Category: Coping with Aspergers

Peace and Freedom

Posted on by Gregory Wood

Due to my Aspergers and anxiety issues I tend to hyper focus on my problems, conflicts with people, etc. I learned this as a result of having to overcome so many problems in obtaining my education. Hyper focus was my strength.  Hyper focus was a plus in the school environment but not so good with my people skills and the work environment of sales, customer service positions that require flexibility in thinking and tasks.  In my volunteer capacity at the Red Cross there is no structure in the job tasks I perform.  I have been in a disaster operation with the organization, which causes a great deal of stress for me in trying to do a good job and working with people I do not know, and therefore don’t know their pattern of behavior. When I am overwhelmed I will lash out in frustration.  Once the operation has settled down and I am performing a routine task that is suited to me than I am at peace.   

Part of my goal in freedom and peace of mind is to have structure where I can manage my anxiety and rigid thinking as I interact with people.  All my adult life I felt if I could be the expert and not have to rely on people skills. I would have been more peaceful in my work environment if I could have done that.  When I would tell people it was very often discounted so when I worked in services where I had to interact with people, I thought they must be right. 

In the past when I was cornered I would quit or leave a relationship or environment.  Being sent away from home taught me that. In order to create peace and reduce my anxiety I have had help in learning coping skills to calm my mind. One of the mantras I use is,  “I can not control it”.   That pulls me out and gives my mind a break. 

Energy with Nancy

Posted on by Gregory Wood

A major challenge for me in addition to my Asbergers is anxiety, which in my marriage shows up in the ever changing dynamics of my wife’s choices. In addition the constant verbal abuse from my wife, it also takes a toll on my body’s energy system.

When I first came back to start on a year’s program of acupuncture and energy healing, my health needed to be rebuilt. I had been in the hospital for what I thought was the flu and turned out to be septic shock. After a year of stressful living with my wife and financially supporting her and her kids, I was worn out mentally. I was also trying to recover from the loss of my father who was my rock. We started a program to rebuild my health physically and mentally.   

When I first started the program I would receive acupuncture and energy healing with some discussion. Over the course of a year it has been a progression of learning body awareness skills like grounding, breathing, and mantras. This support provides safety with a place and routine to learn how to take care of my self and learning boundaries. The hardest boundaries were creating financial ones and now I have a safe structure in place. My next goal is to cut out the verbal abuse.

One of the first things my healer gave me was a rock that looks like a egg as a symbol to help me center myself. While on the Chi machine we moved my body and used color therapy.  Colored glasses, blue and red, helped with my centering. My favorite was yellow because it reminded me of the sun and sometimes would bring light into my sad mind. I would take a step forward in my efforts and at times three steps back. The yellow glasses would pull me out of that mood. The next step is to get me into a workout routine with a trainer. Then, the next step in the healing process is to study the four agreements. Learning some of the concepts will help me reduce my mental stress and improve relationships with people.