People Don’t Owe You Their Downtime! And I Don’t Mean This In A Harsh Way, But In A “quit Breaking

when god closes a door you reach your little paws under it and go mrrwwaaaooow mmreeaaow

A personal vent - this is my experience and may not reflect other autistic experiences.

Approximately 16% of Autistics are in full-time work.

Approximately 32% are in some form of paid work.

I am in the 16%. And it fucking sucks.

"You are doing so well!" No. I'm not. I'm mentally extremely unwell and in constant burnout. But it's either this or being homeless.

"You must be high functioning then." Besides the terminology, it's kinda a no, too. I high mask. I don't function at home. I can barely take care of myself. It's all fake.

"Count your blessings!" No. This is a curse for me because I was late diagnosed and forced to live NT for 36 years of my life. I am not coping and I am not happy on an autistic level.

I don't go out, I can't watch shows or movies because I'm too exhausted, week-ends are barely enough recovery time, I'm in therapy that's holding the flood at bay just barely.

"You should just quit." I can't. We would lose everything and in the current economy my husband's income is not enough. We'd lose the house, the cars, the cats (which are like my children). And finding another job that pays me $29+ an hour for what I do isn't easy or a guarantee it won't be worse for me.

"You are so lucky to be able to work." I'm not. Please, my sweet dumplings... understand that I'm not.

Being a young adult is so strange. You enter a coffee shop. The 20 year old girl waiting behind you cried all night because she just came to a new city for university and she feels so alone. That 27 year old guy over there works a job he is overqualified for, he lives with his parents and wants to move out but doesn't know what to do about it. That one 24 year old dude already has a car, a house, and a job waiting for him once he graduates thanks to his dad's connections. The 26 year old barista couldn't complete his higher education because he has to work and take care of his family. The 28 year old girl sitting next to you has no friends to go out with so she is texting her mother. That couple (both 25 years old) are married and the girl is pregnant. The 29 year old writing something on her laptop has realized that she chose the wrong major so she is trying to start all over. We are not alone in this, but we are actually so alone. Do you feel me

hey, don't cry. one cup heavy whipping cream, two tablespoons granulated sugar, three tablespoons cocoa powder and whisk until stiff peaks form for three ingredient chocolate mousse, okay?

i feel like no one really wants to hear that sleep/exercise/nutrition/hydration are major factors in treating mental health issues bc we’ve all talked to that person who thinks your depression would be cured by one good session of goat yoga or whatever but unfortunately they do help and i’m chronically annoyed about it

It’s wild when you’re disabled and have adapted your entire life to be able to function even a little bit and people will still think you’ve “given up” or “let the illnesses win” because you allow yourself to rest. Grind mindset is garbage.

The thing is, what's happening in Palestine is extremely triggering to me. I was 8 years old when the U.S. invaded iraq in 2003. I was on the other side of the world as the death of my people in mass was paraded as a political tactic, was normalized and made mundane. My whole world fell apart. Nothing was the same. And even 20 years later, it affects every aspect of my life. In a lot of ways, my life will never not be ruled by the ghost of the war that haunted my very existence. And now, and now I'm watching in real time as that same propaganda, that same zeal for the death of Palestinians sweep up an entire nation, all dressed up in rhetoric of humanity, of stopping terrorism, of "has a right to defend itself". And the places and the people I once considered safe bare their teeth and snarl at any dissent, any objection. They look at you with suspicion. Will you condemn the terror? What a brutal reminder of my conditional citizenship to this country, my conditional belonging to this community. A brutal reminder that I will only ever truly be accepted, if I am palatable

Unpopular opinion: All games should have the option to enable pausing.

And to save almost everywhere.

Yes even in soulslike games.

I am an adult who has a full time job and responsibilities. I get to play maybe an hour a week. I do not want to lose that hour of progress because devs decided 'pause' was not allowed in their game and I had sudden unexpected things come up that meant I had to quit the game without saving/leave it playing and hope enemies wouldn't respawn.

Also it would massively increase accessability. I have fully working non-injured hands and they still need a break after a tough boss fight. I can't imagine how frustrating it must be for people with joint pain, arthritis, etc, etc.

"Back during the pandemic" "when covid was still a thing"

Covid is killing over 1000 Americans each week. Covid is the 3rd leading cause of death in the US. Covid is still spreading and mutating. Only 16% of Americans have gotten their boosters in a "vaccine only" strategy to fight the disease (that doesn't work because vaccinated people can and do catch and spread covid). Covid is still a very real threat to you and those you love. Stop talking about it in the past tense. Stop living a lie. It's not 2019. You'll never live in a "post covid" world. Our wishes for "normal" have destroyed any chance of a true end to the pandemic unless we act. Mask up and stop the spread if you really want to past-tense covid.

One day you think: I want to die. And then you think, very quietly, actually I want a coffee. I want a nap. A sandwich. A book. And I want to die turns day by day into I want to go home, I want to walk in the woods, I want to see my friends, I want to sit in the sun. I want a cleaner room, I want a better job, I want to live somewhere else, I want to live.