Put a finger down...

I love these little quizzes. This one struck a chord. It's looks at autism triggers. As somebody who's AuDHD (ADHD with some autism attached - what fun!) I was curious to see where I stacked up. The criteria come from Tony D, who's a neurodiversity coach that popped up on my feed on Facebook.

And this was better than doing a post about looking for work - too tired to do one of those. 

Here we go. Put a finger down if:

1. You rehearse conversations in your head before you have them.

All the time. It's normally the more 'important' conversations, but it could be something as odd as taking the cat to the vet or voicing a complaint at the supermarket. 

2. Small talk drains you faster than actual work does. 

Hell yeah. I try and keep small talk to a minimum. I had work drinks tonight. Turned up, said hi to everybody, gave the antibiotics excuse and got the hell out of there. I'm better in small groups. But I did turn up!

3. You've masked so well, people done believe you when you tell them you're masking.

I'm a Generation-X, first daughter. Masking is what we do. Menopause comes along and the mask drops. I have different personae for different situations. So, yes, I do this. All the time. 

4. Certain sounds, textures or lights can ruin your whole day.

Do not put me near any of the following: 

• Flannelette sheets
• Bananas
• Chickpeas (when I'm not expecting them)
• Soggy green beans
• Anything furry when it comes to clothing. 
• Necklaces, ties or scarfs that do up in front of my neck. 
• Skivvies (it's the neck thing again - I used to get told off for stretching the necklines on skivvies as a kid.)
• And I carry prescription sunglasses with me at all times so the bright lights don't get me.

I think that's a yes. It's a yes. The list is a lot longer.

5. You need to know the plan before you actually relax. 

Absolutely. And being spontaneous goes against the grain, but if plan change, I'm normally grateful for the night in. 

6. You've been called 'Too much" and "Too sensitive" in the same week. 

In my youth, definitely. I've been masking the crazy for most of my adult life. Besides, in the words of Jewel, I'm sensitive and I'd like to stay that way. 

7. Infodumping about your specialist interest is your love language. 

Go on, ask me about my cat, Shakespeare, Tudor history, English Cathedrals or the modern novel and see how much I love you. 

8. You need recovery time after socialising, even if you enjoyed it. 

Transition time - and recovery time - hell yeah. If I socialise with more than three people, I need at least an hour to find my equilibrium again. If I get home after midnight, I won't be ready for bed until around two. This one is real. 

9. Sudden changes make your body go on high alert. 

To a point, yes. I think I'm on high alert all the time. It's probably why I've got high blood pressure. 

10. Your exhausted from spending your life translating yourself for everybody else.

Exhausted? I know that I do this. My shrink and I started talking about this last session. I was talking about it with another friend over the weekend. I am very selective about who sees what of me. 

So, yeah. Mind you, as a late diagnosed AuDHD woman, you'd half expect me to relate to some of it.

And now off to bed, as I've had enough of today and want my bed. 

Today's song: