Welcome back to another episode of the Thriving Moms of Autistics Podcast! I am your host, Dr. Christina Wilson.

I often hear from moms that their greatest fear is dying and leaving their child behind.

I recall being in the hospital. I was fighting so hard. Unfortunately, sepsis doesn’t always have a good outcome. I had never been so sick in my life.

At one point, I was spitting up blood and it was coming out of the tubes from my stomach.

I thought to myself, “This is it? This is how it is going to end? Then a calmness came over me. God laid it on my heart that there was more. Then, it was so clear, as if he whispered in my ear, “I want you to work with women.” That was when the Thriving Moms of Autistics was born.

In this episode, we explore our motivation to be around for our children and ways to make that happen so that we are here to support them as long as we can and have a long lasting positive effect on them.

Find the full transcript for this episode on your favorite podcast app.

Please share the podcast with other moms to help them grow in their autism journey.

You can also do this by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. I appreciate you!

Moms of Autistics Experience Similar Stress Levels as Those in Combat

Self-care is often at the end of a moms to-do list if it even makes it on the lengthy list. That is because our child’s needs are pretty extensive.

Because of those extensive needs and additional challenges posed by IEP meetings, other’s demands and judgments about our parenting styles or child’s behaviors our stress levels are often extremely high.

A University of Wisconsin study found that mothers of adolescent and adult autistics experienced stress similar to that of a combat veteran. Sit with that for just a minute.

That is one of many reasons why self-care is critical for moms raising autistic children.

Stress is a precursor to disease. That throws a serious wrench in our plans to stick around for our children.

We can’t have that, now can we!!

Self-Care Is More Than Moms of Autistics Think It Is

There are several components to self-care, such as emotional, physical, mental, social, spiritual, and professional self-care.

Moms of autistics experience strong emotions. They deal with a lot and often. As a result, many moms experience shame, anger, frustration, unworthiness, guilt, etc.

Moms might neglect their physical upkeep by skipping workouts or not getting enough sleep.

Mental health might take a hit with increased anxiety and depression. It is easy to get caught up in the negative when big things are happening around you.

Socially, we might withdraw or isolate because so many others just don’t get it, and it is easier to separate ourselves.

Moms often feel a disconnect spiritually. We once felt connected to God, the Universe, or whatever it is we adhere to. A loss of connection is the result.

How Can Moms of Autistics Get Creative with Self-Care?

Here are some self-care ideas that might spark your interest:

1. Find a coach to support your growth as a mom
2. Use daily affirmations to remind yourself of your worth
3. Meditation & Breathing Techniques to Calm and Restore
4. Take a hot bath and light some candles after your child goes to bed
5. Walk around the neighborhood
6. Dance it out and invite your child to join you
7. Find a podcast that supports your growth or favorite topic
8. Read a chapter of the book you have been eying
9. Journal what is on your mind and ways to grow from it
10. Find a hob

Welcome back to another episode of the Thriving Moms of Autistics Podcast! I am your host, Dr. Christina Wilson.

Why do people do the things they do or think the way they do? Those are burning questions we all have, which is why I chose positive psychology as a specialty.

I study happiness and have found that optimism and internal locus of control are strong predictors of happiness or what we call subjective well-being or our own perception of our own happiness.

Internal locus of control is us taking responsibility for the outcome or feeling we had some control over the outcome. Whereas, external locus of control is blaming it on others and not accepting any of the responsibility.

In the world of autism, things can shift quickly. So, it is hard to predict what comes next. But as moms striving to stay a step ahead to protect our children, we strive with all our might. Right?

We fight to control the outcome because we want to keep them safe, but that is not always possible. We put a lot on ourselves and it feels so heavy. I know. I am right there with you.

In this episode, we explore a game changer that will open up many possibilities for change, not only for you, but your child too.

Find the full transcript for this episode on your favorite podcast app.

Please share the podcast with other moms to help them grow in their autism journey.

You can also do this by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. I appreciate you

Be sure to subscribe to the Thriving Moms of Autistics YouTube Channel!

Building Stress and Behavioral Shifts Weigh On Autism Moms

Moms raising autistics are unique in their daily experiences. They have a heavier load of managing many tasks at once, such as the usual day to day, unexpected shifts, melt downs, communication struggles, keeping their child safe and alive, and so on.

