So as an autistic person, I'm constantly doubting whether or not I was normal enough in a social interaction.
So my favorite thing to tell myself:
- you'll probably laugh about this later
And I do, because it's silly to mull over the time I tried to say, "have a nice day," to a fast food worker in a drive thru, and instead said "HDYUJNHFF I J." I spoke gibberish. She was confused, I was embarrassed. So, I gave her a confident smile, a thumbs up, and drove away with my taco bell. Later I laughed till I cried, because it was so funny in hindsight.
When I'm struggling artistically, I tell myself:
- even a tiny bit of progress is better than none.
That phrase works great with doing chores too. If you have a hard time doing the dishes, start with five plates and see how you feel after. If you want to do more, go for it! If you don't feel motivated enough, give it a break and try again later. And remember, you still did five more dishes than if you had decided not to do them altogether :)
I love that the "you'll laugh at this later" saying works for you in those situations! I do have to let the little social things like that go, especially when I constantly mess up my Japanese. It isn't always very helpful for me though, possibly because my partner L (who is disgustingly optimistic compared to me lol) sometimes jumps in a bit too quickly with statements like that when I'm in the middle of an anxiety attack.
I looooove the image of the thumbs up when you realised you'd spoken gibberish lmao I may actually steal that in the future.
The one about progress is great, too! I've struggled really badly with doing household tasks the past few years, and I've also found that once I convince myself to do one small thing, the larger tasks don't seem as undoable.
Amazing advice 🖤 also very glad to see you around!! I hope you're doing well!