So What's Your Problem?

Post Reply New Topic

How does one answer that question? Tomorrow morning I have a visit from my LSS contact (the person employed by local government to 'decide what support I need'). She deals with all sorts of illnesses and disabilities and she wants me to tell her what I need help with but doesn't seem to grasp that I DON'T KNOW. I don't know what they can do or what I can get. If I had a bad back I would know that I can't get my socks on, so need help with it. If I were blind, I'd know that I need help with reading my mail. But with autism? I know I get overwhealmed and can't cope with 'stuff' but I don't know what will help. How long is a piece of string. I cried on the phone because she just kept trying to ask that same question in different ways. Like I'm stupid and didn't understand it. I do understand it, I just don't know the answer.

Any advice?

Maybe it would help to make a list of specific things that overwhelmed you in the past two weeks, or in the past year if there were some big ones.

I know that for me, I haven't been able to cope with doing my taxes, for instance, and I haven't done them. I could go to a tax preparer but that wouldn't really help since I would still have to get all my information together. What I really could use is a kind of "secretary." I wonder if they have someone like that who could help you?

Problem? F***ing problem? You're the f***ing problem, you f***ing Dr White honkin' jam-rag f***ing spunk-bubble! If you keep lookin' at me, I'll put you in the f***ing ground. promise ya!

No worries, no problem.

That's a good idea. I have that problem too. I have piles of paperwork everywhere but can't sort myself out to sort it out. I struggle to work out what is important and what just needs throwing away. I often get fines or in trouble for not paying bills or missing appointments purely down to paperwork overload.

As I think about the past couple of weeks I can see that a lot of the stress comes from the fact that I have a plan and routine for housework and stuff, but I never get even halfway down my daily list. I can't move away from that list or order without major meltdown stress. The result is that the bed is made everyday and the kitchen tops are spotless but the floors haven't been swept since the last time my mother-in-law came to visit. (Before Christmas, she cleans up when she comes)

Then there are whole areas of house, like the cellar rooms that are just piles of chaos where I haven't unpacked from moving 4 years ago. I've lost most of my clothes and haven't put up any curtains yet. They're in there somewhere.

Now it's summer and the big garden adds more pressure. It takes a whole day to cut the grass, Let alone dealing with the fruit trees and the hedges and the drive becoming overgrown and the neighbours complaining about overgrown fir trees that they think will squish their houses.

And then there's the big one. The house needs painting. We started last year and got 2 windows painted in the whole of the summer. One of the neighbours did their whole house in the same time period. I want to move house just so I don't have to paint all the wood. It's like a big dark cloud hanging over me and it will never go away because at the rate we get it painted, it's time to start again by the time we reach the end. I HATE WOODEN HOUSES!! !!

Sometimes it helps me to make a list of activities to narrow down areas that are problems. It helps to decide the ones that are particularly stressful..

Shopping
Cooking
Cleaning
Paying Bills
School/Work
Transportation (car, bus, etc.)
Physical problems
Mental problems
Making Friends
Family issues
Need to get out more
Need to have more solitude

Etc. You could make a list of 100 activities....