Autistic burnout 12 months after diagnosis
This blog post is the final in a series of stories I’ve written to coincide with the first-year anniversary of my Autism diagnosis, so it seemed fitting to end where…
Burnout battles
Life and the great Autism trade off
A few weeks ago, the occupational therapist I’ve been working with asked me if I wanted to talk about accommodations for when I return to work. That I experienced a…
The Pixies to 100 Gecs: Music therapy for the burned out Autistic soul
As I type, I’m listening to 100 Gecs (‘Hollywood Baby’…er, now ‘757’, gotta type more, listen less!), my latest favourite band. I first came across ‘the Gecs’ on Triple J…
What to consider when embarking on an Autism diagnosis
When I was 20, a long time ago now!, I went to my GP feeling sick, with symptoms that included a sore throat, fever, a stuffy nose, and headaches. He…
A tale of two trips to the mountains
Last December, my wife and I took a trip to the rural town of Montville on the Blackall Range in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. It was a cabin in the…
The enduring benefits of slowness (and how it’s helping me through Autistic burnout)
When I was younger, one of my favourite books was Slowness by Czech-French novelist Milan Kundera. At the time, I was aged in my 20s and living life ‘slowly’: single,…
Life before, during, and hopefully after, Autistic burnout
As I wrote in a story for Reframing Autism, at the beginning of 2022 it felt as though I had hit a wall – a huge, 10-metre-thick concrete wall infused…
What is Autistic masking and why do we do it?
I used to think I knew myself well – but now I’m not so sure. That’s because, since my Autism diagnosis, I don’t always know where ‘Autistic Glenn’ and ‘masking…
When it comes to life, I’ve never understood the algorithm
In episode five of season three of ‘Barry’, a fantastic dark comedy about a hitman who discovers the joy of acting while scoping out a target, Sally, Barry’s girlfriend, has…
Why my NDIS application was, ultimately, successful
Nobody thought my application to the NDIS would be successful. Not the psychiatrist who first saw me, nor the clinical psychologist who went through hours of diagnostic testing and Q&A…
Sorry I ghosted you: an Autism relationship tale
This post doubles as an apology. One I feel I need to offer after researching ‘ghosting’ and its effects on the person left behind. In my case, I’m referring to…
Centrelink gave me a hangover
As I type, I feel like last night I had one too many red wines. But that isn’t what happened. I didn’t have anything to drink last night, or the…
Looking to the past in my battle against Autistic burnout
This might sound like a strange one. But after living my entire 52 years not knowing that I’m Autistic (to this point at least – hopefully there’s a bit more…