10/23/23

Dr Jac den Houting on Autistic Wellbeing

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get through this really difficult time

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that we're all finding ourselves in at

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the moment so one of the things that the

How I thrive

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team at reframing autism have asked me

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to talk about is when I thrive for me

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personally I feel like I really thrive

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when I have the sense that I am

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achieving something or that I am somehow

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being productive or doing something that

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I love and that I'm really passionate

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about and for me a really big thing that

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fits into that category is my work I'm

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really lucky to to have a job that I am

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passionate about like a lot of people at

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the moment I'm working from home and

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that's been a big change in a big

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transition and it was definitely

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difficult to start off with but it's

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it's something that I've settled into a

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little bit and I think it's been really

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beneficial for me to be able to to spend

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that time still doing what I would

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usually do still doing my work and still

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feeling like I am producing something

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and hopefully contributing in a way that

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will make a positive difference in

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people's lives and a very similar thing

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as my advocacy work that is also a way

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that I can feel like I am hopefully

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making a difference and making a

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contribution and some more personal and

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some more personal things I do to help

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me feel productive I have a lot of

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hobbies that are I guess quite

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productive hobbies I do things like

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knitting and crafts and they're

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productive in a very different way my

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knitting is now going to make the world

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better place but it I at the end of it

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I've produced something and and that

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feels like a bit of an achievement and

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it makes me feel good and I also think

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that working on yourself can be a really

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important way to thrive and to feel like

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you you are achieving something and

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whether that's you know building skills

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or learning something or whether it's

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working on yourself in a more sort of

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internal way developing insight into who

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you are what works for you and working -

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I guess become a better person or to

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become the person that you want to be

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and that is something that's really

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important for me I also think for me I I

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definitely thrive when I am supported in

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the ways that I need to be supported and

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that can be professional support so for

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me things like regular appointments with

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my psychologists and having support from

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a support worker who comes out to my

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house and it can also be more sort of

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social supports whether that's friends

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or family for me a really big source of

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social support is my cat and we don't

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have the best conversations but she cuz

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she gives me cuddles she is a great

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source of company and of comfort my top

My top tip

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tip for supporting my well-being and and

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this is one that's particularly relevant

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at the moment but it's relevant all the

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time it's the idea of balance for me I

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find that having a balanced life is

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really really important and that

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includes things like having a balance

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between the time I spend alone to

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recharge and recover and the time that I

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spend may be out and about doing things

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in the world or time with people and it

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includes time that I spend balance

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between time that I spend working and

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the time that I spend you know relax

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seeing doing taking part in hobbies and

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doing the things that that I just enjoy

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it's a balance a really important one is

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the balance between pushing myself and

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knowing when it's time to push through

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and balance between taking it easy and

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knowing when it's time to stop pushing

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and to just give myself a break I think

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that's a really important one is

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learning how to recognize my limits to

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know when I can push myself a little bit

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harder and that will be okay and I'll be

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glad that I did and when it's time to

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just take a break you know spend a day

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on the couch watching Netflix and and

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just give myself that downtime I think

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learning how to recognize what my body

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needs and what my mind needs has really

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helped me to get through this this

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difficult time so I would encourage you

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to try and find that balance for

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yourself as well and you know push push

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yourself to be productive and to do

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things when you can but make sure that

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you're also giving yourself permission

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to have downtime to have recovery time

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and be kind to yourself this is a really

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tough situation that we're all in a lot

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of us are struggling and it's totally

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okay to to just take a break when you

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need it and to give yourself that time

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to rest and recover and treat yourself

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nicely

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[Music]

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you

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[Music]

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