9th February 2019
So it’s currently Friday evening and I have decided to write this weeks blog. Why? Because this blog is about energy accounting and more specifically energy accounting over a cumulative period of time. There are a lot of cool websites, blogs, guides etc. on energy accounting but I have noticed that a lot of them tend to deal with a day by day energy accounting, which is great but I want to talk about my experiences where my energy tends to flux on a more weekly basis.
That is not to say I don’t have a pattern of daily energy waning that is due to my Autistic nature. I start off in the morning feeling quite fresh, ready to go. I am full of bright ideas, fresh and able to function. By the end of the same day I am irritated, tired to the point of dropping off to sleep, with greater levels of stress and anxiety. I haven’t said which day this is, but I do feel it most days especially when I am at work where there is more sensory distress, demands on my energy and more social interaction required. Weekends are easier. Although Saturday sometimes has some recovery overspill from the working week before.
However, my energy levels are also determined by longer periods of time, such as the working week. The fact that I have just had two days over the weekend to restore my energy balance through rest, being with minimal people I want to be with, and engaging with my intense interests, my energy levels are actually high going into Monday. By Friday though it is a different story for the opposite reasons – less rest, more people interaction and less time to do the things I enjoy. Blurgh. Normally I write my blogs first thing on a weekend day when I am fresh, which is why I am writing now in an evening. To see if there is a difference…
Off course there are also things that will effect this pattern, a stressful event at the weekend for example might effect the balance or a day off from work on Monday may mean I am feeling less tired by Friday. I have spoken to some other Autistics about this and they experience similar things, it’s one of the drawbacks from living in a world that is not designed to suit Autistic people. I also want to acknowledge that there are people that suffer from other illnesses which cause chronic fatigue. I cannot speak for those that may have such, but the energy accounting is even more important for them.
My energy levels are greatly effected by work, but as only 16% of Autistic people are in employment I don’t want to sound ungrateful for my job or offend anyone who is desperately looking for a job. I am lucky in many ways. However, as I get older I feel that working five days a week gets more and more difficult and tiring. Maybe one day in the future I might be able to work four days instead. For now though my working hours are what they are so I try and use other ways to get a good energy balance.
There are many techniques available which you can find online, but personally I think the two key factors are finding out what works for you in order to restore energy, and listening to what your body is actually telling you. So for me, I can restore my energy levels through walking outdoors, puzzle cubing, reading and watching TV. There are some small sensory fixes too during the day, such as running my hands under hot water.
As I mentioned though, listening to what my body tells me is also important. I might start a Tuesday morning thinking that after work in the evening, I might be able to do some work on my website. However, after the working day in the evening my body might be feeling really tired. If this is the case then I should rest in the evening, perhaps only watching TV rather then trying to do more computer work on my website. If I try and do some work whilst this tired then I might make mistakes and would certainly feel even more tired the next day. It’s counter productive.
Please remember that these are techniques that help me to restore energy, they might not work for you but I would encourage people to try things and find out what works for them. It might be that you find listening to music helpful, playing an instrument, painting or exercises such as yoga or meditation more helpful. What is key is that you look after yourself, that you are aware of your energy limits and organise your life accordingly to stay healthy, happy and well.