Aspie's have something of a bad reputation when it comes to tolerance for others. Sadly and I can say this from personal experience (both of myself and other Aspies that I have met) that this is somewhat deserved. Truthfully (and I'm not proud to admit this) I have very little time for people who don't interest me, luckily though people generally do. I don't suffer fools lightly and this sometimes makes me come across as arrogant. It is one of the reasons I do not get along very well with my younger sister. Her concerns often seem trivia. She quite often comes out with ridiculously stupid logic, especially when she is angry (her dog ran away chasing a rabbit so "someone else should shoot all of the rabbits to stop it happening again" was one of her finer moments). As I said, we Aspies can be very intolerant.
However, in many ways we are far more tolerant of some things than NT's. Take for example racism and xenophobia. I don't judge people on their race or where they come from because such factors mean nothing to me when meeting people. If anything it just makes them interesting. Many of my fellow Brits seem to distrust the Argentinians because of the Falklands conflict. This I don't understand. Surely it is a dispute between our two governments not between all Brits and all Argentinians. The same goes for the IRA. I don't dislike all Irish people because of the actions of a small minority as some seem to. If I have a problem with another country's foreign policy I blame the government not the people. To paint everyone in the same colour seems like madness. The same goes for the different religions, classes, education etc. When I meet people I judge them as individuals, something that seems to be common amongst Aspies.
Tuesday 17 July 2012
Saturday 14 July 2012
Keeping Calm
I must confess that for the last week I have been quietly fighting a sense of panic that threatens to turn into a full blown panic attack. What is causing this? Sadly I have no idea. I have been doing a lot of internalisation, trying to figure out the root of it, but without luck. It seems like the smallest incidences set off these feelings of anxiety, the likes of which I usually only experience before an important social event. Writing down my musing on the subject should help me to externalise possible causes and therefore examine them in more detail.
The most likely source of anxiety that I can think of is that in about a weeks time I will be going on holiday with my parents and youngest brother. I usually feel a little anxious before the annual holiday (or indeed travel of any kind) but never normally this bad or for this long. It probably doesn't help that my other younger brother (K) isn't coming for the first (and most important due to social duties) week. Whilst I love all of my brothers, K is probably the one that I am closest to. He knows me better than anyone else in the family and I share more of my problems with him than I do my parents. He also keeps me calm for reasons that I do not fully understand though I suspect that it is due to a shared humour, his knowledge about me, and the fact that he is a extrovert and so helps me through social situations. He won't be there for only one week, so that shouldn't be the source of all off this nervous energy.
The first time I noticed that I was more tightly strung than usual was when somebody who I don't know well enough asked me for some contact details. That always causes me to have a mini panic attack, but that was about a week ago and it shouldn't last this long. Besides, in this particular incidence I wasn't too bothered about possibly giving them due to their limited nature (they don't breach too many 'compartments' in my compartmentalised world).
It could be the lack of sunlight and the generally gloomy weather that we have been having in the UK that is negatively affecting my mood and hormone production. Sunlight has been proven to have a large impact on human health and during the winter months people can suffer from the ironically named SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder. It could be that, but I have been using a SAD light on the grimmest days.
Another possibility is diet, but I have been eating very healthily with most food groups covered in my diet and missing no major vitamins or minerals. I have also started taking vitamin B complex in an effort to boost my energy levels and mood; though the science is sketchy at best about the extent to which this can help.
The future seems no more terrifying than it usually is. I am fairly secure in my job as work seems to be picking up again after a long quiet spell. I am being given an increasing amount of responsibility, but that causes a good kind of stress at being challenged. There has been no change in my (lack of) any kind of marital/relationship status, which would be the stress equivalent of a supernova, so everything is peaceful on that front.
I have been sleeping better than usual for this time of year due to the cooler temperatures at night and the fact that I bought a fan to keep me cool, so it cannot be due to a lack of sleep. It could be partly due to me being a little exhausted by work, which is why I am kind of looking forward to the holiday.
It could quite easily be a combination of all of these factors that is making me so highly strung. I haven't really had time to metaphorically 'sit down and take stock'. I guess that I should try to get back to the basics of my life and focus on the things that bring me an almost primeval sense of comfort, for example bushcraft or one of my SI's. Rule number 32: Enjoy the little things.
The most likely source of anxiety that I can think of is that in about a weeks time I will be going on holiday with my parents and youngest brother. I usually feel a little anxious before the annual holiday (or indeed travel of any kind) but never normally this bad or for this long. It probably doesn't help that my other younger brother (K) isn't coming for the first (and most important due to social duties) week. Whilst I love all of my brothers, K is probably the one that I am closest to. He knows me better than anyone else in the family and I share more of my problems with him than I do my parents. He also keeps me calm for reasons that I do not fully understand though I suspect that it is due to a shared humour, his knowledge about me, and the fact that he is a extrovert and so helps me through social situations. He won't be there for only one week, so that shouldn't be the source of all off this nervous energy.
The first time I noticed that I was more tightly strung than usual was when somebody who I don't know well enough asked me for some contact details. That always causes me to have a mini panic attack, but that was about a week ago and it shouldn't last this long. Besides, in this particular incidence I wasn't too bothered about possibly giving them due to their limited nature (they don't breach too many 'compartments' in my compartmentalised world).
