My Wellness Journey Ep. 2

My youngest daughter is Autistic and nonverbal. Like many other Autistics she has sleep issues. We have tried many interventions to no avail. Doctors and Specialists have no answers. I believe it is just the way her brain is wired, she does not require much sleep. She is an adventurous and independent child, at this time she still requires supervision. So if she is up, I am up too. You know how sleep deprived new parents are when their baby is a new born? Well it's been like that for five years...

As much as we try to prepare her, change in routine is very difficult for my little p. When the school year started the change in routine boded too much and her insomnia ignited. There were nights I was only getting by on 2.5hours of sleep.

I was working from home due to the pandemic, so I would try and catch a cat nap on my lunch break or lie down between client calls. But the sleep deprivation was really starting to get to me. I was perpetually exhausted, I was stuck in this cycle of coffee, sugar and wine to get me through. It was difficult for me to focus on tasks, the light from my computer was so bright it was difficult to look at the screen. I was overwhelmed with work, I had reached out to my supervisor and got no support. I felt like a lifeboat set adrift floating towards a whirlpool.