Tag: Society

  • A Solitary Life

    A Solitary Life

    My life is largely one of solitude. Solitude is is a state of seclusion or isolation, meaning lack of socialisation. I spend an hour and a half at Church every Sunday morning in worship and in the last month I begun volunteering in a homeless charity for 4 hours on a Tuesday. However, I usually…

  • Negative Feedback Loops

    Negative Feedback Loops

    Many of us who are Autistic also experience mental illness. Even if we don’t experience mental illness an Autistic person usually will experience similar barriers to someone with mental illness. These barriers can include social exclusion, stigma, discrimination, a lack of accessibility and no accommodations. In this blog, I am going to discuss Negative Feedback…

  • Reflections on Last Year

    Reflections on Last Year

    The last year has been a strange but also a humbling experience. Living homeless in a psychiatric ward for 4 and half months (although only sectioned for 6 weeks) meant I had few luxuries & privileges.I’m redefining luxuries here for many.Going out to the fountain to drink Pepsi in Basildon town centre was a luxury.…

  • Exclusion in Practise

    Exclusion in Practise

    I’ve talked previously how having your rent paid and living on benefits isn’t a dream. That having found my faith makes me feel fortunate. I have mentioned that what comes with living with autism and being on benefits means there is much Stigma and Loneliness. In this blog, I will try to describe how social…

  • The Making of Comparisons

    The Making of Comparisons

    What if I say said to you, that you don’t need to work and can live on a government pension with your housing paid for a year or two? To a lot of people that would sound like a dream and many would take it up. Most people may feel they have a lot to…

  • Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Spiral Dynamics

    Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Spiral Dynamics

    In this blog, I’m going to introduce Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Spiral Dynamics. I will briefly explain each of these psychological theories and how I use them to manage my Psycho-Social challenges that come with being Autistic. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising of 5 or 6 levels of…

  • Peace with Life

    Peace with Life

    I’ve been trying really hard in the last year to make peace with life and death. How I was treated homeless was a wake up call. Church, Baptism and volunteering at the homeless charity are all part of that. I’m convinced I could be eliminated by the state at some point. Whether that’s in a…

  • Commentary on Universal Credit

    Commentary on Universal Credit

    Not sure how anyone lives on the standard allowance of Universal Credit of £292.22 a month for under 25 and £368.74 a month for over 25. Usually you need some of it to top up rent payments as housing benefit or UC housing element isn’t enough. Then you have costs like:Food, council tax, electricity, gas,…

  • Stigma and Loneliness

    Stigma and Loneliness

    As someone who is Autistic and diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder the challenges of stigma and loneliness are something I share in common with others with psychiatric conditions. I use the term Autistic – it’s more to me than just a psychiatric condition. My experience maybe more or less severe than others. I had 12 rounds…