I am coming to you from my bed, and I am so miserably SICK. Yes, you heard me here. I am SICK. I'll be back 100% if I continue to rest before and after classes, and take some cold pills.
Anyway, I wanted to write about this on Friday, but I wanted to hold it off until I had some spare time on my hands.
So, I want to talk about my 2nd least favorite "c" word...criticism.
This word makes me cringe, and when I say cringe, I mean, CRINGE. Cringe like I had just seen a ghost enter inside one of my parent's bodies! THAT cringe. My inner self cringes every time I think of that word. So, here's my issue and problem with this whole criticism idea. Autistic people are twice as sensitive to their emotions. If you guys didn't known already, I'm AUTISTIC! I feel like I'm the type of Autistic person who takes every, little, teeny tiny thing to heart, 99.99999% of the time. So, in my book, if I get criticized for something, you bet I'm going to take it personally.
I've wanted to talk about this since MONDAY EVENING, right after my class. We're working on our first project, and I do everything as I am asked and told to do, and then suddenly, I come to find out I did something wrong! I was so devastated and upset, I was literally texting my mom, ranting my head off. I was actually very proud of it. It wasn't the final, it was just a mock up, but you know what I mean. So, I thought about it for a few days, and I came to realize that me being so incredibly sensitive wasn't working. So, I did the final project over, and I'm going to turn that baby in tonight, knowing that I did the very best I could, and that I worked harder, more neatly, and longer this time.
So, which leaves me answering the question: how should Autistic people handle criticism? Honestly, I do not have an exact answer for this, but luckily for you, I have a few tips. First thing you do (which I am so awful for not even considering doing this), is calm down and TRY not panic. When they see you panic, they're just going to think you can't handle the criticism being aimed at you. You cannot let them see that. The key idea is to look stronger than you already are, even though you're feeling discouraged. To quote the fabulous Clairee from Steel Magnolias: "that which does not kill us makes us stronger." Second thing you do, take deep breaths. While you are taking deep breaths, count to ten in your head. If you can't count in your head, just count in a whisper. Third thing to do, get a drink of water. This helps you cool off and calm way down. Fourth thing you do, LET IT OUT WHEN YOU'RE AT HOME. It's sometimes good to let that anger and discouragement out with a really good cry. I've done this, and trust me, it works. Having a good cry is not a bad thing, just do it at home in your room. Fifth thing, talk to someone. This helps too. I've always been able to talk to my mom or dad if something is wrong. Just don't rant to them. That will only make you feel worse. Sixth thing you do is pray. If you're not religious, pray anyway. Praying helps. It's awesome knowing that God, who made me who I am for a reason, loves me and He will provide comfort for me in any given situation I face. Seventh thing, get up and try again. This was what I did yesterday. I simply said to myself: "I'm not going to stop. I'm going to bust my behind even harder and prove that I am a strong person. I'm going to try and do the best I can, and if it doesn't work out, that's okay, because I know I did the very best I could". So, I hope this helps you guys.
UPDATE TIME: Either Wednesday or Thursday, I'm going to be writing a very special blog as a tribute, so stayed tuned for that. Also, guess what game we're going to start playing? The Waiting Game. The time to start anticipating a response from the final publisher I sent a transcript for Meet My Autism begins now. Please pray and hope that my book gets approved for publishing. I'm so nervous, and I hope that this one will bring good news. Also, I'm already starting to plan out a NEW book, and I want YOU, that's right, YOU, to help me determine what type of book I should write next. Do you guys want a teen-aimed book, parent-aimed, child-aimed, chapter book, another picture book for the Meet My Autism series I'm planning to continue on or a new picture book, something that has to do with VeggieTales (hey, I can dream, can't I? Oh, by the way, Robin Good was amazing!! I now own it, and I love it and the message. HIGHLY recommend this one to help handle hurt.), maybe a memoir, a fun children's chapter book, what do you guys want me to do? I want to stay connected with you, so please let me know what book I should do next.
Until Wednesday or Thursday, talk to you guys later! :)
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