How to accommodate distinct anxiety or support a loved one with distinct anxiety
Autistic accommodations are the most immediate and impactful way to minimize distinct anxiety.
Accommodations include anything that would reduce the anxiety.
Examples...
Travel anxiety... asking for a seat with extra room, pre-boarding a flight, asking for a different hotel room if the one you were given triggers you.
Work anxiety... asking to work from home (if the job can be done that way) so you can create a sensory safe working environment for yourself.
Also, if you're autistic, you don't have to rely on others for all accommodations. Some you can make for yourself.
Examples...
Social anxiety... choosing not to participate in large social events (this can include things that are typically considered socially important, like weddings)
Sensory anxiety... eating safe meals before social events so you don't have to worry if the food there will be tolerable, packing your own pillow/blanket when traveling, bathing once a week, or however frequently you need.
Sensory anxiety continued... using disability bathroom stalls. If you experience anxiety due to confined spaces, this is a legitimate use of an accessible space for a person with hidden disabilities. If a larger stall decreases your anxiety, you are legally and ethically allowed to use it.
Tl;dr... autistic accommodations are often about decreasing anxiety triggers by either removing your triggers from the environment or by removing yourself from the environment where those triggers exist.
P.s. If you're autistic and experience anxiety when your autistic needs aren't met... know that not everyone has the same anxiety as you.
Even if you've spent your whole life thinking the rest of the world is suffering just as much as you are.
They aren't.
You deserve to experience life without autistic anxiety... the way nonautistic people get to experience life.
Don't be afraid to ask for accommodations.
If they can be given, you deserve them.
At minimum, you deserve to ask for them. ❤️