Overcoming Autistic Inertia - What it is, Causes & Key Strategies!

on this video we're going to explore the topic of autistic inertia I'll break down what it is and how you can manage autistic inertia in your daily life so let's go [Music] welcome my friend thank you so much for watching I appreciate it I'm Orion Kelly that autistic guy I'm all about helping you raise your level of understanding acceptance and appreciation of the autistic community so if that sounds like something you'd be interested in I would highly recommend you go and check out my YouTube c

hannels this this YouTube channel with all my content Orion Kelly that autistic guy and my purpose-built dedicated podcast Channel Orion Kelly podcast yet I'm talking video podcasts and nothing but video podcasts let's talk about autistic inertia and some strategies to manage it in your daily life but first what is autistic inertia okay let's break it down as you may know a dude called Sir Isaac Newton proposed three laws of motion the first of which is the law of inertia simply put an object in

motion will remain in motion and an object at rest will remain at rest unless Act acted upon by an external force in a nutshell that's the law of inertia quick example let's say there's an object in space theoretically it will continue to move in a straight line through space unless it's affected by the gravitational pull of another planet body or Celestial being there's the groundwork now let's talk about it in the context of autism autistic inertia is legitimate it's real and in fact it's a c

ommon challenge for autistic people so with the idea of Sir Isaac Newton's law of inertia with regards to his Laws of Motion let's break it down in the context of autism so autistic inertia is well in essence a lack of motivation a lack of Interest or engagement in activities difficulty initiating or completing tasks and broadly speaking a general lack of energy or motivation really for anything that's autistic inertia looking at that description through the lens of Newton's law of inertia okay

so then therefore that means by the sounds of those descriptions at least that means that there are common challenges where autistic people are at rest and they remain at rest because they aren't impacted or affected by another force and for those wondering what do you mean like how does this actually affect you honestly [Music] [Applause] autistic inertia can have a significant impact on your ability to thrive and just your overall quality of life if you can't function you can't thrive if you c

an't function you can't really live your daily life that's autistic inertia achieving your own personal goals participating in the activities of daily life be that with your friends or family or work colleagues or whatever well they're things that people as a rule want to achieve including autistic people not being able to achieve your personal goals not being able to participate in these daily activities is a significant Challenge and is one of the clear impacts of autistic inertia so we talk a

bout motivation what do you mean Orion good question I can answer that because I'm the only person talking in this video so this lack of motivation autistic inertia can range from a difficulty in simply starting tasks right through to a complete disinterest in activities that actually bring you Joy or at least once brought you Joy complete disinterest in activities that bring you Joy I guess it's important to note at this point there are different manifestations of these types of experiences so

this lack of motivation could also be and I'm not a doctor I'm not a healthcare practitioner could be anxiety or depression or many other things this is something you definitely want to go and talk to your GP or family doctor about we are talking in general terms of the experience as it specifically relates to autistic inertia okay I guess but what causes autistic inertia well bottom line is autistic inertia can be caused or triggered in various ways and for various reasons including sensory ove

rload difficulties with executive function that's a big one for autistic people and mental health issues like depression or anxiety so in essence autistic inertia can be caused by the same triggers that can trigger autistic people to experience other things we don't want to experience we want to avoid like meltdowns and shutdowns and outbursts and overstimulation and behaviors that aren't acceptable and things that are uncontrollable but you can't do that here or the worst case scenario autistic

burnout so they're triggered by the same things that trigger Us in every other way which makes sense right if you have lost your energy from masking and being triggered then you're clearly going to be an object at rest and as we know from the law and I'll be able to rest we'll stay at rest unless acted upon by an external Force which I guess are strategies which I'll give you before the end of this video it's really important that this sinks in autistic inertia is not a sign of laziness or lack

of ability even lack of want or desire it's a manifestation of autism a symptom or manifestation of a medically diagnosed disability or condition your call so it discussed what is autistic inertia we've touched on some of the root causes how about just some basic generalized examples to hopefully paint a picture that might help you understand if you're still struggling to work out sorry what what are you talking about let's let's do some examples to help clear the muddy water we've established

autistic inertia refers to this difficulty this lack of ability or motivation to start tasks to do things to get going in one sense or the other struggling to initiate conversations struggling to initiate conversations with someone new this could include having to call someone back someone you don't know but you've called them never turned your call you've got to call them back it's important you know and he seems to be sorted out or whatever I hate that I find that so I can find that super hard

