11 Things I Love About Being Autistic
Every once in a while, one of my fellow autists will tell me that they sometimes feel down about being autistic and experience low self-esteem. This is heart-breaking to me, because – whilst we may experience challenges and it is valid to acknowledge them – we deserve to love who we are and cherish our neurodivergent brains.
With this in mind, I thought I could share with you some of the things I love about being autistic, in the hope that they might resonate with you and comfort you through tough moments when you might not love being autistic or might be experiencing low self-esteem.
[Please note: These sentiments reflect my experience of being autistic and we are all unique, so please do not feel disheartened if you do not relate to them. They are not the only things to love about being autistic, and if you don’t relate to them, you might find it empowering to think about what you love about being autistic.]
1. My special interests
My special interests give me such a strong sense of purpose. Sometimes I wake up invigorated knowing that at some point in the day I can research Old Hollywood, read for half an hour or play one of my favourite video games.
2. Experiencing autistic joy
The abundant happiness that can come from researching my special interests or playing one of my favourite songs on repeat for hours (potentially my favourite stim right now!) makes me feel alive.
3. Connecting with the world on a deeper level
Being hypersensitive to lots of things - like sounds and visuals - can be overwhelming, but it can also help me get so much more joy from them. For every afternoon in which I’m overwhelmed by traffic sounds, there is an evening in which I see a beautiful sunset or moon that captivates me.
4. Being atypically pragmatic and solution oriented
I tend to be guided by pragmatism and solutions in an atypically vast breadth of situations. When I identify a problem, I instinctively want to solve it, even if solving it is not technically my responsibility or the problem doesn’t directly impact me.
5. Having great attention to detail
It is reassuring for me to know that I can often discern big and small details, because this enables me to identify potential issues and put into place plans of action to prevent or mitigate their impact.
6. Being excellent at making predictions
Being adept at spotting patterns and analysing people and situations means that I’m frequently able to make very accurate predictions. Even if others don’t believe my predictions, I do, and I draw comfort from knowing what I can expect.
7. Remaining calm in a crisis
When crises occur, oftentimes I’m one of the calmest people in the room. I attribute this to how I tend to experience delays in the processing of my emotions, which can be helpful when I’m in situations where moving forward is particularly important or necessary and I need a clear head to be able to do so.
8. Being extra considerate
Having unique needs and challenges means that I’m acutely aware of how it feels to have unmet needs and/or be overwhelmed, uncomfortable and distressed. Being strongly aware of how rough these experiences can be, I want to protect others from them, and thus can be highly attentive to other people’s needs.
9. Feeling comfortable alone
Years of needing to spend time alone for my sensory comfort and to recharge means that I have become very comfortable in my own company. I relish spending time with loved ones, but I don’t always need someone by my side.
10. Having a passion for justice
Injustice hurts me on a visceral level, and this means that, often, in situations where others have become desensitised to something unacceptable, I have not. I care deeply and I’m proud of that.
11. Being part of an awesome community
When I think about all the autistic people I’ve met over the years, I’m reminded of how beautifully diverse our community is. I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of it.
