Alex Manners, a Television and Radio Presenter, Asperger's Champion and Speaker, shares a blog on coronavirus and how it can affect someone with Asperger's.
Blog By Alex....
Staying indoors for long periods of time and not being able to go anywhere or see anyone can be challenging for most people.
The recent Coronavirus pandemic has meant we all have to stay at home and often in self-isolation. Football matches and all other events have been cancelled or postponed and most restaurants and pubs have now closed. But how can all of this sudden change affect someone who has Asperger’s?
I had heard people talking about the Coronavirus a few weeks ago but to be honest I deliberately ignored it and carried on my life as normal (Keep Calm & Carry On!). I could not come to terms with the fact that what people were talking about may be real. Therefore, I carried on as normal for as long as I possibly could.
The first thing to happen was that one of my talks was postponed but I still tried to carry on as normal. Then I heard that all football matches were postponed and this was a huge shock, as I go to football matches every week. However, I still tried to carry on as normal. Then one by one all of my talks and events I had booked were cancelled. With ‘World Autism Week’ only 2 weeks away this is the busiest time of the year for me so having everything cancelled in such a short space of time caused my emotions to be all over the place. Such a sudden and overwhelming change was very difficult for me to deal with. Things escalated very quickly including all old people having to self-isolate. This meant that a lot of the people I love and whom I have depended on all my life would be cut off from me.
I started to suffer from “Stinkin Thinkin” and it was only after speaking to my dad and my uncle that it finally sunk in that life was going to be quite different for the next few months. My uncle told me not to worry about next week or the week after but to take it three days at a time. So, I decided to look at the positives like still being able to go for a walk with my grandma. It’s these little things that you really appreciate at times like this. People also told me that I should buy some hand sanitiser to ensure my hands are always clean. I actually can’t stand the feel or smell of the stuff so try and wash my hands with soap whenever I can.
To view the full article, please click on the link - https://www.thealexmanners.com/coronavirus-article