Routine for Autistic Adults - How Good Routines Help Self-Regulation

I’ve noticed that routines that involves people are extremely distressing for me, but routines that involve daily tasks (and no people) are more calming.

The video freeze from 3:48 to 4:18

3:49 Folks, it's not your computer messing up, it's the video! 😂

I find that a routine gives me a sense of purpose, and helps to regulate my blood circulation. I work with homeless men out of a sense of social justice. Routine helps me to work efficiently and accurately. My mental well-being is sharply maintained. I always try to keep the cognitive ability crisp, and focused on new skills.

Setting up phone alarms have helped me tremendously. I’m essentially time blind and struggle with transitions (AuDHD), so a simple ‘time check’ alarm to let me know a transition is coming makes them less stressful. On iPhones, you can set them to repeat on specific days, allowing me alter the alarms for work days versus off days. Choosing different chimes for different activities helps as well. I turned off work alarms for vacation and realized my brain had been so well conditioned to expect the alarm I anticipated the task normally scheduled at that time.

I have routines for eating (same foods), exercising, cleaning, and sleeping. My system is quite regular, which allows me more energy to pursue my interests.

Not only do I get good advice on how to cope with my autism, but I get a heavy hit of nostalgia through the t-shirt 👍

This reminds me of early elementary school, when I learned to go to the restroom every recess, whether I felt like I needed to go or not. Also another reminder of school is regulating my behavior based on bells.

I eat the same thing everyday. I love routine and structure

I'm a shift worker who is often required to work overtime at short notice and it feels damn near impossible to have any sort of routine. I'm pretty sure its damaging to my physical and mental wellbeing but, financially I'm a bit stuck, and a 9-5 means less time with my children. 😕

I think my ADD is what makes it so difficult for me to form stable routines. I get sucked into something that gives me happy brain chemicals and i get all amped up and don't want to go to bed. My sleep schedule has always been all over the place. It doesn't help that my ADD meds have worn off by that time of day.

The shoe thing yes. I would buy two pairs at a time and then they stopped making them. Sad.

Regarding point #1 - This is 100% me. Love wearing the same looking clothes every day Monday to Sunday and eating the same food every day Monday to Sunday. My clothes are monochromatic and I wear mostly (97%) black and sometimes gray or blue jeans when I am being wild. (Bright colors hurt my brain too much). I enjoy darks and colors of nature after rain, and neutrals. Then I perhaps change for the next week. This is kind of not very socially acceptable, so I try to modify a bit and conceal from people at work. I am careful about what I eat health wise and even if i was not overly structured about my food naturally, I’d have to be in order to eat well and nutritious, given that most random food around is hideous and unhealthy anyway. I do enjoy cooking and baking and experimenting with that when I am cooking for other people. I love cooking! When you look at animals (I learn a lot from them daily), they too eat pretty much the same thing every day and are healthier than humans. Those of them that we feed, well, their food is ultra processed and not healthy at all. When I was small my granny took me to buy new socks (this was a rare occasion that I’d be given anything, and especially new) and to her disappointment, I chose 7 pairs of the same looking socks, being excited to have the same ones for each day of the week. I ADORE routine and structure but ONLY the one created by ME for me. CAN’T stand others organising anything for me, especially school or work place (or any organisation or institution), which all are sources of pain for me, constantly trying to fit the square peg (me) into a round hole (the way they do things). Regarding point # 1 or 4 - Having a routine - sleep, nutrition and exercise/movement is crucial for people to feel well and thrive daily and long term, as well as to regulate nervous system, especially for people with traumas and Autism.

Apparently autistic people don't form habbits or at least not to extend that neuronormative do it. That why routine is a must. I heard it recently and it was an eyeopening thought.

Great content as always ☺ Might want to live edit that 30 second freeze out near the beginning (around 3:48) though, almost closed the video!

I had that exact experience when I traveled to Chicago last summer, just being away from home and breaking routine released all these relaxing energies

I am really really good at planning productivity routines on paper (or digitally), the end 😂 My autism is PDA-flavoured. Im learning that my routines are much more focused on creating flow and recovery and dont actually look like routines at all, even to me

Been to Taize 2x as well ❤ and regularly visit it in my mind, remembering the orange fabrics and deep relaxation. Only recently, at 41, realized I'm audhd

I enjoy meal routines such as Taco Tuesday. It helps me feel less stressed during grocery shopping, and each day of the week feels more predictable. Some may find that weird.

USE SUBTITLES FOR THE FROZEN SECTION Subtitles still show what Paul's saying, even though the footage gets stuck. Do that, so you don't have to waste time trying to figure out what he was saying for that lost 30 seconds!