Recently I've been thinking about how I made it past many of the struggles that I've had when I was younger, and how this past school year I had much, much less difficulty than I had expected.
Many of the things that would have been hard for me no less than a year or two ago were actually not that hard when I encountered them now.
My whole life until this year, I was home schooled. So as you can imagine, the first year of public school, also being high school, is no walk in the park, especially for someone with Aspergers.
I ended the year with all A grades, made some friends, went to honors classes, and even started an after school club. I say that to make the point that even though I have Aspergers, I made it through school with flying colors.
This, along with a conversation I had with my mother where she was telling me that she, and a lot of the people in my school had noticed how in-tune I am with my emotions, helped me to realize how much I had changed. I agree with that, even though up until recently I took it for granted.
So, after thinking about it for a while, I decided on what helped me the most. Really, it wasn't medicine or any other kind of treatment. What helped me the most, was actually the way I was thinking.
When I was younger, I would complain about how unfair it was having Aspergers, and that life was too hard for me because of my Aspergers. I wanted it to just go away so I could be normal. Naturally, I had an exceptional difficulty coping with life thinking that way.
Now when I think about my Aspergers, it doesn't bother me as much. I realize it's just a part of who I am, and there are even things that I gain from having it. I don't complain about how unfair it is, and I don't just give up if something is hard because of having Aspergers.
When that happens, I pull out my claws and dig into the situation trying to find some way to get over whatever challenge I may be having. Sometimes it takes a really long time, but I don't give up.
To give you an example, take my school. My school is not really any different than any other school. It's small, having around 500 students, but the students and the teachers are just like any other students and teachers from other schools.
And other than my Aspergers I'm just like any other person. No superpowers or anything. At least not the last time I checked.
So how did I do so well, you may ask. It was the way I thought. The first day, I decided I was capable of an A grade, and that anything less was being lazy, so I did everything I could to get that grade. Sometimes I would have to stay after school to learn more about a certain topic to accomplish my goal, but it was worth it, and in the end I did get that A grade I wanted.
I found a challenge and accepted it. Then, I didn't back down until I beat that challenge. I had a hands-on attitude of: "I'm going to do what it takes to get this grade!". I also had to be aware of how I was feeling emotional. If I was feeling stressed and it was making school hard for me, I knew it, and made an effort to be less stressed.
Similarly, if I felt confused about something, I would take time to talk to a teacher. It was more attitude and emotional awareness than it was intelligence, because if I hadn't had the those two aspects, I would never have got that A.
I had acceptance, emotional awareness, and a willingness to work at getting better, and they all helped me through the year. They are three of the most important steps towards overcoming any problem in life.
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