EMDR

Once again let me apologise profusely for not having kept up with my posting on this blog... again. I hate offering excuses as they are usually an attempt to dodge taking responsibility for a wrongdoing. However I do have a kind of excuse. No, my dog didn't eat my notes or keyboard and although my broadband is slower than an octogenarian attempting to traverse the Himalayas, it is still working. Come to think of it I'm certain that I have used this one before. Time.
I can only do so much time staring at a computer screen before developing headaches and my eyes start to feel weirder than Alice in Wonderland (seriously, how weird is that book/film. Someone must have been abusing certain substances). It actually effects my sleep. Close your eyes after using a computer for too long and you'll see images come to mind really easily and depending on what you've been working on this does not make for quality dreams and therefore quality sleep. You spent all night dreaming about research on neurological disorders and I can guarantee that you will not wake up feeling refreshed. Interested perhaps, but not refreshed. I can usually manage about 6 hours a day before any serious effects occur, but that has to include gaming too.
I've probably already mentioned that I'm an avid gamer. I love it; it's how I unwind on an evening after work though never after 8.00pm as the negative effects on sleep of time spent after this hour are particularly damaging. Light prevents the release of melatonin (also known as the sleep hormone) from the hypothalamus, so blasting the most light sensitive part of your body with bright light just before attempting to sleep is counter-productive.
Anyway, to get back to my excuse, I am currently writing for another blog (not my own and sadly unpaid), which is great, but it means that I have less time to write on my own. It's going well and my work seems to be appreciated and getting a lot of hits. I'm not going to disclose the name of it as I want to keep the two separate. Sorry... compartmentalising is one of my coping strategies, I hope you understand.
Now that my apology/excuse is out of the way (at surprisingly lengthy looking back at it!) I can get back to the title. An odd one I am sure you'd agree. EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and pRocessing and is a anxiety management technique developed by Dr Francine Shapiro. Essentially, it is believed that anxiety is based in the right hemisphere of the brain, but that these feelings often cannot be rationalised or dealt with because reasoning skills are located in the left hemisphere. By quickly moving your eyes from left to right, communication between the two hemispheres is, through some complex quirk of neurobiology, increased thereby allowing the feelings to be suppressed.
I haven't tried this technique yet myself, but anything (safe and legal) that can help manage stress and anxiety is worth a go. Try it and see how it goes: I certainly will.

I think that I may be a little depressed at the moment. Everything is various shades of grey and I can't enjoy things that I used to like being outside. Oh, wait, it's not just me? Everyone in Britain has the same symptoms as me? For the last month? Maybe it's not depression, maybe it's the terrible weather! (I blame the Met Office for issuing drought warnings across the country back in March!)

I usually like rain or I am at least curiously apathetic towards it. If I'm away in a Mediterranean country for too long I even start to miss it! But over four weeks of constant gloom and downpours is enough to drive anyone a little stir-fry crazy. A bit of sun would be nice; just enough for my body to be able to synthesise a little vitamin D. It does however make that hot mug of tea whilst sheltering indoors that bit more enjoyable. In all seriousness though, it is actually more than a little depressing. However, every cloud has a silver lining (please forgive the terrible pun, I am after all a little depressed!).

 Contrary to popular belief it isn't always raining in Britain; in fact this time last year we were basking in a miniature heat-wave. One stereotype that is true though, is that we do talk about the weather an awful lot. For an aspie who is socially challenged this is a Godsend. Two people who have absolutely bugger all in common can make small talk for at least as long as social mores dictate. The weather is something we all have in common and it changes often enough here to make it vaguely interesting. Hailing in May? Just something to use when you are next stuck chatting to someone that you don't really know. Thank God for British peculiarities!

Behold the turtle!

I heard a great saying the other day from one of my sort of heroes: Bear Grylls. "Behold the turtle; he only makes progress when he sticks his neck out" (i.e. you need to take risks to succeed). It's a great saying and is probably relevant to some people, for example those who enjoy base jumping, rock climbing without ropes and drinking water squeezed from a camel turd; but sadly not for me. I like my neck, one could even say that I am somewhat attached to it.

On a separate note there was an article in this weeks newspapers about having regrets is actually useful to have; but not if you are an OAP. The reasoning is that they act as motivation for you not to make the same mistake twice and I guess that they are right (consolation for me still thinking about Marie). If you are elderly though they can bring you down as you don't have enough time left to either correct them or be in a similar situation and thus apply the lesson that you learnt last time. So for me at least there is still hope, but time waits for no one...

