#actuallyautisticatwork — Public Fediverse posts

Small steps, small wins! 💪 I left a very challenging 1 hour thing at work (loose social gathering, very packed with lots of people and loud) after 30 mins, announcing that I am getting overstimulated. Really proud to normalize this tactic for myself and colleagues and communicate my needs. Made me proud of myself! #ActuallyAutistic #ActuallyAutisticAtWork

Small steps, small wins! 💪 I left a very challenging 1 hour thing at work (loose social gathering, very packed with lots of people and loud) after 30 mins, announcing that I am getting overstimulated. Really proud to normalize this tactic for myself and colleagues and communicate my needs. Made me proud of myself! #ActuallyAutistic #ActuallyAutisticAtWork

Small steps, small wins! 💪 I left a very challenging 1 hour thing at work (loose social gathering, very packed with lots of people and loud) after 30 mins, announcing that I am getting overstimulated. Really proud to normalize this tactic for myself and colleagues and communicate my needs. Made me proud of myself! #ActuallyAutistic #ActuallyAutisticAtWork

Small steps, small wins! 💪 I left a very challenging 1 hour thing at work (loose social gathering, very packed with lots of people and loud) after 30 mins, announcing that I am getting overstimulated. Really proud to normalize this tactic for myself and colleagues and communicate my needs. Made me proud of myself! #ActuallyAutistic #ActuallyAutisticAtWork

Small steps, small wins! 💪 I left a very challenging 1 hour thing at work (loose social gathering, very packed with lots of people and loud) after 30 mins, announcing that I am getting overstimulated. Really proud to normalize this tactic for myself and colleagues and communicate my needs. Made me proud of myself! #ActuallyAutistic #ActuallyAutisticAtWork

Most of this week already had end-of-week energy, alas it is only Thursday today... I need rest. I got only lab work today (aside from one "listen only meeting") I think, so at least peopling should be at a minimum. I'm exhausted.
#ActuallyAutisticAtWork

Bit anxious sleep with weird dreams. The upsetting Friday still needs to be sorted out and need to talk to my manager. Feeling a on edge. 😬 #ActuallyAutisticAtWork

Started off early today due to a breakfast meeting and feeling a bit tired now.. today is packed with meetings and social stuff and a training 🙈 all the while I still need to find time to gain an overview over all my support requests and sort out what and how I can support stuff. 😬😬😬 Wish me luck and social energy!
#ActuallyAutisticAtWork

Back at work, everyone is on vacation, I am all alone in the office and in the lab. It's fantastic!! Was singing along my music and having a good time not being perceived!
Unfortunately now I have a pile of emails to catch up in and reprioritize and plan all my work that was missed....

#ActuallyAutistic #ActuallyAutisticAtWork

Small personal win at work: some pretty urgent data analysis is taking me longer due to a bit worse signal demanding more manual work. Instead of stressing and working longer today I have just explained it, given the heads-up and will deliver data tomorrow instead. It was fine, no one was upset. It's all not THAT important.
Yay! I need to practice this and am happy over the positive experience!
#ActuallyAutisticAtWork

It's a short week this week, as Thursday is a bank holiday and we get Friday off in my company! Still, work is kinda stressful - I got some requests to me that are not at all realistic, even if I had the time to support their request at their desired time... Will involve my manager, this is above my pay grade to deal with. Still, have to deal with it in some way 🙈
#ActuallyAutistic #ActuallyAutisticAtWork

Last day of the week, slept pretty ok, as I decided to sleep in the extra room and skip the midnightly switch due to SO's allergy-snores. Glad I prioritised better sleep. The day ahead is mostly routine labwork, so I'm looking forward to that. There has been too much unpredictability lately, so this a really appreciated change of pace.
#ActuallyAutistic #ActuallyAutisticAtWork

The best part about hosting the casual neurodiversity teams meeting once a month at my work is that I feel so fucking validated after each and every one of them. I share a lot (more than I probably would in any other context) but every single time it's met with people intensely nodding in agreement, deeply relating and sharing their own related experiences.
I still wish for an autistic therapist, but this is the next best thing.
#ActuallyAutistic #ActuallyAutisticAtWork

