Question about autism/masking/assessment.

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I might have over a year to wait for an assessment. At the moment I am getting quite a few energy loss situations a day which I believe to be partial shutdowns. I have had three so far today and the first I was on the floor with for a little while, so I am taking things easy today, but at the same time trying to get things done. (My car is clean now so is one thing done).
Now with the wait, I may find by the time the assessment comes that I am in a better position with less of these partial shutdowns, as sometimes I can go a couple of days without going in for them. (Other times they can come six or eight or even more times a day depending on the day.
Now when the assessment comes, if I am on a role where I am good and not getting the partial shutdowns, I believe that I am an expert at masking, so when I am good I appear very average and normal, not that I appear to look anything other... I think it is a case that I think I look different... (Though my youngsst brother who is an expert at mimiking people often chooses me as his pet subject! Today he showed how he copied one of my "Ways" or sayings and recorded himself trying to be me amongst his friends and his friends thought it was hillarious! Having a humourus streek I don't mind... He is funny!)
But if I am on the spectrum would it appear that I am regardless of if I am going for a while without issues? These issues sometimes come and go. I have been known in the past to go a few weeks without a problem, but then I can get them several times a day just about every day... And they may not be partial shutdowns. I would be really surprized if they are not though as they symptoms and the way they happen and the descriptions given in a link rhat someone posted were soo accurate in respect of a certain description of getting one when driving a car where I can safely drive to somewhere to pull in but don't expect me to be able to get out of the car... This description is so accurate that I had to check it wasn't me who wrote the thing to begin with!
But I could be having these partial shutdowns but I don't have asperges or autism... Is that possible?

Anyway. It is more about.... Well, lets say I am assessed many times and some times I could be on the spectrum or other times I amy not be according to how many shutdowns I am getting? Does this make sense? I don't know....
But it may not work like this does it? I don't know.

If what you are experiencing is a shutdown due to stress, then I may have something that will help you. There is a form of exercise that can relieve built up stress. It is called Tension & Trauma Release Exercises (TRE). Highly traumatized and chronically neglected or abused individuals are dominated by the immobilization/shutdown system. What that means is that after several shutdown, the shutdown become more serious and tend to repeat more often. The pattern repeats and repeats and repeats.

As I said in a different thread Aspies experience significantly more stress than the average NT. It is almost our middle name. Unused stress energy is stored as hormonal energy in our muscles and nervous system. Animals use techniques to use up the stress energy after a threatening encounter. But in humans our social brain interfere with his natural release and the energy and as a result it is then stored. Stress is cumulative in nature. If you store too much stress energy it will lead your body into a distressed state. So it is important to learn techniques to offload stress.

One of these techniques is called Tension & Trauma Release Exercises (TRE). It is a form of exercise the emulates the techniques used by animals for offloading excessive stress energy. Here is a YouTube video describing the technique. There are probably many more available on the internet. And I suspect that you can learn these techniques over the Internet and become proficient on them by yourself and practice them in the privacy of your home.



It is a funny type of exercise. But if it works for you, then it will really help.

There are also books that explain the exercises. For example The Revolutionary Trauma Release Process: Transcend Your Toughest Times by David Berceli.

Thanks Jimmy M, but are you able to put the Youtube film in a link form as I can't see the picture form links? I hope that makes sense... Or just say what the title of the film is called where I can then look it up?

I have just loooked it up... Is it a form of stimming? If so, I stim... I do something like that but with my legs, and what made perfect sense by watching the video to me is that when I tend to do it I have been nurvous, and for no aparent reason my legs bounce up and down when I go to sit down. I don't purposely go to do it as it just happens, but when I notice myself doing it I just let my legs carry on and do it. It could be one leg or the other or both legs. Usually one leg that does it at a time.
If it is classed as stimming then I do stim which is interesting. If it is something else, I am puzzling why it happens? Strange isn't it! Also, if I am a little stressed then I could do it on purpose quite easily and once I start I would let it carry on by itself. I can stop it by myself, but I don't have to think about it when it starts... Is like my leg does it itself once I start it, or it would start by itself.
What do you think it is?