I'll call someone they don't answer they call me back but I don't take the call and then I've got to call them back I know I've got it but I can't I'm I'm frozen difficulty transitioning from one task to another autistic inertia quick example on this is I really wanted to record this video I'm really passionate about this topic I think it's a really interesting topic I was really struggling to get going okay I got myself going and we'll talk about some strategies soon but see what will be a pro

blem is when I finish recording this when I push stop I'm then going to have to transfer those files to a computer and edit them now that's an additional task and I really want this video to be seen by you guys and I want to do this stuff but the transitioning from recording to the next bit is going to be hard I know it's going to be hard another example of autistic inertia is the avoidance of new things the avoidance of engaging in new experiences also it could be a reluctance to leave a famili

ar or comfortable environment so you might want to or need to go somewhere but there's something holding you back you lack any energy or will or motivation to leave where you are and go to where you need to go you feel anchored stuck and again this is basic inertia right if you're an object at rest you're going to stay at rest what's the the other thing that's going to impact you and cause you to move all these strategies we'll get to those soon hey this is an interesting example of autistic ine

rtia an inability to stop repetitive behaviors yeah so I literally mean an inability to stop engaging in repetitive behaviors you're stuck in a cycle and see that's at rest isn't it if you're stuck doing a thing you're stuck doing a thing that's you at rest for you to stop doing that thing that repetitive behavior and do something else that would create a whole new level of motivation energy might not not not have but you need autistic people are very much including myself and not everyone for t

he most part relied on plans and routine and sameness a reluctance to change your plans or your schedule a routine is another example of autistic inertia so what I'm saying is a resistance two changes in your plans or schedules is something that creates it's an example of autistic inertia because you're at rest doing something there's been a change to that and therefore you've got to do something else and that creates autistic inertia so you resist that change sometimes autistic people can roll

with it we all have fluid care and support needs some days we can enrolled it better than others there's a change okay I think I can get through this other days it's the biggest thing on the planet these are daily fluid battles if you're a parent or carer teacher support worker whatever of say an autistic child you might not realize this but another example of autistic inertia is struggling to start or complete homework or assignments for parents or friends of autistic adults or employers this d

oesn't change just the words do so this inability to start or complete work tasks now this doesn't have to be in the office you could be an autistic person in any environment a teacher at a school you might be in a daycare facility you might be on a work site you might be in a factory you might be outside you are going to have tasks you need to start and complete and you are going to at times have autistic inertia which is making it almost impossible for you because you're you're an object at re

st doing a thing impossible for you to switch to start new tasks and complete those tasks regardless of your working in or schooling environment this particular example of autistic inertia might sound like an excuse but it isn't the avoidance of sports or general exercise the avoidance of any physical activity another form of autistic inertia when you think about it though it's not an excuse because if we agree and I'm telling you autistic inertia is a legitimate thing experienced by autistic pe

ople not being lazy avoiding physical activity or exercises because again we're an object at rest and that could be an object of rest specifically doing something or an object of rest without the motivation your energy to do something that's a massive leap to go from that object at rest to doing physical activity if you base it on Newton's Laws we'd need something else to come whizzing in and push us out to their size strategies we'll get to those in a sec autistic people aren't always massive w

ith eye contact it's fine with the camera because it's not a person but if it was a person like when I'm on zooms and conferences it's very different but this difficulty engaging or maintaining eye contact is another example of autistic inertia so not only initiating but sustaining the eye contact because again that is an additional task in a communication that's an additional part additional layer to an activity and I guess the last example of autistic inertia I'd say is a reluctance to try new

foods or tastes again a sensory thing for autistic people have done videos and podcasts on eating stuff but again this is a great example look if you are feeling or experiencing autistic inertia and you just simply don't have that that ability that motivation that that energy to do what you might usually do then you are going to find it very hard to go from comfortable Foods Foods you like Foods you feel like to new foods or new tastes or unexpected foods and broadly speaking the last example I

want to give is in a social and also I guess an occupational or a professional context in social situations autistic inertia can make it really hard to initiate or participate in social interactions social communication autistic inertia can make it hard to make friends to engage in social activities leisure activities so autistic inertia is actually pretty damaging to your social life the ability to go and do social events to engage in social activities to make friends to do things the ability

to do that is really important to the quality of life of most people certainly neurotypical people me not so much like we've talked about in the occupational or workplace scenario autistic inertia which I think is probably a big thing can make it super hard to complete tasks to complete workplace activities and tasks and duties and responsibilities to adhere to and meet deadlines for those tasks and this is probably the most important thing autistic inertia can make it just about impossible to a

dvance your career it can make it just about impossible to get a job and keep a job let alone play all the stupid games or the utter rubbish or the complete lying and masking and fakeness required to even get close to advancing your career the moment you've all been waiting for my friends key strategies to help you manage autistic inertia in your daily life let's start off with breaking tasks into smaller manageable steps firstly by breaking them down into smaller more manageable steps it makes

it easier to get started you're not as overwhelmed focus on one task at a time what you can focus on one task at a time what are you saying that I shouldn't be recording a YouTube video watching something on my phone and writing down notes for some comedy that came to my head halfway through what you're but that's multitasking yeah didn't you hear no multitasking doesn't exist it's not possible I think you're referring to task switching yeah sure you can switch tasks but you can't multitask that