It could be the lack of sunlight and the generally gloomy weather that we have been having in the UK that is negatively affecting my mood and hormone production. Sunlight has been proven to have a large impact on human health and during the winter months people can suffer from the ironically named SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder. It could be that, but I have been using a SAD light on the grimmest days.
Another possibility is diet, but I have been eating very healthily with most food groups covered in my diet and missing no major vitamins or minerals. I have also started taking vitamin B complex in an effort to boost my energy levels and mood; though the science is sketchy at best about the extent to which this can help.
The future seems no more terrifying than it usually is. I am fairly secure in my job as work seems to be picking up again after a long quiet spell. I am being given an increasing amount of responsibility, but that causes a good kind of stress at being challenged. There has been no change in my (lack of) any kind of marital/relationship status, which would be the stress equivalent of a supernova, so everything is peaceful on that front.
I have been sleeping better than usual for this time of year due to the cooler temperatures at night and the fact that I bought a fan to keep me cool, so it cannot be due to a lack of sleep. It could be partly due to me being a little exhausted by work, which is why I am kind of looking forward to the holiday.
It could quite easily be a combination of all of these factors that is making me so highly strung. I haven't really had time to metaphorically 'sit down and take stock'. I guess that I should try to get back to the basics of my life and focus on the things that bring me an almost primeval sense of comfort, for example bushcraft or one of my SI's. Rule number 32: Enjoy the little things.
Thursday 12 July 2012
Valarian: a Case Study
Of all of the herbal remedies that can help to manage anxiety and nervous exhaustion, Valarian or Valeriana officinalis, is definitely one of the more effective that I have come across. It grows wild throughout the UK, Asia and most of North America. It has been used in herbal medicine since at least the time of Hippocrates in the fourth century BC. The famous ancient Greek botanist Dioscorides believed that it was an excellent diuretic as well as being useful in warming the body. During medieval times the herb took on almost mythical properties and was often referred to by the name of "all-heal"; Nicholas Culpeper even went so far as to pronounce it as a cure for the plague.
I seriously doubt that Valerian does cure everything (especially the plague!) but I do know that it promotes sleep and helps to reduce anxiety; something that Culpeper curiously fails to mention. It seems to affect some people more than others, though scientific research has proven its usefulness in treating mild insomnia. It is two groups of chemical compounds in particular that are the focus of efforts to understand the exact mechanisms through which Valerian works: valeric acid and valepotriates.
It is the roots of the plant that are used and can be taken either as a tincture or tea. Many health stores also sell valerian capsules which are certainly the safer than preparing it yourself. An overdose of Valerian would be fatal so extra care must be taken when using it. It can also be mistaken for Red Valerian or Centranthus Ruber, which is not actually part of the same species (although it does have similar medicinal properties according to Jekka McVicar) and it toxic at much smaller doses (I have had the unfortunate effect of taking slightly too much and being poisoned. Not seriously but still not pleasant.).
Although Valerian affects the same set of receptors (GABAA) as benzodiazepines, they are not thought to be addictive or reactant to alcohol. For the best effect I would recommend taking it for short periods of time as I find that the effects lessen with prolonged usage and for a great nights sleep dissolve the contents of a capsule into Camomile tea. Oh, and for goodness sake consult a doctor or trained herbal medicinist before taking it, just to be safe! A word of warning about the smell too. Some people think that it smells like leather, others that it smells like wet dog. You decide, but don't say that I didn't warn you.
For more info I'd recommend:
Jekka McVicar, Jekka's Complete Herb Book (London, 2007).
Steven Foster and Rebecca L. Johnson, National Geographic Desk Reference to Nature's Medicine (Washington, 2006) Probably the most informative book on herbal medicine.
Nicholas Culpeper, Culpeper's Complete Herbal (2009 ed.) (London, 2009).
I seriously doubt that Valerian does cure everything (especially the plague!) but I do know that it promotes sleep and helps to reduce anxiety; something that Culpeper curiously fails to mention. It seems to affect some people more than others, though scientific research has proven its usefulness in treating mild insomnia. It is two groups of chemical compounds in particular that are the focus of efforts to understand the exact mechanisms through which Valerian works: valeric acid and valepotriates.
It is the roots of the plant that are used and can be taken either as a tincture or tea. Many health stores also sell valerian capsules which are certainly the safer than preparing it yourself. An overdose of Valerian would be fatal so extra care must be taken when using it. It can also be mistaken for Red Valerian or Centranthus Ruber, which is not actually part of the same species (although it does have similar medicinal properties according to Jekka McVicar) and it toxic at much smaller doses (I have had the unfortunate effect of taking slightly too much and being poisoned. Not seriously but still not pleasant.).
Although Valerian affects the same set of receptors (GABAA) as benzodiazepines, they are not thought to be addictive or reactant to alcohol. For the best effect I would recommend taking it for short periods of time as I find that the effects lessen with prolonged usage and for a great nights sleep dissolve the contents of a capsule into Camomile tea. Oh, and for goodness sake consult a doctor or trained herbal medicinist before taking it, just to be safe! A word of warning about the smell too. Some people think that it smells like leather, others that it smells like wet dog. You decide, but don't say that I didn't warn you.
For more info I'd recommend:
Jekka McVicar, Jekka's Complete Herb Book (London, 2007).
Steven Foster and Rebecca L. Johnson, National Geographic Desk Reference to Nature's Medicine (Washington, 2006) Probably the most informative book on herbal medicine.
Nicholas Culpeper, Culpeper's Complete Herbal (2009 ed.) (London, 2009).
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