Two Little Words

Having had my ambitions override my common sense more times than I care to imagine and gotten myself into unpleasant situations because of it, you could probably forgive me for being incredibly cautious about committing to anything. I don’t take huge risks, even a 10% probability of failure makes me think twice. I have to be as thoroughly informed about a situation before binding myself to a particular course of action. As I always think things through comprehensively it means that I always know exactly why I have done what I have done. It means I have very few regrets. However, you would not be human if you didn’t have at least a few.

Two words that are guaranteed to cause no small amount of discomfort to an individual are “what” and “if”. Everyone thinks these words. What if I had done better at that exam? What if I had taken that route home instead of this one? What if I had chosen a different career? What would have been different? Dwell on them too much and it can consume you and degrade what you already have. You can become trapped in this train of thought as it dominates your existence. You focus entirely upon the past and ignore the present.

This is what has been happening to me over the last few weeks. My one real regret in life revolves around somebody that I used to know (why does writing those words make the song “somebody that I used to know” by Gotye immediately pop into my head? I’m starting to think that they are playing far too much on the radio). I used to know a girl called Marie and we started working together in the local café when I was sixteen. She was one of the kindest and sweetest people that I have ever known and we got on well. One day I found out that she had a crush on me and I didn’t really know how to deal with that (it was not long after that I was diagnosed with Aspergers). My feelings towards her were conflicted and I wasn’t sure if I loved her back. I never really resolved these emotions and left her hanging on. I didn’t know this at the time, but looking back this was really cruel on my part and I freely admit that I behave like a total ba*t*rd. The way her beautiful blue eyes lit up when I mentioned how beautiful they work made me feel emotions that I haven’t really felt since. After I finished school and had my first major breakdown I started to realise that I did actually love her. How could I not, she was kind and caring and always had time for me.

 I was so close to asking her out but after starting university I had my second major nervous breakdown and as my world around me imploded I started to see that I could not invite her into my life to share in my suffering. To take her down with me would be more than I could bear. By that point she too had started at a different university but still came back in the first winter holidays to work at the café. I had stopped working there by then but still saw her around during those weeks. I still kept my silence though it became so painful that I could no longer bear to see her and started avoiding her which must have hurt her too. For that I am truly sorry. That was the last time that I saw her.

I was reminded of her recently when playing Mass Effect 3 (I’m a huge, huge fan/geek when it comes to the Mass Effect series. They say you’re either Star Trek or Star Wars: well I’m Mass Effect). One of the characters in those games (Liara T’Soni) who always reminds me of Marie. It makes me wonder what if I had asked her out? Would things have turned out differently? Now I know about my condition I realise that she would have been perfect for me and I realise now that I did love her. I could find her again but the situation would not be the same. She is probably happy with someone else and I could not risk bringing pain into her life. Maybe she’s changed. I certainly know that I have. All I can do is think: “what if?” which brings back both fond and painful memories (the song “For the rest of my life” by Gary Numan probably best expresses how I feel). I hope she knows that I am sorry and that I wish her happiness wherever she is. I need to focus on the present and future more. It’s like that song by Jay Livingston, “Que Sera, Sera (whatever will be, will be)”. In fact, that seems like the perfect counter to “what if”. Writing things down really does help you with your problems.

Alternative Therapies: Reflexology

I have very little time for the majority of alternative therapies; at the very least I am a sceptic. I like to think that I am open minded, but when people rave about homeopathy, acupuncture or reiki, I am ashamed to say that my mind becomes more closed than North Korea. I have tried hypnotherapy before but the effects were limited to the degree that I had no idea if there were any; on top of that  it cost an arm and a leg and so that therapy went out of the window pretty quickly. Reiki too did absolutely bugger all. I have a fear of needles, so acupuncture seems about as appealing as swimming with Great White sharks. Have you ever heard of urine therapy? No? Then it’s probably for the best as it is about as gross as the name would imply (I didn’t even consider trying that one for even a second; google it and you’ll see why).

It was with these opinions that I decided to give reflexology a whirl. I had just finished university and a lifetime in full-time education and entering the world of career first. Perhaps not surprisingly I had a nervous breakdown. I was prepared to leap on any opportunity to relieve the physically exhausting anxiety that didn’t involve illegal substances, alcohol or any of the therapies that I have been bad-mouthing above. A friend of my mum’s had been having reflexology for years and suggested it for me. No matter how weird the therapy is, there is always someone who swears by it (magnet therapy anybody?!?). However I knew this lady well and trust her and decided that I’d give it a go.