I think it went well. The guest speaker on Neurodiversity was brilliant. I got a bit emotional on the panel discussion but people seemed to appreciate the authenticity & honesty. Several people came up to me after, relating, looking for help, thankful. I am honestly ready to collapse in tears but it feels like it was worth it.
I need some low sensory time.
#ActuallyAutisticAtWork #ActuallyAutistic #SocialOverload

I've been filmed, it's done. (short promo clip for our ND group at work) Yesterday and this morning I was talking to myself in preparation and today it went really well. Only one re-take due to some external noise. Phew! Now I am a bit tired and relieved.

#ActuallyAutistic #ActuallyAutisticAtWork

I did ask for more information & details and explained that vagueness & on the fly improvisation causes me distress and anxiety. Still, it gave me so much anxiety already 🙃 2/2
#actuallyAutistic #ActuallyAutisticAtWork #ActuallyAutisticStruggles

I struggled to open the door to the room I got to escape to& a hotel employee came to help me. They knew it was booked mostly for another purpose so they asked if I was part of that. I had no bandwidth to even think about another excuse, within seconds I had disclosed my autism to a stranger. It felt super weird. It still feels weird. I feel a bit emotional... anyway they were nice, gave me some info and left.
Sitting here on the floor for a breather.
#ActuallyAutistic #ActuallyAutisticAtWork

Killing it at work today btw!!
I was running a protocol I have not in this form done before (though similar protocols 6-7 years ago) for the first time, which is always a bit stressful I find. It takes ages to find everything I need & it's not so fluent.
Anyhow it totally worked & I got lots of RNA out for my downstream experiments! Yay! Nice win to end the week!

#ActuallyAutisticAtWork #RNAextraction #WomanInSTEM

I don't think it was full on Sunday-to-Monday scaries, but I slept quite poorly... Took a while to fall asleep & woke frequently :-( also still battling with a persisting cough from when I was sick a few weeks back.. it comes up every now and then when I am active with my body. I have a week full of experiments coming up which is starting with some delightfully repetitive machine loading today (assembling 3 consumables per sample; 60 samples) at least!
#ActuallyAutistic #ActuallyAutisticAtWork

After an intense weekend with long traveling hours and friends and virtually now down time I can really feel the exhaustion this week.
I am super proud though to just have declined an invitation to lunch (no relevance to my work I believe, the invitation was just for "fun") from a company rep at work! Yay, go me!

#ActuallyAutistic #ActuallyAutisticAtWork #ActuallyAutisticStruggles

I need to stay more aware that as a #neurodivergent person the way I work may look different from how others work. Some days I will not be able to manage a lot & struggle, other days I will do the work of multiple people with relative ease. It evens out in the end & I needn't worry about working too little.

#ActuallyAutistc #ActuallyAutisticAtWork

TFW you realise that the reason why you feel overwhelmed by your employer wanting you to "develop" by going outside of your comfort zone is that you are out of your comfort zone 100% of the time already.

#ActuallyAutistc #ActuallyAutisticAtWork #AutisticAF

Trying to coerce myself into drinking more water today as to avoid headache again. Brought my water bottle with ice and lemon slices because I am in a phase where plain water is just so boring and my body doesn't really register thirst. 😂
#ActuallyAutisticAtWork #ActuallyAutistic #AutisticStruggles #BadInteroception

Noooooo, I forgot my headphones at hooooome 😭😭😭
I guess it'll be earplugs and no music 😔
#ActuallyAutisticAtWork #ActuallyAutistic #AutisticStruggles

I have a good manager! She's fantastic & so supportive! I was painfully honest today & got a bit teary-eyed during our meeting. She didn't question my difficulties related to being #ActuallyAutisticAtWork once, was trying to give options for support & even would have allowed me to drop the big task. She told me I'm doing a great job with it, better than anyone else who could have taken it on - I almost ugly cried. I feel better.
It's still hard but I feel supported.