One of the first topics we start with in the 1-to-1 coaching sessions and in the group sessions is stress signals. And of course specifically autism and stress signals. What is a signal for you that you are starting to feel stressed? How does your stress feel? How can you notice the stress you have? Many people have no idea about this in themselves and feel that stress or over-stimulation suddenly happens to them.
It is important for everyone to sense when you start to get stressed, so that you can make sure your stress level drops again. If you have autism, this is even more important, because stress is often caused by a higher or lower sensitivity to stimuli. People with (suspected) autism are often sensitive to stress. It also often takes a long time to recover from stress. What might those stress signals in autism be?
What might those stress signals in autism be? Maybe you already knew this, but it’s just super hard to look at this in a good way for yourself. Because the stress keeps coming at you, instead of you being able to see it building up.
It is extra important for people with (suspected) autism to have insight into their own stress (build-up) and to pay close attention to it. But what should you pay attention to? And how to avoid being hugely over-stimulated afterwards, but not being able to prevent your stress from building up like that.
As mentioned, in my programm, this is one of the first things we work on. Because it’s so important to have a good understanding of your stress signals. And from there you can move on to learning to take care of yourself in the right way.
What you may start with when discovering your stress signals, is examining what your stress looks like. What are signs that your stress is building up?
You can pay attention to several things with stress signals, such as how you feel physically, what is going on psychologically, what thoughts you have and what you do, i.e. how you react to stress.
Some examples of things you might notice are :
Do you recognise signs in yourself that indicate stress? Do you have things you recognise when you are stressed that have not been mentioned here? Let me know in a comment.
If you have a clear understanding of the stress signals that apply to you, you will know that you need calm and overview as soon as you notice the signals. You can then do the right things to reduce stress.
At a time when you feel calm, make a list of things you can do to get rest and relaxation. Of course, this is different for everyone, but think about going for a walk, reading, cuddling with the dog or cat, colouring, gaming.
It is useful to make a list of the things that feel good for you to do and that will calm and relax you. This is because the moment you feel the need for rest and relaxation, it is often very difficult to think of what to do. Whereas when you have a list, all you have to do is choose from the things you like to do, something that can and fits at that moment.
So make sure your list includes several things you can do outside and inside. And that you can do alone or with others.
Do you find it hard to recognise your stress in time? And especially knowing what to do at such moments? And are you having trouble understanding your stress and how it builds up?
Then request your free session now! In this session we will discuss what you are struggling with and how I can help you. Your session of about 30 minutes will take place in my practice or via Teams.
Request your session here.
By the way, did you know that employers often have budgets for employees that can be used for personal coaching and programmes such as Rest and Balance at Work?
Would you also like to learn how to divide your time and energy so that you can do the right things for you? So that you no longer constantly do what others want or expect of you? But so you can do the things you find important? So that you can also get rid of fatigue?
Request your session here.
