Neurotransmitters Flow in this Autism Mind

How Your Posture Can Influence Your Emotions - Tips for Autistics

Did you know that the way you sit or stand can impact how you feel? Research by Peper and Lin (2012) has shown that adopting certain body positions can significantly influence your emotional state. For example, sitting upright can boost your mood and energy levels, while slouching can make you feel more down or even depressed.

Why This Matters for Autistics

For many autistics, understanding and managing emotions can be a unique challenge. However, becoming aware of how body posture affects feelings can be a simple yet effective tool for emotional regulation.

Here’s how posture can help:

Boost Mood: Standing or sitting up straight can naturally elevate your mood and increase your energy levels.
Manage Emotions: When feeling anxious or low, adjusting your posture to a more upright position can help improve your emotional state.
Easy to Implement: This strategy doesn’t require any special equipment or training. Just being mindful of your posture can make a difference!

Quick Tips to Try:

Check Your Posture: Throughout the day, notice if you’re slouching. Straighten up to see if it changes how you feel.
Practice Mindfulness: Engage in activities like stretching or gentle yoga to improve body awareness and posture.
Encourage Awareness: Have people around you check in on you and perhaps gently remind you about posture as a tool for emotional management.

By paying attention to your body position, you can take control of your emotional well-being in a simple and effective way. Give it a try and see how a small change in posture can make a big difference!

Peper, E., & Lin, I. (2012). Increase or decrease depression: How body postures influence your energy level. Biofeedback, 40(3), 125-130.- They found that an upright posture can promote a more positive mood and energy levels, while a slumped posture can lead to increased feelings of depression.

Understanding Autistic Inertia

PlainSpeak. In Plain Language for the Lay Audience

Newton's Law of Inertia

Newton's Law of Inertia says that an object will stay still if it's already still, and if it's moving, it will keep moving in the same direction and speed unless something makes it change.

Autistic Inertia

We use this idea to describe how some autistic people have trouble starting or stopping tasks.

Starting Tasks: Just like an object at rest, some autistic people find it hard to begin tasks. They might feel stuck and need something to help them get going.
Stopping Tasks: Once they start a task, it can be hard to stop. They might keep doing the same thing over and over, like being stuck in a loop.

This difficulty also affects:

Switching Between Tasks: Changing from one activity to another can be tough.
Adjusting to Changes: Adapting to new environments or situations can be challenging.
Maintaining Focus: Staying focused on a task can be hard, but so can switching off that focus when needed.
Decision Making and Planning: Making decisions, planning, and following through with plans can be difficult.
Mental Health: Anxiety and depression can make these challenges worse.

Even if someone knows they need to start or stop a task, they might feel stuck and unable to do so, which can be exhausting. This can lead to burnout, where they feel completely worn out.

Causes

Autistic inertia can be caused by:

Sensory Overload: Too much sensory input can make it hard to start or stop tasks.
Motor Issues: Problems with movement and coordination.
Executive Dysfunction: Difficulty with planning and organizing.
Anxiety: High levels of anxiety can make these challenges worse.

This can make it hard to finish tasks, meet deadlines, and stick to a schedule for work or school, often leading to burnout.

Advantages

Sometimes, autistic inertia can help with hyper-focus, allowing someone to deeply concentrate on learning a specific topic.

Misconceptions

Autistic inertia is often misunderstood as laziness or lack of motivation. It can affect anyone, regardless of their support needs or ability to speak. It can be even more complex for those with movement issues, sensory challenges, and coordination problems.

What Can Help

To help manage autistic inertia:

Use Reminders: Set reminders on your watch or calendar.
Get Support: Ask others for help when needed.

Everyone’s needs are different, so the type and amount of help will vary from person to person.

2 Versions of this Post

For the Academic/Scientific Audience

PlainSpeak. In Plain Language For the Lay Audience

Hybrid as an accommodation

Hybrid as an accommodation gets to the heart of some of the core features of autism: social communication challenges and sensory sensitivities.

- Hari Srinivasan, Fortune

Read full article at https://fortune.com/2023/07/27/flexible-work-critics-using-same-arguments-were-used-oppose-disabled-ramps-closed-captioning-equity-access-never-optional-remote-work-careers-hari-srinivasan/

Being more disabled often means that you have to meet a higher bar (that is both undefined and a moving target) to be considered for inclusion.

An important reminder

"Disability only becomes a tragedy when society fails to provide the things needed to lead one's daily life." - Judy Heumann (Disability Rights Activist)

"Positive psychology should help autistics move beyond surviving to thriving and flourishing." - Hari Srinivasan

Hostile Attribution Bias

Autism Lexicon: Hostile Attribution Bias

Hostile attribution bias is a cognitive tendency to interpret ambiguous behaviors of others as having hostile intent or leading to hostile outcomes. In autism, this bias is linked to social communication challenges and a heightened sensitivity to perceived social threats.

PlainSpeak: Hostile attribution bias is when someone thinks others are being mean on purpose, even if it's not clear. In autism, this happens more often because autistic people can struggle with understanding social cues and might feel more easily threatened.

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Read more on Hostile Attribution Bias: [Version for Scientific/Academic Audience], [PlainSpeak for the Lay Reader], [A Simple Definition]

Related Posts on [Neuroception], [Negative Attribution Bias]

Troubling Story on Care Neglect

https://lawandcrime.com/crime/i-didnt-think-it-was-that-hot-today-caregiver-left-nonverbal-man-with-autism-to-die-in-hot-car-while-he-worked-2nd-job-as-a-school-janitor-sheriff-says/

Another story of neglect. Devastating.

https://www.peasepress.com/product-page/essential-truths-the-bay-area-in-color

Troubling Article about an autistic teen jailed

https://lawandcrime.com/crime/student-with-autism-who-attacked-teacher-aide-in-nintendo-switch-outburst-faces-sentencing/

Who Autism Research Leaves Out

Read at https://time.com/6299599/autism-research-limited-essay/

I find that despite all the careers, promotions, and profits being made by thousands of autism-experts, the state of autism interventions right now is one hot mess. In reality, there still are no real “experts” in autism because there is no one-size fits all model.

-Hari Srinivasan, Time

Resilience is the capacity to keep going, even when we're tired and worn out. - Hari Srinivasan

https://www.dailycal.org/2018/03/15/first-transitions