6 Tips for Calming Autism-Related Anxiety

Autism and anxiety often go hand in hand. Research has shown that over half the amount of individuals who struggle with autism often deal with anxiety as well.

While anxiety is a common emotion that many people deal with throughout their lifetime, people with autism are more at risk of developing anxiety. Autism can make it difficult to express emotions or recognize social cues, which can leave a person with autism feeling left out or misunderstood. On top of that, there are a lot of different events or experiences that can cause overstimulation through lights, sounds, and too many people.

It's no wonder that individuals with autism can also struggle with anxiety. Just because it may be more common doesn't mean it's yet another thing that someone has to live with. Here are 6 tips for calming autism-related anxiety.

1. Educate Yourself

In order to calm autism-related anxiety, you must gain a better and clearer understanding of the potential causes and triggers. Knowing the reasons can help you become more aware so you can work towards managing or coping with them the next time you're exposed. Another way you can educate yourself is by becoming more aware of the early signs of anxiety. Knowing the signs can help you become more proactive rather than reactive.

2. Write in a Journal

Journaling is a great way to write down all the thoughts and emotions that you're experiencing in the moment that it's happening. Instead of holding those thoughts and emotions inside of yourself, you can release them in the pages of a notebook. This is a beneficial practice when facing anxiety, but it's just as great of a tool when used to look back on when you're in a better headspace. The journal entries can help you determine any potential causes, triggers, or coping mechanisms that worked or didn't work for you.

3. Practice Self-Care

Taking care of yourself is extremely important, especially when it comes to anxiety. Following a consistent schedule and routine can help you make sure that you're meeting your wants and needs and avoiding any potential triggers.

Taking care of yourself means eating a healthy and well-balanced diet, getting at least eight hours of sleep each night, and moving your body for at least thirty minutes each day. You can take care of yourself even more by making sure you have enough energy for extra tasks, to-dos, or extracurriculars and by finding time to relax and unwind.

4. Open and Honest Communication

Make sure you're openly and honestly communicating your wants and needs as well as your boundaries. You can communicate these different specifics to your family members, friends, and colleagues. This can ensure that they're not doing or saying anything that may trigger you. They can also lookout for any of your triggers to help you avoid them as well.

5. Stress Reduction Activities

Find activities and time throughout your day that you can partake in to naturally relieve stress levels. You can participate in activities like exercising, deep breathing, yoga, meditation, getting creative, and more. The best part about stress reduction activities is that they're unique to each individual. Find activities that help to reduce your stress and get after it.

6. Seek Additional Support

Living with autism and anxiety can feel overwhelming. If you need a little extra support, you're not alone. No one expects you to be able to juggle all of this all on your own. A licensed and trained mental health professional is there for you whenever you need it. You just have to be the one to reach out for it. When you're ready, we're here for you. Reach out today to set up an initial consultation.