Rebecca's Blogs

As I have previously mentioned, I had no idea that I had HSAM (Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory) until I was diagnosed with it at 23 years old; nor did I know that the condition even existed until I was 21 years old. It was my firm belief that every person thought, felt and remembered in exactly the same way as I do.

Yet regardless of whether I knew about my style of memory being somewhat rare or not, there was always an activity (which I now know to be related to my HSAM) that I enjoyed doing since I was a preteen.

There’s a  lot of talk and occasional criticism about how much we’re intensely relying on our computer tablets and smartphones and the negative impact it's having on social skills. However, as someone with Autism my iPad is a very important device in regards to controlling my anxiety and enabling me to get more of my career work done.

Due to my autism I naturally find change very difficult. Unexpected changes can leave me anxious so routine has always been a comfort to me, however despite feeling content with repetition, I do still become bored with it.

 

We’re overloaded with so much in life that by adulthood finding our true interests and passions can seem much like trying to find a needle in a haystack. So how can we find where our true passions lie?

An experience of Sleep Paralysis occurs when the mind becomes conscious, yet the person’s physical body remains asleep (and therefore paralysed) for up to several minutes. Most people experience Sleep Paralysis at least once throughout their lifetime, and some people (including myself) experience it regularly or on a nightly basis.

Whenever something unexpected occurs which leaves me with no other choice than to change my timetable, I experience extreme anxiety and often have a meltdown as a result. In addition to having autism I also have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder which multiplies those challenges by two.