Wonderful article! I related to this so much also as a late diagnosed autistic woman. Before knowing what was “wrong” with me, I kept waiting for the day I would “make it” in life as the result of all of the effort I put into my health and wellness routines. But now realizing that there exist some aspects of myself that I may never “fix,” I’ve been forced to do a lot more work on self acceptance, which as a result, is helping me be a lot more accepting of others and wherever they happen to be at in life. I totally relate to the trap that social media can cause, in incentivizing people to turn themselves into a brand. I see it so so often among people in wellness spheres. Great you’re aware of this and pushing back!
Welcome, Christina :) Thank you for your kind words, I'm happy this letter found you! I so relate to the years spent trying to 'fix' myself - I think that within this hyper-connected capitalist world it's likely that most people do this to some extent in their lives, but I feel that being late diagnosed autistic women we are likely to have taken it to a whole different level where it infiltrates every facet of our lives. There's a lot to unpick, but it's wonderful to be able to work on our self acceptance in community with others going through a similar process! Thank you so much for reading and subscribing :)
The last paragraph is why I have subscribed. You do that brilliantly, please don’t stop, not only does it help me form and shift my frames of reference it also reminds me that if you can do this so can I. Thank you x
I am relieved to hear this too as I'm contemplating going paid and I'm like what would I could consistently offer? What do I have the energy to offer? And I have no idea. It's so variable. Other than this is what I wrote down in my journal this week, etc.
These are such great questions to be considering before you take the plunge! I guess it is about working out what you bare minimum is, maybe, and starting there? Also, I think it's helping me to keep the container fairly unrestricted (e.g. a letter/journal entry) so that how I show up each week within that container can change depending on what I feel like sharing (e.g. a deep reflection, a more light-hearted update, or a sharing of resources). It was digging down into the detail that seemed to spark my demand avoidance, but we are all different so it might involve a bit of experimentation!
That is something I've been thinking about. Actually had two phone calls today about it so it's something I'm going to contemplate over this weekend when my folks are watching my kids.
Oh my goodness - thank you for framing the concept of 'the imagined future self'!! It's now a light bulb moment for me too and explains so much of how I lived my life until my breakdown last year and how I now need to avoid that trap from now on!! We have to be authentic and discover who we are and find out what works for us! So yes - please be you, as you're setting up a safe space for me to be me!! I get the feeling that there are lots of us who are on this journey together! I hope that makes sense! Thank you so much 🙏 xx
How wonderful to hear your experiences Natasha. Sometimes it's hard to put words to the subconscious forces that pull us towards defining our future selves, so when I connect with others who 'get it' I feel a sense of kinship. Thank you for sharing. 🙏❤️
And thank you for encouraging me to lean into being me by the way - It's a beautiful idea that by showing up as ourselves we unknowingly give permission to others to do the same! Xx❤️
Wonderful article! I related to this so much also as a late diagnosed autistic woman. Before knowing what was “wrong” with me, I kept waiting for the day I would “make it” in life as the result of all of the effort I put into my health and wellness routines. But now realizing that there exist some aspects of myself that I may never “fix,” I’ve been forced to do a lot more work on self acceptance, which as a result, is helping me be a lot more accepting of others and wherever they happen to be at in life. I totally relate to the trap that social media can cause, in incentivizing people to turn themselves into a brand. I see it so so often among people in wellness spheres. Great you’re aware of this and pushing back!
Welcome, Christina :) Thank you for your kind words, I'm happy this letter found you! I so relate to the years spent trying to 'fix' myself - I think that within this hyper-connected capitalist world it's likely that most people do this to some extent in their lives, but I feel that being late diagnosed autistic women we are likely to have taken it to a whole different level where it infiltrates every facet of our lives. There's a lot to unpick, but it's wonderful to be able to work on our self acceptance in community with others going through a similar process! Thank you so much for reading and subscribing :)
The last paragraph is why I have subscribed. You do that brilliantly, please don’t stop, not only does it help me form and shift my frames of reference it also reminds me that if you can do this so can I. Thank you x
That's beautiful Gayle, thank you for encouraging me to lean in. ♡
I am relieved to hear this too as I'm contemplating going paid and I'm like what would I could consistently offer? What do I have the energy to offer? And I have no idea. It's so variable. Other than this is what I wrote down in my journal this week, etc.
These are such great questions to be considering before you take the plunge! I guess it is about working out what you bare minimum is, maybe, and starting there? Also, I think it's helping me to keep the container fairly unrestricted (e.g. a letter/journal entry) so that how I show up each week within that container can change depending on what I feel like sharing (e.g. a deep reflection, a more light-hearted update, or a sharing of resources). It was digging down into the detail that seemed to spark my demand avoidance, but we are all different so it might involve a bit of experimentation!
That is something I've been thinking about. Actually had two phone calls today about it so it's something I'm going to contemplate over this weekend when my folks are watching my kids.
Oh my goodness - thank you for framing the concept of 'the imagined future self'!! It's now a light bulb moment for me too and explains so much of how I lived my life until my breakdown last year and how I now need to avoid that trap from now on!! We have to be authentic and discover who we are and find out what works for us! So yes - please be you, as you're setting up a safe space for me to be me!! I get the feeling that there are lots of us who are on this journey together! I hope that makes sense! Thank you so much 🙏 xx
How wonderful to hear your experiences Natasha. Sometimes it's hard to put words to the subconscious forces that pull us towards defining our future selves, so when I connect with others who 'get it' I feel a sense of kinship. Thank you for sharing. 🙏❤️
Yes I feel a sense of kinship too 💖
And thank you for encouraging me to lean into being me by the way - It's a beautiful idea that by showing up as ourselves we unknowingly give permission to others to do the same! Xx❤️
All of this spoke to so much Charlie. Thankyou for sharing your unique self with us and giving us the opportunity to show up as our true self too.
♡ thank you for reading my letter and taking the time to share your thoughts Caroline.
This is such a great article. I related to it so much. My brain works similarly. Thanks for sharing yours with us. 💓