In short, energy is the fuel, that keeps us going. Energy is given to us by the
- shining sun,
- food nature serves us,
- people around us, who support us.
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There are Four types of energy referred to on this site:
Physical energy:
Physical energy is what we get by eating healthy food, and what we get by exercizing, by sport, by physical movement. When we have done too much physical exercizes during the day, our body feels exhausted. Usually this leads to pain in our muscles, the next day. On the other hand, we might sleep very well, when we are physically tired.
Mental energy:
The fuel for the processes in our mind, for the cognitive processes, for our thinking. When we have thought too much during the day, or when our thoughts were mostly negative, we could feel mentally exhausted, depressed or anxious. This type of energy is what we call ‘mental energy’.
Creative energy:
A creëren, fiepen
Emotional energy:
xxx
We feel best, when these different kinds of energy are balanced, when we have done enough physical, mental and creative activities during the day.
Why is energy so highly important?
Typical autism caracteristics and energy levels do reinforce eachother. Lower levels of energy lead to more ‘autistic behavior’. And on the contrary, with higher levels of energy…
…I tend to have less conflicts, and conflicts burden my resting rare energy
…I am more able to do those things which recover my energy (and stay in a positive loop)
…it is more likely that I feel my borders, or pain, or my emotional state. Therefore I avoid people crossing my personal borders, or cross them all by myself, exhausting myself in an extreme way
…I do not tend to react on everything I disagree with, let alone those things far beyond my circle of influence. I am able to distract myself from this negativeness. So it is easier not to become depressed or anxious or dissociative
…life is lighter. It is more effortless to attract possitive thinking people, people who can show me how to live more easy-going
…I am more able to do some housekeeping, for instance to do some cooking now and then. In this way, I eat the things I like, and I need, prepared in the way I like them most
…it is easier to focus, and therefore we rely less on ‘hyperfocus’. Hyperfocus is exhausting.
Eventually it is very simple: I NEED energy in order to GET MORE energy. Therefore energy is so highly important for people with autism. For most typical autism caracteristiccs, this figure shows the reinforcement:
