Most people have gone through periods of low self-esteem or self-worth. It happens across all genders, ages, income levels, and disABILITIES. Nuerodivergent adults have a higher occurrence of struggling with with this than their neurotypical peers. The following blog is shared by a frequent contributor to CA’s blog who describes herself as an adult female with high functioning autism. Here she shares her blog titled Autism: 6 ways to build self-esteem. What’s even better is these tips are free or nearly free!

1. One free way to build up your self-esteem is to volunteer. By volunteering you can get guidance in building new skills & practicing them until you get it down to a science.
2. Get out in the yard on a sunny day raking leaves or pruning overgrowth. Providing you a feeling of a sense of accomplishment when you see the area you worked on looking much nicer! The sun is a natural & free mood lifter.
3. A third way is to write down a list of errands & check each one when you complete them to feel a sense of accomplishment when you have completed most of them.
   • Good free apps for this are Google Keep Notes & Sticky Notes app in Windows 10
4. A fourth way is to plan your errands where you can get as many accomplished in the same location area as possible.
   • For example, going to the local shopping center where there is a beauty parlor to get your eyebrows waxed, and a hardware store to get a washer for the shower head, and a drug store for nutritional supplements.
5. For a vocation, get encouragement from a friend, sibling or trusted coworker. They can help you understand what your people, organizational and innovative skills are by describing instances where you have shown people, organizing or other soft skills.
6. Certain types of foods that one eats can negatively affect your mood which can hinder your productivity. Other types of foods can boost mood & productivity. Search your local library website catalog for “brain AND food” or “mood AND food” to see what titles you come up with. Be sure to look at the titles publication date to see that you are getting the most current title on the brain-mood-food interconnection.

CA is here if you need assistance with other information or resources for supporting your loved ones with autism. Simply call our toll-free number 800-649-8481, send us an email, or search our resources for autism related services throughout Virginia.

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