Several years later and I now feel that I have done it enough to confirm that it does actually help to reduce anxiety; well, at least for me it does. Maybe it’s the opportunity to take the weight off your feet for a bit whilst someone massages them than anything to do with energy lines or channels. The science certainly seems to suggest that this is the case. I now feel comfortable around my reflexologist and she acts as a sort of agony aunt, which I suppose could help too. I suggest trying a couple of sessions and seeing if you feel any different because if there’s a chance that it could help you deal with the negative aspects of being an Aspie, then it is worth a go.

Still Alive!

It's over a year since I started this blog and almost as long since I last posted! I'm sorry about that and would not be surprised if I have lost all two of my dedicated readers! The last few months have been quite tricky involving not a small amount of conflict with my sister. We have never really got on as although we are both opinionated, we have different views on almost everything. Fights with siblings are sadly not uncommon for the Aspie as a great deal of patience and understanding are needed to deal with us; something that she alas does not have. That is not  bad in a normal environment but when living with an Aspie it is necessary to have a great deal of it. She was living at home whilst searching for a job in London, which she now has (thank God!) and so has now moved back out. So now I am a little more relaxed and can at last get some creative inspiration. Here's hoping!

Illness and my Aspie mind

I usually have a pretty healthy immune system. When colds and the flu make their rounds I am usually either untouched or suffer less for a shorter period of time. It may be partly down to my obsession with cleanliness but there is only so much you can do to prevent infection in that way without developing full blown OCD. Besides, I take the view that a little dirt is good for you. I work outside a lot and in dusty conditions when I am inside and so get a lot of exposure. I also have two dogs which in terms of hygiene are the equivalent of licking the sole of your shoe a couple of times a year. I also take zinc capsules as a supplement which has been shown to improve the strength of your immune system (a link to several studies can be found here: 

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/130/5/1399S.short

Forget Echinacea, the evidence for that particular herbal remedy is ropey at best. I could go on forever about herbal remedies/supplements, but I should probably get back on topic. 

Every year in Britain several strains of flu and colds make their rounds, sweeping through the population and bringing misery to thousands of people. There is no way to avoid them all and to try would do far more harm than good. As if that wasn’t enough at least one strain of the Norovirus (or ‘winter vomiting bug’ as it is poetically nicknamed) stalks the land. As I said at the start, I usually avoid the worst and even when I get ill it is usually pretty quick. Since New Year though, I haven’t been so lucky. First I had a pretty painful and aggressive cold which managed to get into my ears and give me an ear infection. My siblings all had the same but mine seemed to go much quicker. However, it must have weakened my immune system sufficiently for the Norovirus to sneak into my system when I usually avoid it.

 Info from the NHS here: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/norovirus/Pages/Introduction.aspx.  

I really hate being sick. Nobody likes it but I almost have a phobia of it. I couldn’t even watch someone being sick on TV until a few years ago. All of this made the fact that I have a really sensitive stomach and can (but not want to) be sick at the drop of a hat even more unpleasant. Normally when you are ill, being sick makes you feel a little better. Well, not with this strain of Norovirus; not even an empty stomach could save me. That on top of the fever and diarrhoea meant that I was pretty miserable for four days and it has taken me over a week to start felling even remotely ‘normal’. I even had to miss two days off work, which I rarely do. 

I really can’t stand people who spread sickness and disease through negligence. People sneezing without covering their nose or not washing hands after going to the loo are two of my biggest pet hates (leaving dirty hankies everywhere including the kitchen table also drives me mad). All of this in turn irritates my mother and sister, both of whom are really terrible for this sort of thing. If either of them is ill you can be sure as mustard that every other member of the family will catch it. I can see why they would be mad at me for making a fuss about them infecting everyone, but to suggest that it is inconsiderate on my part is taking it a little far. Sure they are ill, but then surely they should stay in bed and not sit in the kitchen all day spreading germs. That to me is more inconsiderate. When I am ill and contagious I stay in my room and wash my hands at every opportunity so that I won’t spread it to others; I would be mortified if I was responsible for infecting another person. Is it so wrong if I expect others to treat me with the same consideration as I treat them? I am proud to say that I did not infect any other member of the family with the Norovirus despite it being highly contagious. That fact at least made me feel a bit better.