Dustin's Dynasty

Since having the chance to be in public since some mandates for masking have been lifted for the fully vaccinated such as myself, I have experienced some of that freedom. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://dustinsdynastyusa.com/2021/06/01/concentrating-on-covid-a-happier-time/

We want nothing but a friendship out of it, but we must be mindful of where we lay our boundaries because we don’t want to become susceptible to become a victim of something that we in no way wanted to be a part of. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://dustinsdynastyusa.com/2021/05/31/adulting-boundaries/

This week, I have been going through some personal struggles and as such reached out to one of my support workers for wisdom, my one support worker I reached out to in my time of struggle has been encouraging for over a year to remain consistent with blogging and it has developed to the weekly series we have today on here. However, he suggested that for my open topic this week that I share with my...

This week on the wellness front has been trying, but not without its benefits. We’ve been serious about everything healthy for eight weeks now. In that time, I have built up to walking over three miles for exercise, been mindful when eating and have lost 21 pounds in that timeframe. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://dustinsdynastyusa.com/2021/05/26/wellness-wednesday-progress-s...

With the recent changes in the COVID masking order, it has been confusing to say the least. Especially if you are vaccinated, it can be more cumbersome as to where you are mandated to wear your mask. To further compound this issue, it can be challenging because it is on the honor system and you just can’t go up to someone and ask if they are vaccinated because of privacy laws. To further compound...

While some things because of my autism or mental health challenges are at times challenging, sometimes I need to experience them and not play the “card” as a crutch to get out of something. This can be difficult because when thinking independently, it can be hard to make these decisions. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://dustinsdynastyusa.com/2021/05/24/adulting-disability-as-a...

I am almost 36 years old. I have experienced a lot of issues in my life and now is finally the point when I am content to the point where I feel my life is manageable. I know that I have to keep plugging along by doing the right thing and not veering off. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://dustinsdynastyusa.com/2021/05/20/a-reflection-of-being-better/

Welcome to yet another Wellness Wednesday. It has been a week of learning new things, celebrating achievements and being healthier. As you grow and learn from being healthier, it becomes easier for you and thus better in the long run. You lose more weight, and it is easier for you to do things. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://dustinsdynastyusa.com/2021/05/19/wellness-wednesda...

As many Americans last week heard from President Biden, those who have been vaccinated no longer have to wea a mask in public. As such many retailers including Walmart have now followed suit with this rule. Now as a vaccinated autistic person, I now have to carry my mask around from locale to locale as the mask policies may differ from location to location. This episode is also available as a blog...

While in the modern era, we advance to the need for inclusion everywhere we look such as sports, activities, the classroom and so forth, it is also important to teach autistics and others with special needs that life just isn’t fair and sometimes we all can’t be winners. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://dustinsdynastyusa.com/2021/05/17/adulting-inclusion-and-fairness/

It is a factor in the autistic community that we are prone to being easily influenced by others mostly because we want that sense of belonging. However, when it becomes to the point when it consumes our life and sucks our energy because we cannot do things in our lives that we ourselves enjoy or just be able to relax. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://dustinsdynastyusa.com/2021...

Another week of plugging along with the wellness piece of my mental health recovery has proved well. From the surface it looks as if I have all the pieces of the wellness train together. At times, it can be real frazzled ball of mess of sorts. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://dustinsdynastyusa.com/2021/05/12/wellness-wednesday-the-extra-push/

Change in autistics is a known challenge, I oftentimes mask what I am feeling and then vent it out to someone that I consider it my safe person. But when someone who wants to be there for me says don’t be in a negative attitude and that they care so much that I can’t push them away because they show that they care. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://dustinsdynastyusa.com/2021/05...

Problem Solving is a skill of autistic adults that has to be learned if one chooses to be independent. From the moment we decide to get up to the moment we go to bed, people work on problem solving. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://dustinsdynastyusa.com/2021/05/10/adulting-problem-solving/

It has been a mostly good week, although I didn’t get the exercise in that I wanted to. Regardless, I have had a more positive outlook on life and less of a negative outlook on my life, although it isn’t perfect I realize that I have to be thankful for all the positive things I have in my life instead of magnifying on the negative aspects, because in reality, the positives outweigh the negatives....

Another week has come and gone since my last check in. I haven't disappointed you as 2.5 pounds  just this week. In just six weeks I have lost 13.75 pounds. I have never in my almost fifteen-year journey at my local weight loss support group I’ve lost that amount of weight on a continual basis This episode is also available as a blog post: http://dustinsdynastyusa.com/2021/05/05/wellness-wedn...

Change as it is for anyone, is especially hard for me, but once I putter through it, I feel I will be fine. I know that it is good for me to be at the facility and once I am there, I will find something to keep me busy and will be fine with myself to the point it will look as if this whole worrying thing will be just a blimp of air. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://dustinsdyna...

Over the past few months, I have been experiencing overmagnification of fears. A trait of autistics that we always may do something wrong and live in a constant state of fear and anxiety. This prevents us from being our true selves and always wondering if we are going to get in trouble for something that we will do something wrong. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://dustinsdynas...

Twenty years ago, this week, I celebrated “graduating” from a residential treatment facility, or RTF. It felt like a group home, but if my parents didn’t want the best care for me, it could have resulted in me being placed in a group home for life because of my behaviors. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://dustinsdynastyusa.com/2021/04/29/there-was-a-time-i-thought-i-would-be-in...

Many times all that an autistic person wants is to for someone to understand them and accept them for who they are. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://dustinsdynastyusa.com/2021/04/28/wellness-wednesday-connections/

Well, we are in that homestretch where I promised where the services delivered to me would gravitate to a more in-person approach rather than being hybrid or virtually delivered as they mostly have been the past 13 months or so. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://dustinsdynastyusa.com/2021/04/27/concentrating-on-covid-am-i-safe-to-return/

A few weeks ago, I took a “mental health day”, but it was anything but that. I performed my volunteer responsibilities by attending a few meetings without a regard for what it was truly meant to be used for. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://dustinsdynastyusa.com/2021/04/26/adulting-time-for-you/

Autism is a spectrum, meaning it has a spectrum of features. One of these is communication. One cannot have the ability to communicate without assistance and likewise individuals such as myself can be very articulate, however we are all classified as being autistic. Although it may not seem as such, I sometimes struggle with communicating socially with the less articulate because I am indeed socia...

This week has been monumental in the wellness realm. I did have a loss at my weekly support group, a total of three weeks at this point. I am beginning to realize that just like self-sabotaging before weigh-ins, I cannot set high expectations as the number on the scale is just that, a number and what it is, it is. Walking has been good to improve this number as well as being mindful of my calorie...

Today, in preparation of writing this article, I came across a photo from a year ago when universal masking was mandated in Pennsylvania. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://dustinsdynastyusa.com/2021/04/20/concentrating-on-covid-the-fabric-of-our-lives/