With that great responsibility comes significant stress and exhaustion. We are usually pretty good at anticipating many of our child’s needs or what they are communicating to us, but there are those times that it all gets lost in translation and it all escalates. We do our best.

In those events we do our best to help our child through it and find the best ways to keep ourselves in check and maintain our own sanity while we walk through it.

It is easy to beat ourselves up when things go South, or we don’t manage it as calmly as we would have liked, or manage it as quickly as we could have.

Did you know that there is a trick to that? Oh, but there is. Most people are not aware of it. Sometimes, I want to scream it from the mountain tops because it makes such a difference.

The Game Changing Resource That All Moms of Autistics Have and Don’t Even Know It

We are all different creatures, which I am thankful for. It would be so boring if we were all the same. Right?

We were created in such a way that prepares us to go through life, even though it feels like we are lacking. Life is hard no doubt. We aren’t cookie cutter, and there is a good reason for that.

I often see moms dive into the unknown with all that they have after their child’s diagnosis. They might not have been strong students in school, but they are in high gear learning all they can about autism and finding ways to support their child.

This is the character strength of love of learning. This is a great example of lacking awareness of a strength to find that it really is your thing and helps you get through difficult times.

You might have noticed that you were more quick to give your opinion or jump into something without thinking it through prior to having your child. However, you see that you are more controlled now th

Welcome back to another episode of the Thriving Moms of Autistics Podcast! I am your host, Dr. Christina Wilson.

Moms are often in a high alert state. Because anything goes with our kids. Even though we are good at anticipating, we never really know what to fully expect.

Now, weather events occur all over the world. You can’t get away from it. This week, we dealt with a lot of crazy weather across the United States, and it got me thinking.

We can prepare for some natural disasters, such as hurricanes, but things like tornadoes and flooding can happen in an instant.

In this episode, we explore how moms can develop a plan of action ahead of time and use their developed superpowers for shifting with the unexpected to support themselves, their child, and their family and reduce anxiety and manage the chaos in the process.

Find the full transcript for this episode on your favorite podcast app.

Please share the podcast with other moms to help them grow in their autism journey.

You can also do this by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. I appreciate you

Be sure to subscribe to the Thriving Moms of Autistics YouTube Channel!

Why Is It Important for Moms of Autistics to Prepare for the Unexpected?

It can feel daunting to try to have it all together all the time. We juggle a lot as moms raising autistics.

For our children, routine is critical. When it goes sideways and it will, chaos can ensue quickly.

There is a whirlwind of emotions, anxiety, vulnerability, and for moms, a deepened need to protect.

What Moms of Autistics Need to Do First to Kickstart Change

I think it is important that moms first acknowledge that they are human beings. We often forget that.

Mistakes will be made because we are not superhuman. That doesn’t exist. We do our best.

Repeat after me. “I am doing my best!”

This week, I realized that I missed the mark or dropped the ball. Yes, it happens. And it is easy to do that when we have an overloaded plate as it is.

With that said, I am showing myself some grace and learning from it! My growth mindset has allowed me to acknowledge and move forward while cutting ties and quickly squashing those negative thought loops and jumping into positive action instead.

When I was a young teenager, we had an unusual weather event in January. I was home alone at the time and the tornado sirens malfunctioned. It was an unseasonably warm day. The sky turned a shade yellow and there was an eerie feeling in the air.

You never forget that sound and how the house shakes. We lived on the outskirts of town and were spared that day. But within a couple of miles down the road, the town town and my friends weren’t. It was catastrophic.

That spring it happened again, but I was at work this time. My mom called and instructed me and my co-worker to get in the hallway. My co-worker could see the tornado in the distance and dragged me down the hallway to see it…. Kicking and screaming, by the way.

Needless to say, my past trauma and anxiety kicks in during these inevitable storms.

Our kids are super sponges and don’t miss a beat. So, I have to work even harder to keep that anxiety in check.

This week, we had to take shelter and there was a tornado. Thankfully, it wasn’t catastrophic like before.

I asked myself why I do not have a plan in place with the family? Well, we’ve had a lot to contend with over the last several years. It’s called autism. But, this is something we will have in place moving forward.

How Do Moms of Autistics Prepare for Unexpected Events That Can Result in Chaos and Anxiety?

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