have a reason to not use YouTube; so unfortunately I didn’t watch your video. I really liked what you said, though, about not getting rid of the bad, but riding it out.
I am a middle aged adult and have not been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, but I think I may be, as I believe I have traits in common with people that are on the spectrum and are “high functioning”.
I have for the last year been struggling with often becoming extremely irritated by sounds or smells in the air as I am working from home in a house I share. A big part of my life is my faith in Jesus and besides the trouble to myself I fear my acting out in response to irritation reflects poorly on God’s work in my life which is definitely real.
As I said, I liked your thought of riding out the bad rather than expecting to get rid of it all together. I hope you have remained encouraged. I just found your site and do not know how difficult or not the pandemic has been for you.
Hey Ella. I’ve been watching your videos for over a year. I am also a zebra with adhd and asd. The irritability is the worst symptom to live with for me (which says a lot because we get so many with this disorder combo!) and I feel horrible every time I verbally lash out. I get so ashamed after a meltdown and lately it feels like I am having at least one a day. I am stretched way too thin and I need to reduce my responsibilities-drastically. I’m in a situation that has become increasingly stressful over the last several years and it seems there are catastrophes so often I can’t even catch up to processing any of them. My only advice would be to reduce responsibilities/find adaptations to make them easier and be careful because I’ve found people will not stop asking for favors or taking advantage unless you stand firm and show them it will not be allowed to continue. It can’t. Find more time for special interests and I love my earplugs and sunglasses/eye mask for when I am trying to prevent any extra irritation building. Meditation videos help me as well. Best of luck to you and thank you so much for what you’re doing for our eds, adhd and asd communities.