Tools for the AspieEdge

The theory that I'm an Aspie does, however, present a whole new arsenal of tools and techniques to hack whatever I find in my path:

* weighted blankets:  I've always found that I sleep better on cold nights when I can pile blankets on the bed, so after reading about weighted blankets, I bought 25# of pellets and some muslin and made me one -- I absolutely love it!  because I wanted to keep the weight under 20# for the sake of the washing machine, it is only 36" by 42".  The plan is to add another panel should it be needed to make it full sized.  The first time I pulled it over me, I just melted into the bed.  The continual race of ideas and thoughts slowed and stilled, even more than during meditation.  The next morning I seriously wondered if I had made it too heavy because I woke with all over muscle aches, but pondering it over the next few days I realized that the aches were from sleeping so very soundly.

*  stimming:  Stims are ways Autistics calm and normalize their nervous systems, with rocking, spinning and flapping being the most stereotypical.  I've always loved rocking chairs.  Now I know why.  I remember enjoying spinning around until I dizzily fell into the couch when I was a kid, so I tried spinning.  For safety's sake, I do it by the kitchen sink, where I can keep one hand firmly on the counter at all times.  This proved to be the perfect remedy to prevent an impending stress-induced meltdown or even shutdown.

*  books such as _A Field Guide to Earthlings: An autistic/Asperger view of neurotypical behavior _ by Ian Ford helped me understand why some of the things I have, over the years, found to work do work.  Such as making certain I warmly greet co-workers when I first encounter them in the morning, or warmly asking how their weekend was on Mondays. 

*  Aspie/Autie forums such as Wrong Planet (http://www.wrongplanet.net/forums.html):  When I first started reading WrongPlanet, I felt like I had come home.

*  nutrition:  although I do not appear to have any problems with gluten or casein, boosting my intake of some of the aminos does seem to help.  Most of these I was already taking because I tried them for other issues and discovered that they work for me.