Autism and Mental Health: Practical Advice for Managing Your Mental Health

21 May

Written By Emily

Last month, I wrote a rather depressing but important blog post on why so many autistic people struggle with their mental health. Read it here. As promised, I’m back with some practical advice on managing mental health as an autistic person.

Firstly, I want to acknowledge that managing mental health is different to managing a mental health condition. Everyone has mental health - just like everyone has physical health - and we all need to look after it. However, not everyone has a mental health condition. These tips are focused on managing your mental health on a day to day basis, rather than managing a specific condition. I do have other blog posts targeting anxiety, depression and OCD. So let’s delve into these tips.

Advice for Managing Your Mental Health as an Autistic Person:

Make use of your special interests
I think special interests are an autistic brain’s in-built coping mechanism. They can help us to understand the world, recover from burnout, connect with people, feel joy and establish a purpose, though that’s not to say they can’t get in the way too.
I think it is important to…
- Prioritise spending time on your special interests when you’re feeling vulnerable.
- Schedule time in your week to engage with it.
- Join related groups - local Facebook groups are a great place to ask about any potential groups you could join!

“Special interests, I think, are essential for an autistic person’s navigation of life. They can provide a structure, a certainty, around which the individual can build their life. They can provide an escape, where enjoyment and relaxation can be sought when the demands and stress of daily life are too much. When the person is able to base their job or socialisation around this interest, it can help them to make friends, to have positive interactions with others and to have a fulfilling career - because, contrary to popular belief, a lot of autistic people do want these things.”

— Emily Katy, 'Girl Unmasked'

2. Don’t underestimate the impact of your physical health
Around 1 in 6 adults have low levels of vitamin D, which can affect our mood and cause other symptoms. Around 1 in 5 people don’t get enough sleep, which also affects our mental health.
If you are feeling low or lacking energy, it is important to get this checked to rule out physical health causes.

3. Find an outlet

We all need a way to release our emotions. For some people, this may be talking to and sharing with others. But often this isn’t enough, and for some of us sharing with others can be hard.

We can find outlets through…
- Sports or exercise
- Journaling, either just in a notebook or invest in a structured journal (e.g. Lovendu)
- Music

4. Make a plan for bad days

I know that the last thing I want to do when I am not feeling good is make decisions, and decision paralysis can be what stops me from getting out of bed. To try to avoid this, I have a list on my phone with a few bullet points of what I should do. If I can see this step-by-step, I find it much easier to actually do it.

My list includes:
- Washing my face instead of showering
- Opening the window instead of going outside
- Changing into clean pyjamas instead of getting dressed
- Making my bed and then getting under my weighted blanket

Making my bed can be the hardest step, but I know that it makes me feel slightly better immediately! But the most important thing is to not put any pressure on yourself to do what you think you should be doing, but rather setting goals you believe could be manageable for you.

The Charlie Waller Trust has a wellbeing action plan on their website, which could be helpful. There is one for young people, one for adults, and one for children.

5. Connect with other autistic people

I really believe that this is one of the most important things. Knowing you are not alone (which you aren’t!) and knowing that there are others out there who feel similarly to you and who have experienced similar things to you can be life-changing.

There are peer support groups in different areas and there is of course the online community, but you could also try keeping an eye out for local events such as autistic author events, or through organisations such as Unmasked.

6. Think about your sensory environment

Your sensory wellbeing is just as important as other forms of wellbeing, because you, as an autistic person, experience the sensory world differently. Our sensory sensitivities can make day to day life difficult to tolerate, and increase our stress and anxiety. Like Beardon (2017) says, autism + environment = outcome. The positive thing is though, that just as we can be sensitive to challenging sensory stimulus, we can also find calming sensory environments healing. Think of northern lights projectors, weighted blankets, music, comfy clothes, lava lamps, fidget toys, LED lighting etc.

“Research studies have found that autistic people have an increased auditory perceptual capacity, meaning that our brains process more sensory information at any one time than non-autistic people’s brains. This can lead to heightened levels of sensory sensitivities.”

— Emily Katy, 'Girl Unmasked'

7. Remember you are entitled to reasonable adjustments

Reasonable adjustments can be the difference between us engaging in an activity and not, or us enjoying an activity or finding it incredibly overwhelming and stressful. Finding everyday life overwhelming and stressful will inevitably take a toll on our mental health.

Autistic people are entitled to reasonable adjustments under The Equality Act 2010. There is no definitive list of what reasonable adjustments include, but there are lots of suggestions online for different environments.

You may find reading my blog posts on work and school helpful.

8. Seek professional help when needed

I know that this often isn’t easy and that there are barriers to accessing this. But you are entitled to the help you need, and there are pockets of great care out there which can be really helpful.

- Speak to your GP: your GP can look at referrals to other services which may be able to support you, and consider what may be affecting your mental health (for example physical health conditions, medication, vitamin deficiencies).
- Schools: many schools now have Mental Health Support Teams working with them to provide earlier intervention. They may have a school counsellor, or access to online wellbeing platforms such as Kooth.
- Universities: Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) can provide specialist equipment such as a laptop, a mental health or neurodivergent support mentor, a study skills mentor and specialist software to help with planning and note-taking.
- Work: workplaces often have their own mental health support hubs or links which they can refer you to. You can also apply for Access to Work to access ADHD coaching or the mental health support service.
- Peer support: this can be just as valuable, if not more valuable! Look at local charities and local Facebook groups to see what is available online or in your area.
- Counselling or therapy: if you are in the position to pay for counselling or therapy, the Association of Neurodivergent Therapists has a directory of neurodivergent professionals which may be useful.
- Crisis lines and other support organisations, for example Shout, YoungMinds and The Mix, all offer their own 1-1 messenger services and a wealth of resources on their wbeistes.

Please remember, that you are not broken. The world may have taught you that different means broken, but that isn’t true. Your experiences may have been painful, but in time you will heal. You are perfectly imperfect. Your brain might work a bit differently to other people’s brains. But you will find different ways of doing things that work for you, in time. Stop comparing yourself to people whose brains are wired completely differently to yours. You are trying to squeeze into a mould that wasn’t made for you.

What practical advice would you give to other autistic people?