monday 🕸️ (Patreon)

hi everyone, i hope you’re all doing okay. apologies for not updating over the weekend, i didn’t end up going out on saturday because i wasn’t feeling well, but did go for a small walk yesterday, which is something. i’ll attach a little photo of wednesday 🐶

the canal paths are all flooded again at the moment, the footpaths and trees underwater 💭

as for the autism inserts, things are going well! i’ll add a little breakdown here and try to explain what’s going on and where it’s all at:

the routines page (which would be blank) has the timeline and some extra space for notes- most of the designs have this space. it helps keep things looking consistent but as a compulsive note-keeper myself, i think it’s nice to have the room to reference anything extra you may need (or to add a little photo).

there’s also an ‘ideal day’ style page with the timeline in the middle, as a few people mentioned they liked it, but i forgot to screenshot it when everything was measured up 🥲 i think i did include it previously, but i’ll make sure to show you again when everything’s finished.

next i worked on pages for hyperfixations, with a scale to help measure how intense or disruptive it’s been feeling. the list style page is ideal for keeping track of topics over a length of time, and the ‘log’ style page is good for collecting notes when you’re in the thick of it 😶‍🌫️ the extra column on the side for notes, again, or a photo.

the special interest pages work much the same way- a list for tracking how things dip in and out over time, and the ‘log’ style again for notes, photos, infodumps, etc. looking forward to using this one 🙇🏻‍♀️ it should compliment the existing commonplace-style pages well, but with something a little extra ✨🌟 to help it stand out.

then we have the recipe pages. in the end i decided to keep these relatively simple illustration wise- a version for savoury/cooking and sweet/baking. it has a measure for how many spoons/how much energy something takes, and room for ingredients on the side. honestly i like these pages a lot and am looking forward to filling them out 📑

the meal reference pages are split across two sheets, and i separated them into low spoon foods, and medium/high spoon foods, with space for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner. i don’t eat breakfast so i’ll probably add a photo there instead 💭 but i think it’s nice the pages can be customised/decorated that way, to suit everyone’s needs. there’s also the notes on the side again, so photos could go there too.

then we have the self-care assessment page- to help us identify what’s going on when something feels decidedly “off” but we’re not sure why. my idea for this was that you could fill out the first checklist quite quickly, moving down and marking the completed tasks, then slowing down for the second half which is a bit more thoughtful and reflective. again there’s the notes section- when i filled out copy of this page on saturday, i used this section to write notes about pain levels and painkillers taken, then the reverse (which is a blank common place-style page) to reflect on the second half of the list and how i was feeling, what i was doing to cope, etc. in practice, im pleased to report that i think it works quite well 🫡

and then lastly, the sensory break ideas. in truth, im not very good at monitoring or looking after my sensory needs, so my primary motivation for this page was to give myself a reference 🥲 ‘sensory diets’ are something that’s talked about a lot for autistic children, but i think as adults (often with a lot going on) its easy to forget how to look after ourselves in that way. sensory breaks are an important part of emotional and physical regulation for autistic people, and ignoring them (whether intentionally or unintentionally) will have knock on effects to our general wellbeing.

still working on my big list of ideas, but that’s where we’re at 🫡 if you have any requests or ideas, please let me know. very much open to hearing them 📝

over the weekend while i wasn’t feeling well, i found myself playing animal crossing a bit again. i’d forgotten how hard i worked on my island, and i was surprised to find how much i still like it, and how much comfort revisiting it brought me. i’ll add some photos in case anyone is interested!

and my favourite boy lucky, being as relatable as ever 🥲

okay, i think that’s everything for today! i hope the breakdown was interesting, and makes things feel a little clearer. i’ll update my progress through the week in the groupchat 💬

take care and speak soon, friends x