UNMASKED: Snippets & notes from a lifetime collection of journals (pre-diagnosis).
Advocating for autistic acceptance.
April 18, 1994,
What a lovely soothing rainfall smooths out the waves of gray blanketing the day.
May 18, 1994,
One month ago, a rainfall soothed me as it fell onto the almost tropical earth below, waiting anticipating the drenching water to soothe its thirst. This life is so confusing! If I had others, were they as bewildering?
Kalpita Pathak
Age 18
COMMENTARY:
Two [journal entries], written exactly one month apart. I wanted to juxtapose them to demonstrate the importance of stimming (also autistic-me is delighted by the exactly-one-month apart aspect!).
In the first entry, I am stimming to cope with the anxiety, grief, and existential crisis surrounding Kurt Cobain’s death.
In the second entry, I am actually *nostalgic* for the stim and it appears I am back/still in my existential mode.
Stimming: A way to self-soothe. A way to regulate emotions.
Stimming can be visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, movement.
Some of my stimmy things include reflection of light on water, the sound of Sharpie pens on paper, clove and patchouli oils, rubbing smooth stones, dancing.
Listening to rainfall.
Stims should only be redirected if they will cause harm to the self or others.