• Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
    • Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral

What makes traits worse or better

L

lalalexy

Member
What diet, therapy, medication, remedy, trick, habit, pattern, life choice has made a difference to your traits?

I'm a 23yo female, newly diagnosed with HFA but I would say it is more of a really mild Aspergers, and some of the traits/symptoms I have for example noise processing and obsessing have had massive fluctuations in intensity over my life- some times I feel like I'm 100% NT then other times I feel like I have zero idea what's going on... Friends and socialising is important to me, so I want more consistent and manageable traits/symptoms... some of the things I'm talking about (which may not all be ASD related) are: can't focus with noise, self-centered, lack of empathy that is not cognitively based, low libido, dislike for reading, sleeping in, being late/disorganized, irregular periods (sorry), not understanding some sarcasm, taking things literally, etc etc... I also feel like I went from being a mathematical prodigy, with a real obsession for patterns and numbers to not understanding it at all and just having normal math skills, at around the age of 16- did this happen to anyone, and why?

So what has made your traits harder to manage? (I know not everyone wants to manage it, nor is it something that necessarily needs to be 'managed', so please be respectful that I do)
Some examples of things that might make it easier or harder to manage would be; exercise, supplements, gluten free diet, medication, water, sleep pattern, sound therapy, candida removal...
 
I have a lot of the issues you have. I take medicine and i'm in therapy but the medicine just really helps stabilize my moods and everything else i just kind of learn to deal with. Therapy hasn't helped me that much but it is nice to talk to someone and i am fairly ok with how i am. I think in your case because they are things you do want to change that finding a good therapist would help a lot.

I don't know if that was helpful at all. Sorry if it wasn't.
 
Everything is helpful :) I'm convinced that there is something in my body that's effected by external factors that is creating these good and bad waves of traits, but I don't have the memory, commitment to trying new things, patience, and self-awareness to figure out what it is... for example I tried the gluten-free diet for an hour :p if you know of anyone that has tried a diet with or without success, I'd love to hear from them
 
Well some of the key elements for me, is keeping up my exercise and sleeping routines. For me, nothing beats the feeling i get after a run or a trip to the gym, the "runners high" is definately a thing in my World :). While the running part is within my control, sleeping at night is another thing.
I try to get around 8-9 hours of sleep, interrupted by waking up 2-3 times every night soaked in sweat ( yey medication side effects :p). Allthough i dont sleep very well ( i dont feel recharged when im waking up), it's crucial for me to at least stay in my bed resting for that period of time, with my eyes closed and somewhat relaxed

When i'm rested, well fed and psysically tired from exercising, i dont feel as restless, and im able to cope better with the World around me :)
 
For me, it helps when:

a) I am hydrated.
b) I am getting enough exercise. I usually do uptempo stuff like Zumba and cardio kickboxing. I am an energetic person, so I like the adrenaline rush these workouts give me. I feel relaxed and refreshed afterward.
c) I am eating well. Certain foods have negative effects on my body, so I try to stay away from them.
 
I've noticed that drinking a lot of soda and eating a lot of junk food, like chips, i end up lethargic and that lethargy can make aspie symptoms worse. Too much caffeine close to bed will keep me up at night and then the next day aspie symptoms are way more obvious than i'd like, prone to shutdowns or meltdowns. I find that if i focus on having full, at least somewhat well rounded meals, and less snack food, and drink more water then i feel better energy wise. I have issues getting to sleep to begin with let alone if i drink soda after dinner, but i don't limit it as much as i should.

I myself am experimenting with a healthier diet - whole grain bread instead of white bread, organic breakfast burritos, 100% natural or organic ingredients where feasible. I'd like to go organic someday when i finish my degree and can afford it (and am not living at home where i can't control everything).

I've also found that there is a such thing as 'too much sleep' for me. Ideally nothing beyond 7-9 hours of sleep is best for me, nothing beyond that or else i just end up tired and lethargic as if i got too little sleep.
 
DH and I have been working on improving our diets for well over a decade now, and yet my symptoms still got so significantly worse due to life circumstances that I was finally able to put a label on what I had.

However, I do notice that even as things have been so difficult lately...when I slip up and let myself have too much caffeine or sugar, or even too much sleep (7 hours is ideal for me), then that can play a part in a mood crash. Exercise helps a little bit, taking the right supplements seems to help. Quality alone time is one of the most important pieces, and learning how to ride the waves of energy so I get my work done without having to plow through a heavy workload when I'm crashing makes a difference, too.
 
Becoming de-sensetized to your surroundings through CBT worked for me. I was able to breeze through the things I found difficult (socializing, walking outside, using public transport and etc) through enough exposure. This allowed me to use the traits which give me an advantage a lot more and the only trait which leaves me with a disadvantage is my sensitive hearing.
 
Good suggestion, and all within reach :) I start CBT in January, I'll buy a treadmill this week... after CBT I'll focus on my diet, cause I dont eat junk food or sugar or coffee but I could certainly still improve it with the suggestions. Thank you all.
Anyone taking specific supplements or gone gluten free?
 
No. I wouldn't take any supplements unless your doc says too. If you don't eat a well rounded diet take a general multivitamin. If u must take somdthng without talking to your doc then T least do your research first, with good reputable medical websites. Sorry for spelling errors its really hard typing on my phone.
 
Thanks Kari Suttle. I just read about a bio-hair analysis that a doctor/nutritionist does to detect what you need more of... I'm really hopeful that it can give me insight, so I'm going to talk to my doctor and see what he thinks about that :) at the least it should help me understand how different food groups effect me :)
 
I take a fish oil supplement, magnesium complex, maca root (helps balance hormones but doesn't include any hormones), Vit D3, and a visual support supplement (with blueberry, Vit C, that kind of thing).

The fish oil, maca root, and Vit D3 are specifically to help stabilize my mood, among other things. I research the brands/providers of all of these, and put a lot of time into determining which forms are healthiest (like using Vit D3 specifically, and magnesium citrate instead of other forms of magnesium). This stuff isn't rocket science. And it really helps me to manage my symptoms without medications, though it's not a magic formula, either, and so has to be used in concert with other strategies. There's no one-size-fits-all formula with supplements, so it takes some trial and error, in addition to good research, to figure out what will work best for you. But don't be afraid of it just because it doesn't come from a doctor. Not saying it's right for everyone, either...just nothing to be afraid of. :)
 
I find that stress, certain times of the month (females) and migraines can make the symptoms worse, especially sensory problems. Also, I have a tendency to eat the same thing several days running and that's probably not helping matters either. Eating a balanced diet, and plenty of exercise, a daily walk somewhere peaceful, around a lake, by the sea or a river helps a lot - water calms me down. Also, I avoid doing anything too stimulating late at night because then my mind is racing and I can't get to sleep.
 
I take a mutlivitamin but other than being a weird thing to swallow each morning I haven't noticed it having an impact on me when I take it or don't. For the most part I don't notice if food quality affects me. Exercising does improve my mood tremendously, but I haven't been able to do it in months and it's certainly having an impact on my stress level.
 
Eating a low cholesterol diet now having vegan chocolate for indigestion wheat ,rice ,corn ,breakfast cereals help,plain stir fries with boiled rice and Chinese curry sauce for cold and viruses with boiled rice ,salad very rarely but definitely good in hot weather,lying horizontally helps with shutdown/meltdown ^-^
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New Threads

Top Bottom