Uber Excited To Steal Words Back From Companies That Redefined Them

It’s never too late to learn the right way to do things: button sewing technique via imgur → more…

Here’s a small, pretty personal comic, about how growing up with undiagnosed autism has led to me struggling to share negative emotions with other people. (I think unfortunately many can relate to this)

Nothing better than a good old post midnight meltdown because you're too afraid that you're not going to get enough sleep tomorrow cuz someone's forcing you to wake up early for physical activity and today's one of two days in a week that you actually can get solid sleep and even if you sleep for a decent amount of time (the bare minimum) you'll still feel ridiculously tired because your sleep quality has been shit the entire week etc. etc. etc.

Me on the weekly 🤧

• Fidgeting and stuttering do NOT always indicate that someone is nervous.

• Avoiding eye contact does NOT always mean someone is lying.

• Having a hard time focusing does NOT always mean someone is lazy.

• Carrying around a stuffed animal or blanket does NOT make someone childish.

• Poor motor skills is NOT a direct indication of intelligence.

Not everyone fits into your box. Deal with it.

sure there’s a ramp, but is it steep? is there a curb at the top? is the ground uneven? do i need a key for the elevator? are the aisles and doorways wide enough? do i have room to turn? is there furniture and clutter in my way? is the carpet difficult to wheel on? can i open the doors myself?

accessibility to wheelchairs is more than just a ramp.

I'm so alone. I have fucking no one.

(Tw for ableism and lack of autonomy)

I want to talk about the issues with touching somebody's AAC device, and how it feels when people do that to me.

I've spoken about this a bit before, but I have more thoughts on it now that I feel like expressing.

People touch my device a lot, and they very rarely have permission. Whether its because they want to prevent me from moving too far away so they'll grab my devices strap, or they press random buttons, or pull it toward them, or push in my puffy stickers, or to search through my private folder, or something else, people tend to touch my AAC device without my consent. It has gotten to the point that my lockscreen has to say "My communication device functions as a body part, do not touch it without my direct consent." And I have a label on the back of the case that says "COMMUNICATION DEVICE PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH!".

When people do these things it feels extremely invasive, like someone touching your mouth or putting their hands in your throat. Its gross, uncomfortable, scary and weird.

It is also super important to note that a lot of nonspeaking people have sensory issues. You have lotion on your hands? The lotion rubbing off may have just ruined that persons device until cleaned. Also, bacteria is very much a thing.

I have to wipe down my device with sanitary wipes a lot, because I set it on all sorts of surfaces, and lots of people touch it. People who probably have dirty hands.

I personally don't, but some people attach chewies to their AAC device, or bite on the case. That makes the sanitary issues even more intense.

I also stim using tangles a lot, and I also have a ton of anxiety around children touching me or my things. Last school year, a kid at my school touched one of my tangles despite me telling him not to, and then I was unable to use that one for at least a month. My point of bringing that up is just, please don't touch peoples things without permission, especially disability aids.

What no one tells you about being “pre-med” until you’re doing it

I realized I wanted to be a doctor when I was a junior in high school, many events happened to bring me to this realization; however I told myself that when I got to college, I was going to be a chemistry/biochemistry major and be “pre-med”–so when the time arrived, that’s what I did.

 “How do I maximize my chances of getting into medical school?” I thought. Make all A’s, get involved in lots of extracurricular activities, research and clinical volunteering. So, that’s what I did—for 4 years of undergrad, I was a machine. I figured if I kept working hard, I would eventually reach my goal of becoming a doctor. This is all true, however, no one tells you what isolating yourself and studying for extensive hours at a time can do to you. No one tells you about the hardships you will face along the way, the friends you will lose who “don’t understand why you study so much,” all the family events, functions, parties and birthday parties you miss out on because you’re “at the library.” The difficulties of dating while “pre-med” are real. I dated a couple of wonderful people, who each decided to break things off with me because I would be “leaving for medical school.” Being “pre-med” (and I am sure these same struggles continue on into medical school) can leave you feeling drained, depressed, stressed, lonely and feeling as though you are not really “being yourself” (due to the fact you are working so hard all the time and trying to balance everything).

There have been only a few times during my undergraduate career when the words, “I am done with studying” have been said. Those times are when the semester actually ended. I never believed I was truly ever done with studying, because there was always more I could review or more I could learn. Considering the “weed-out” classes you have to take can have up to a 70% fail rate (depending on your university), you can imagine the pressure of always wanting to ‘do more.’

Every test, is a weed out. I will never forget after taking many science tests, upon receiving our test grades, I would always over hear someone in the room break down and cry, saying that now they have to change their major or now they can’t be a doctor. It’s heartbreaking.

 The struggle, is REAL. It is HARD. And it requires an extensive amount of work. However, it can be done. The best way to get through it all without losing your sanity, is to have an amazing support group; whether that group is your family and/or best friends. Have people who you can go to about anything. I wouldn’t have made it through and gotten into medical school without my family and friends always being there for me and being understanding.

Also, make time to have fun! It sounds impossible, but it is absolutely necessary. Go out and do something fun with your friends at least once a week!

Don’t put more on your plate than you can handle, if you are involved in a lot of extracurricular activities and you realize you’re unhappy lately and feel like you never get any “me” time, drop some activities and MAKE “me” time, that’s important for your happiness and your mental health. Also, make time to exercise, even if it is going on a walk. Exercise is the best way to reduce stress, boost your mood, clear your mind and take care of your mental health.

Find a mentor, someone who has been through it before. Ask them any questions you have about classes or medical school. Relieve your stresses and anxiety and get yourself a mentor.

I wouldn’t change anything I did, except for making more time to workout and relieve some of that stress. If you want to be a doctor, go for it–the reward will be absolutely worth it in the end.

 My goal of this post was not to deter anyone who seeks to be a doctor away from medicine, but rather to fill you in on the struggles that no one tells you about and to provide some helpful solutions for getting through it.

Hopefully it helped provide some insight!

A reminder that you are only human. Stop bottling everything when it’s too much.