Autistic Inertia and Nervous System Regulation in People on the Autism Spectrum #momonthespectrum

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[Paula_Limberg]

YES! Funny that I’ve used this word to describe my experience even before I knew much about autism. Nowadays, when people at work ask me why I stayed late, I say, “I was on a roll, so I kept rolling!”

[thegracklepeck]

Transitions can make me feel incredibly stressed

[nathanjw]

I have described transitions as being a truck when everyone is driving a motorcycle the stopping distance is longer

[angsfeatheredfriends]

I start playing a video game I hate stopping so much. Even to pee. I get pissed off. Like really angry. Which is so stupid cause everyone has to pee lol. Even worse is when someone asks for help when I am in a hyper focus session.

[mariaeugenia]

I'm saying I'm battling inertia since I learned what inertia was, as a kid. Turns out this is a whole thing. Huh!

I relate to this for everything I do (or don't do). But the most difficult thing for me is sleep, my whole life it was always an eternal battle with sleep. Cause once I'm awake, I don't ever want to sleep again, no matter how tired I am, but once I'm asleep I don't ever want to move or get up.. I have to actively concentrate and focus on doing things everyday so I can maybe sleep at night and wake up again the next day at reasonable hours. Sleep is never a "natural thing" for me, it's work. When I'm depressed it gets much worse it's a living nightmare (pun intended).

[jennasink]

Lol, every sentence you said, I was like, “Me. Me. Yeah, that’s also me.” You explain it really well!

[craigcarter]

I totally did the autistic zone out a lot growing up

[B.cest-la-vie]

I recognized this when in high school drafting class. Starting a drawing was the most difficult thing of all for me.

[passaggioalivello]

I can totally relate. Every stop is emotionally painful.

[sueannevangalen]

I experienced extreme inertia all summer long when I just wanted to be writing all day, every day and it was extremely annoying when I had to stop and make supper, for example. I was able to force myself to stop for a few days if my head started swimming and it became hard to concentrate anymore. I'm not sure what that was all about. Anyway, yes, this is very relatable ☺️

[nicoled.]

this is why I used to call myself a workaholic, I have to set a timer to make myself leave. I have never had any company compensate me for this OT, so I realized I should not kill myself for them. Now I go home and work on my own projects/hobbies instead.

[Fer-De-Lance]

Thank you Taylor. I put in over 60 hours last week. This week went okay even though I was not happy with how much I was worked. Then I had to transition to another project for tomorrow and had to stop and talk with my boss. But I am all ready for tomorrow.

[BillieGote]

Ty4 this! I wish this format (video shorts, or a transcript of them) was shareable in a way that would be acceptably(?) informative to counselors and therapists. I'm so exhausted from a lifetime of trying to explain myself and being dismissed, or not believed, it would just be easier to share videos like this that I relate to and might speak for me. I want to seed the conversation to guide therapists toward a more enlightening line of inquiry for both sides.

The engineer in me would love to see the distinction between inertia and momentum reflected in terms of autistic experience. Both are aspects of the Conservation of Energy: an object at rest tends to stay at rest (inertia), and an object in motion tends to stay in motion (momentum).

When we are fixated on a task or aspect of a project, doesn't "autistic momentum" provide a more positive view on what is happening at that moment... as well as being more technically accurate from a physics standpoint. 🤓 To call it inertia when one is locked on course, in nearly unstoppable motion (especially when in glorious hyperspeed) feels like a judgment that entirely dismisses the autistic process, the skill/ability to focus and persevere like that, and what could be accomplished if encouraged, supported, and sustainably balanced with our human needs.

[leenaparsons]

I find it really helpful to visualize, in detail, what it would look like to do the activity I'm trying to transition into. It's almost like I don't fully understand the concept of what I'm about to do, and it feels overwhelming, so visualizing it seto by step really helps. I literally sit on the couch and do something calming while I visualize. I take my time, but it results in less anxiety and inertia overall.

[elizabethfindlay]

Thank you. I definitely deal with this.

[butternutsquash]

Inertia made advancing my career almost impossible. I was good at all the parts, very thorough and insightful, but the constant need to put everything down and switch gears was exhausting! Good to know this is normal. I thought I was broken.

[hispoiema]

I don’t know if it was you or somebody else but I think I heard somebody say that if you’re doing nothing that it’s hard to stop doing nothing. So you don’t have to be doing something to stop doing it you could be doing nothing to stop doing it. But I might be confused because to me that sounds like demand avoidance. Well, I’m still learning.

[debbieespanol]

I love watching your videos. I think it's because I have PTSD and I too don't feel like a normal person I don't react like a normal person I don't think like a normal person. So grateful. I also love learning new things. One thing you mentioned in this video is how difficult it is to stop doing things or to start new things that I can relate to big time. Keep up the good work. By the way your earrings are really pretty and they compliment your eyes.

[katyjean]

I am so grateful for you my friend. You are my favorite new find on the entire internet this month. I am soaking up everything you are giving to me. Thank you.

[robbiegibson]

Thank you. This explains so much to me about myself and a few things that I see in my adult son.