Do you ever have meltdowns that sneak up on you?

Ever feel "not right" or "off" in some way but don't magically know what's going on for you?

If so, it might be time to think about stuff to help you with your interoception.

Interoception is the sense that you use to notice and interpret signals from inside your body.

It helps you know things like
- If you're hungry/thirsty
- If you need a wee
- If you're tired
- If you're low on energy and should stop doing things
- If you feel unwell (e.g. you feel nauseous)

Autistic people (and some ADHDers) report difficulties with reading, interpreting and responding to such signals. I know I definitely do!

Something a bit scary happened to me the other morning regarding interoception and it made me think: I need to tell other people about this.

I was out on a very gentle walk early the other morning. I wasn't exerting myself at all.
All of a sudden, I felt sick. I had a really strong sense of nausea.

I didn't have any other sensory sensations to go off, and nothing had happened to me and my body that I knew of...but I felt sick.

I thought: ok, I can't read myself enough here...I'm going to check my smartwatch data.

Reader, my heart was absolutely beating out of my chest massively. My heart rate had shot up.

Knowing what was going on inside my body THAT I COULD NOT FEEL allowed me to stop of 5 minutes, breathe, and get my heart rate down to an appropriate level.

If I had not had my watch, I would not have known my heart-rate was dangerously high.
I even put my hand on my chest to "feel" while the heart was still going like the clappers and I got...nothing.

I don't read my heart rate! (It's no wonder I'm not always sure if/why I am anxious, is it?)

For me, having a smart watch has been a game changer in supporting my interoception.

My heart rate can tell me if I need a rest.
My heart rate variability can give me clues about if I'm overdoing it or if I am getting sick (there's a link with inflammation when fighting off a virus)

I can also see if I've had enough sleep and what the quality of it was like so I can assess whether or not I am tired.

I know we are in difficult financial times but smart watches have massively come down in price recently. A very good one can be had for a touch over £100 these days, and ones of more dubious origin but decent functionality are available under £50.

If you struggle with reading important signals from your body and you do have the means to buy or borrow a smart watch, I'd encourage you to think about getting one.

What would the benefits be for you?

Do you already use smart watches and apps to help you work out what's going on for you? Tell us how they help.

#Autism #ADHD #AuDHD #Interoception #Coaching #Neurodivergent #Neurodiversity

Can you describe the feeling of happiness?

What about sadness? Anger? Excitement?

If the answer is no, you may be one of the many Autistic people who experiences alexithymia.

https://emergentdivergence.com/2023/06/30/what-is-alexithymia/

@actuallyautistic @autisticadvocacy #alexithymia #neurodiversity #neurodivergent #neurodivergence #burnout #autisticburnout #atypicalburnout #psychosis #meerkatmode #AuDHD #AuDHDer #Interoception #senses #sensoryprocessingdisorder #sensoryissues #sensorydifferences

When checking in with yourself means “no one home”
A common phrase I see not just in yoga classes, but among coaches in general (especially the short social media posts designed to garner interaction and feed the algorithm) is to "check in with your b
https://ayt.chickenyogi.com/when-checking-in-with-yourself-means-no-one-home/
#Autism #ForYogaTeachers #Perioperception #TraumaInformedYoga #alexithymia #BodyAwareness #BodyCheckIn #EmotionalAwareness #interoception #NervousSystem #PTSD

The legendary Wenn Lawson worked on this new free online course on autism and mental health from Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia.

According to the description:
"This course has been developed in response to the growing need to provide autistic people and those around us with the knowledge, skills, and understanding to feel good about autism and celebrate individuality, strengths and skills, as well as being pro-active about our mental fitness and identifying when we need support.

The course aims to provide learners with the knowledge and skills to:

• Explore monotropism as a theory of autism, and how being monotropic (single-focused) impacts autistic people
• Understand interoception and how your internal sensing system impacts your life, as well as ways to recognise signals from this system
• Learn about the impact of sensory overload on mental health
• Explore what mental fitness looks like and learn strategies for good mental health
• Understand and identify risk factors for autistic burnout
• Recognise and implement strategies for self-care and self-advocacy"

@actuallyautistic #ActuallyAutistic #monotropism #MentalHealth #interoception #autisticBurnout #autism #neurodiversity
https://www.edx.org/course/autism-and-mental-health

#Autistic people don't have the same relationship with pain as non-Autistic people.

We are not only often hyper- or hyposensitive to #pain, we also express our pain differently.

#Alexithymia and #interoception difficulties can make it difficult to articulate our pain.

Autistic people need you to recognise that just because we don't meet your expectations does not make our suffering any less in this regard.

@actuallyautistic @autisticadvocacy

#asd #interoception Some days resisting the urge not to eat and eat and eat... is hard.

#Interoception

When I am upset my auditory and #interoception #sensoryprocessing issues combine to create something that I don't really know how to describe and am still learning how to manage. Right now I can hear layers and layers of sounds all competing for my attention. I can hear my heart and my blood and I become very fixated on it and incredibly anxious.

All that to say, that hearing my blood made me remember this song. #musichelps

Blood Makes Noise by Suzanne Vega

https://suzannevega.bandcamp.com/track/blood-makes-noise

I think I'm hungry but I'm too thirsty to have an appetite so as a result I'll just sit tight right here

#Interoception #ActuallyAutistic #ExecutiveFunction

I think I'm hungry but I'm too thirsty to have an appetite so as a result I'll just sit tight right here

#Interoception #ActuallyAutistic #ExecutiveFunction

really into #phonetics #pedagogy, #comedy, esoteric needlecraft #knitting, solving #puzzles, #interoception, #yoga, #divergent thinking

The power of self-perception

https://embrace-autism.com/the-power-of-self-perception/

#Self-actualization #Systematicreview #Genderdysphoria #Self-perception #Gendervariance #Transgenderism #Interoception #Mentalhealth #Alexithymia #Self-image #GeoffBird #PunitShah #Emotions