's the same thing switch task model no it's not okay cool bye bragging them down in a small manageable steps and focusing on one task at a time hopefully people increase your sense of progress and accomplishment another key strategy is to use visual aids such as schedules calendars checklists or if it's more appropriate for the autistic child in your life social stories visual aids super powerful so having a visual reminder of your tasks and goals can really help you stay organized on track focu

sed and motivated try to focus on incorporating more routine and structure into your daily activities another great way to manage autistic inertia why well I think when you do that it actually creates an environment where the autistic person in your life or you simply feel more secure more comfortable when you feel comfortable when you feel secure well you're going to be more productive how about this one set realistic and specific goals I'm not going to do that Ryan that's it goals tea diary I

wish to no I don't mean like you know those self-help books tell you like at the start of the Year write down your goals write down 10 goals every day 10 years later it's like oh crap it's still me or maybe they were just plain stupidly unrealistic and not very specific realistic specific goals set them not only does that help you focus on what you actually want to achieve specifically and realistically it increases your sense of accomplishment and confidence when you actually realize them when

you actually achieve them because they are realistic and specific I'm gonna have a hundred thousand subscribers by the end of the year huh actually I'm going to commit to making one video a week man I feel good I literally make a video a week sometimes too I'm awesome realistic and specific building on that another key strategy is using positive reinforcement and rewards this works for you as an autistic person or for parents carers Partners friends and whoever else of autistic people in their l

ife I'm going to personalize this but you can switch this if you're a parental care this could be something as simple as allowing myself to watch my favorite TV show but obviously I'm talking about in the context of a rewarder incentive when I can complete this task I'm going to watch my favorite TV show for an hour gotta do nothing else sometimes I treat myself to my favorite food if I can get this video done I reckon I'm gonna go down the street and grab myself my favorite snack on my favorite

lunch my favorite drink you see what I'm saying when you treat yourself something really simple just let's do this one step and then watch our favorite show let's do this one step and have a nice snack these are simple but they actually work personally I think it can help motivation and engagement and it's just as powerful for kids as adults parents and carers are autistic kids you're obsessed about the whole like screen time and neurotypical people say we should not have screen time you are ki

ds seriously if if you can get your autistic child to complete one step or one task or you know one thing that's important to them and they're struggling to do it and they can do it based on the premise that they get to have some screen time after that step and that means they've gone over their time limit for the doubt who cares do you know what's going on inside their brain don't deny them things that are going to help them it's certainly if it's going to help everyone allow them to achieve wh

at they need to achieve oh man this is a strange one potentially but another key strategy is really to expose yourself or the autistic person in your life to new things gradually though to gradually expose the the autistic person in your life two new things two new experiences two new activities encouraging physical exercise or physical activity is also another key strategy and remember that means you are that external Force there's an object at rest it's going to stay at rest but then there's a

n external Force coming its way a bit of exercise bit of fresh air it can really help not only get them moving but motivate that autistic person to continue and to manage at least not to stop potentially but to manage the severity of autistic inertia offering choice and control over activities no der hello that helps anxiety and takes away all the things that are sucking away from us that are triggering us so yeah control this is the thing people say autistic people can be so controlling they're

like managing everything hello what do you think that is for do you think that's because we want to be when you're riddled with anxiety and living a life of zero acceptance controlling the controllables are things that well actually make you feel better offer choices that's control this task that task this activity that activity for autistic people this is something you might not expect but I'm going to say it use the social and emotional supports of your friends families and peers potentially

even a therapist a psychologist a simple Act of talking to your family at least in my experience provide some level of comfort and encouragement incorporating some type of leisure or play any type of play doesn't mean outside any type of leisure or play that you like into your daily activities your daily schedule can definitely help you manage autistic inertia don't ever forget to play I don't care who you are watching this video if you've forgotten to play during the day at some point you've fo

rgotten to live and I guess that rolls on to the next key strategy practice self-care take breaks who cares how many breaks you take take breaks do activities that bring you Joy No I know we talk about autistic inertia stops you from doing activities that bring you Joy but not always every one of them there's always going to be something that external Force oh that would be good once you get going by the way you're in motion I think it's a given if you take care of your physical and mental well-

being well it's obviously going to create a sense of health and well-being overall which in general terms will increase your ability to function in the types of tasks and things you want to do and I guess also ease some of the symptoms that trigger in the first place this key strategy for managing autistic inertia in your daily life may sound a little bit guru-like it's not really it's just about encouraging self-reflection if you're a parent or carer of an autistic kid or you're a partner a fri

end of an autistic adult or you're an autistic adult I'm saying you should reflect more self-reflection you know yourself better than anyone else and if you don't you're doing it wrong autistic inertia is not only real but it can really be a significantly frustrating challenge but as we've said it's important to approach it with compassion and understanding what do you reckon can you relate to the experiences of autistic inertia I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments belo

w plus if you have another topic you'd like me to cover well please let me know comments below and as always if this video has resonated with you I'd be delighted if you consider sharing it with your family and friends thank you so much for your support I really do appreciate it don't forget to check out my video podcast Channel Orion Kelly podcast and until my next video thank you so much for your support we'll talk soon