My Favorite Autistic Life Hacks
Like many other late identified/late diagnosed autistics realizing that I was autistic felt like such a huge realization. It made SO much sense and it also highlighted all the ways in which I chronically hadn't gotten my autistic needs met. I see so many late identified autistics with autistic burnout and I always like to frame it as making so much sense. Of course you’re in autistic burnout if you’ve consistently had your needs go unmet. A beautiful part of realizing that we’re autistic is exploring ways in which we can create a life supportive of our autistic needs and prioritizes our autistic wellness and joy.
When I work with my 1:1 autistic clients in The Autistic Mentorship we both do deeper work (like somatic trauma resolution and unpacking things like internalized ableism & shame) as well as practical tips & support in creating an autistic supportive life. After all, we won’t have the capacity for deep healing work if we’re sensory overloaded 24/7 and in the holy hells of Autistic Burnout, right? So here are my favorite autistic hacks that have personally made me life a lot easier and I hope they’ll make life easier for you too!
1.) Identify the challenges you have with getting your basic needs met and then make them 2% easier.
For example, I’m really awful at remembering to drink enough water. I get caught up in other things and I just forget until it’s almost time for bed and I’ve realized that I only had like one glass of water. A solution that has made my life so much easier? A big jar that I fill with water and always have near me. I’m able to track how much water I drink and having it RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME helps remind me to drink.
Other solutions to those daily tasks that might feel challenging for your executive functioning are: setting timers to eat/drink/rest, getting meals delivered so you can focus on eating without using too many spoons🥄, buying a shower seat if burnout fatigue makes it hard to stand in the shower, doing less and having it be enough, a stim toy basket.
Question: What would make 1-3 things in your life 1% or 2% easier?
2.) The Breaks Tool!
This is a favorite tool of mine because it both supports autistic burnout recovery and just day to day autistic wellness. The idea is to take different types of breaks throughout your day depending on your needs. Breaks are 5-15 minutes throughout your day and are small doable ways to invite in more rest, stimming, sensory soothing, nervous system health and autistic joy. The different types of breaks are:
Sensory breaks
Stimming breaks
Rest breaks
Special Interest breaks
Nervous System breaks
Example: I love to take sensory breaks 1-3 times a day. Since I’m sensory avoidant I love putting my headphones on, laying on a heating pad and resting.
Question: What are some breaks that would be supportive for your autistic health and well being?
3.) Proactive sensory regulation!
Sensory trauma and being sensory overloaded can be a big part of our day to day life. Being chronically sensory overloaded can impact our quality of life and lead to autistic burnout, shutdowns and meltdowns. In their course on sensory trauma Autism Wellbeing recommends proactive sensory regulation. That means instead of waiting until the point where you’re sensory overloaded or close to a meltdown, to tend to your sensory needs way before you’re experiencing sensory pain or overwhelm.
Some ideas are:
Wear noise cancelling headphones all day long. My quality of life GREATLY changed when I started doing this.
Limiting places that you know are sensory hell for you. For example: supermarkets can be a sensory nightmare for me, so I arrange for food to be delivered or picked up.
Make time for sensory soothing and sensory joy. What feels sensory delicious to you? Make space for those sensory experiences too.
Take sensory breaks & nervous system breaks before and after you go to a situation that you know might be sensory overwhelming.
Bring sensory tools out into the world with you! These could be noise cancelling headphones, earplugs, plushies, stim toys.
Question: What are some ways you can be proactive about your sensory needs?
4.) Autistic boundaries aka your needs matter.
Something that I think happens to a lot of late identified autistics is that we might have become used to doing things that aren’t supportive for our autistic needs. The best autistic hack is honestly having grounded autistic boundaries. It means identifying things that either are either harmful to your autistic self or just aren’t supportive-and then placing a boundary. That might look like saying “no”, finding an alternative or just deciding to stop doing it. A question I ask myself is: “is this worth it?” Is it worth my spoons? Is it worth not feeling good? So often the answer is nope, it’s simply not worth it.
A huge part of autistic boundaries is knowing that your needs matter so much. That you deserve to have your needs meet and that your autistic needs and health are so important.
Question: What are some autistic boundaries you have? What are some things in your life that aren't supportive of your autistic needs? What do you want more of and less of?
I hope these autistic hacks felt supportive to you! In my experience sometimes just a few changes, boundaries or autistic life hacks can feel life changing. You might explore 1-2 of these autistic hacks and see how they feel.
The information contained in this blog post is for general educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical or mental health advice. The information provided is not a substitute for advice from a qualified professional who is aware of the facts and circumstances of your individual situation. We expressly recommend that you seek advice from a professional familiar with your specific situation.
Your autistic healing matters.
I hope this blog post was helpful in your own autistic healing journey. I truly believe that us late diagnosed autistics deserve autistic affirming healing and I hope you have the best practitioners, tools and support for your own healing.
If you’re seeking autistic support and healing, I’d love to support you in my 5 month program The Autistic Mentorship. It includes:
An intensive intake session & healing document to identify your goals and developmental objectives that we’ll work on in our program together.
Three (75 minute) sessions a month.
Lots of support & education: think recap emails + personalized practices sent to your inbox, neurodivergent workbooks and resources and a bonus check in call to use when needed.
You can find out more about The Autistic Mentorship here.
Tiffany Landry is an autistic coach and trauma resolution practitioner who works with autistic clients on creating a life that's autistic centered and just feels good. You can learn more about her here.