anxiety

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Does anyone else repeat their behavior when they have overwhelming anxiety? I've gone for coffee at the same place every morning for the last year. I eat the same foods every day for months at a time. I've completely focused on science for the last 6 months. I can't be in large groups because I get confused. My friends and family tell me I talk to them about the same things repeatedly. On and on.

Hello Nony.

May I suggest you repeat your question in the General Autism Discussion forum? This one is for games - you get more attention in the proper place.

Welcome Nony.

I fall into routines whether I'm anxious or not. Having them disturbed makes things more stressful because I have to decide what to do next quickly, and things get less predictable.

So, rather than doing things over and over when I'm anxious, I get anxious when I can't do things over and over.

given that predictibility is soothing/calming,am not surprised are using it as a coping skill.
repetitiveness through anxiety is very very common across the whole spectrum,am always much worse with head banging, flesh biting,wall punching/hitting out and echolalia around anxiety, used to know a profoundly autistic man with the same issue, and the same with a fellow severely autistic man that used to live with.
am guessing from what have seen of the autistic community the high functioning version of this is repetition in daily living tasks.


OP,
we have a user called norny,this is going to get confusing.

I generally repeat the same routine every single day so its difficult to say if there is general very high anxiety for me... often breaking the routine can be a trigger for an anxiety or panic attack.

When the anxiety is bad, it often breaks routine and I could be pacing, rocking, unable to keep still, high energy. Nail biting worse loss of appetite and digestive issues.

The worst of it often means it can stop me dead in my tracks, palpitations, no motivation, lethargy and migraines. Racing thoughts become hallucinations and become very non-functioning.

All I can do is break away from reality with Gwydion and Rhoslyn.

I have anxiety issues. I take Buspar to help control it. But whenever my work routine gets interrupted, I get all anxiety-ridden. When this happens, I tend to become submerged into a comfortable routine of interests if I can. Something that I have found that helps me is to watch old game show episodes on Youtube (Blockbusters with Bill Cullen, High Rollers with Alex Trebek, Classic Concentration, etc.).

Hello Nony,

Everyone with AS (it's necessary to be diagnosed) has repetitive behaviours, and those behaviours are most common in times of anxiety, whether it be stimming, following a routine or obsessing over an interest.

Your name is also shockingly similar to mine.

That is all. ;P

_________________
Unapologetically, Norny.
-chronically drunk