Ep 04: "Facing Fears and Shifting Gears": Being Autistic in a Neurotypical World is Like Driving an Car With A Manual Transmission As If It Had an Automatic Transmission

I began to suspect I was on the autism spectrum two years ago when my computer's algorithm started suggesting articles and videos to me about women who are on the autism spectrum. And after almost two years of therapy and testing, I was officially diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Level I. Why did I think I might be on the spectrum and why did I feel the need to obtain and official diagnosis? I talk all about it in Episode #4 of Facing Fears and Shifting Gears!The best analogy I could come up with, is I feel like my brain and body are a car, and I was taught to drive it like it had an automatic transmission, when it turns out, my "car" has a manual transmission. If you ever tried to drive a manual transmission car as if it had an automatic transmission, what would happen? The same thing that happens to an autistic person who tries to navigate the world like a non-autistic person.My name is Leslie Reyes, and I'm the author of the indieBRAG award-winning Amazon best-seller, "The Zen of Learning to Ride a Motorcycle: How I Faced My Fears, Shifted Gears, and Found Healing from Anxiety, Codependency, and Depression." I have worked as a psychiatric and chemical dependency nurse, yoga teacher, and I'm also a motorcycle enthusiast.I have seen mental illness up close, first as the daughter of a schizophrenic mother and later through my own personal mental health struggles. I never expected a motorcycle would one day be the guru I needed to change my life habits and finally learn to trust myself.I live with my husband, our five motorcycles, and two dogs in Northern California.This is a podcast about mental health, neurodiversity, and changing our perspective when life brings us challenges, in order to heal and thrive!(This podcast is not a substitute for mental health care or autism treatment).Website: https://www.lesliereyesauthor.comBuy my audiobook here: https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Learning-Ride-Motorcycle-Codependency/dp/B0BL2HBP56/Thank you for joining me!