Autism day in the life | living alone struggles 

Hi Morgan, please be careful about sharing too many details on things/places that are near/close to where you live (for safety). I 100% understand the struggle when it comes to eating and feeding yourself, it can be so hard and I deal with it every day. Stay safe and good luck with your new chapter 🫶 - a fellow autistic human gal

Laziness is just a concept that people use to shame. Theres always a valid reason for the way you feel.

I just got my late autism diagnosis on the 22nd of may 2024. Just 8 days ago. I'm 43 years old. I'm forever grateful for autistic youtubers like you. It means the world to me. Thank you. 🏆❤

A piece of advice I can pass on for meeting people is, instead of going for coffee where you're seated across from each other, to go for walks in a nearby park. Extended eye contact is not expected as you can look toward the road ahead of you and the conversation tends to be less intense. It also promotes meeting people in a small group rather than one on one, which can be safer at first.

Am I the only autistic person who wants to live alone 😅 I hate the noises at home, I can’t do anything when they are making noises 😃

You describe yourself as “I’m just a 22 year old autistic ADHDer that likes to share my life experiences” Lose the “just”. You are a 22 year old autistic ADHDer with an amazing ability to clearly explain what you experience and feel. Sharing it this way is a valuable resource for others to learn from, help themselves and help others. Thank you.

“Now I have to talk to people…” HA! Felt that 🥴🌚🫠

I’m autistic and have lived alone for about 8 years. It’s SO hard, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world!

I have trouble living by myself. The number of things to take care of are overwhelming. Including self care and care of the apartment.

I have a working system for food. I try to make 4 "big meals" a week where I actually cook from scratch and dirty dishes. But I make enough to have leftovers so that work is for more than one meal.

Me trying to make new friends: "I should walk around my neighborhood, this afternoon, getting exercise while chatting with people enjoying the nice weather." Later, while on my walk: "There's some people outside up there, please don't talk to me, please, please, please, or at least nothing more than 'hello'', oh good, they didn't say anything!"

Oh my gosh, as a fellow audhder, that thing about finding it hard to make decisions about how you should spend your time/what you should be doing is soooo relatable. It's so much easier to just have someone else tell you 😂 Also, I'm loving these videos so far! It's so affirming to see how another autistic person deals with these kinds of transitions. Thank you for sharing! 💙

I'm a 19 year old guy with autism and I have been having so many struggles getting on to my feet. Seeing this video was not only helpful in giving me the idea of what to expect in the future, but also how much I relate to the things that you are saying. You've earned me as a subscriber and I'm excited to see the other videos you will make.

As someone who recently moved into my first house without roommates, thank you for this.

You're so endearing and adorable, I think a lot of people would be so happy to call you a friend once they understand your capacity to be active in the friendship is different from theirs and learn not to take it personally if you can't reply or hang out as often as they're used to. Looking forward to your next video!

Woods are scary only to start with. Once you figure out the noises at night, you will not be so scared.

It can be hard to keep up with everything living alone but I would never go back to not live alone

Now that you have quiet, get ready for you inner monologue to start getting louder and pondering things from the past...

I am also autistic and have adhd, and I just moved out too. It's very hard and I struggle so much with loneliness.

I've been a mom for my whole life, and my kids just left the nest. This is the very first time I'm living on my own, so suddenly I have time to pay attention to myself, and my daily struggles. When i watched a reel that talked about "t-rex arms" it was like wearing glasses for the first time. Suddenly, everything made sense. Living alone finally gave me the time to know and understand myself. It for SURE has it's difficulties, but at least i have more control over my environment, which is great for an adhd/autism person.

I’ve not watched many but every time I watch your videos I cry so much. I feel so different and misunderstood by everyone but you talk exactly what’s in my brain and it is a lot emotionally for me

As somone who was dignosed at 23 and now 26 and for me even tho it's hard I actually felt like living on my own easier but learning to understand my autism is hard and alot

Very courteous! I moved into an apartment for the first time about 3 years ago and the sudden change of everything was a bit overwhelming. I learned very quickly that all of my coping skills needed to be upgraded. The good news is.... I made it! I am 100% confident you will too! This is absolutely the best experience... living on my own. Welcome to your new world!!

About cooking and cleaning. Take a habit of cleaning WHILE cooking. Say you mixed something in a bowl, you moved your mix to a pan, and DO wash the bowl right there. In perfect scenario once you finished cooking, you will have a clean kitchen and a pot with hot stew. All you will need to clean after meal is just your plate and one pot/pan.

I'm AuDHD, 42, loving living alone. It does take time but I think you might really love it once you get the hang of it. For chores prioritization, I love the Tody app, can't recommend it enough. You can have your chores in order of what's the most overdue/dirty so if you don't know where to start, that helps a lot, plus there's a gamification aspect where you have to beat Dusty by cleaning more than he makes a mess. I've been using it since 2020 and my place is so much easier to clean and manage. (Not sponsored I just seriously love it that much). Congrats on your new place!!

I really hope this doesn't sound weird but the way you talk is so soothing. Your videos are so much fun to watch while crocheting, keep it up!

Seeing you be open about your quandaries or self doubt is helping me realize how much I can doubt myself or just be too tentative & wondering. So thank you for your honesty❤😊

I am 48 and only recently figuring out that I am autistic. I identify with you so much. Thank you for sharing your experiences. I would never have figured out my ADHD-I or ASD without creators like you. I sometimes feel like I want to return the favor and create my videos of my journey, but then I feel overwhelmed by the expectations that come from it and by coming out so to speak. No one knows except my husband and best friend. Sigh. You are doing great!

This helped me so much! I feel so understood. It's so inspiring to see that things i struggle with as an autistic person can be managed. Thanks for showing that to everyone!

Good luck, Morgan! Living alone can be scary but also exciting. I hope you find many things you enjoy about it, too.

Hi Morgan, just finished all of your videos and getting ready for a rewatch, thanks for all the content ❤

The friend thing… Yep… Being brave enough to ask for friends on a group, but then getting overwhelmed having to actually talk and get to know them.. And scared because I don’t recognize red flags in people...

I feel you on the slow adjustment phase. When my family moved years ago it took months for me to settle down and relax! It wasn't after I fully unpacked and decorated in my way that I could ease into the new place. You'll get there!

Thank you for saying things out loud. It’s very validating. You’re doing great! ❤

So proud of you, Morgan! Hope everything goes well

Thanks for this video! Cooking and cleaning are always a challenge for me too and if I have to do dishes before I can cook a meal I am very likely to skip that meal. How I accommodate this: - Easy 'struggle snacks' for low-energy days (frozen meals, leftovers, cereal, etc) - One-pot meals - the fewer dishes I use, the fewer dishes need to be washed! (soups, stews, kraft dinner) - Frozen/canned veggies - keeping fresh veggies and using them before they go bad is hard. I try to keep frozen spinach, broccoli, mixed veg and add those to soups and sauces I hope everything's going well and happy that you still have your weekly group for a while to get that social time. Cheers!

A huge magnetized wall calendar I have saved my bacon. For cleaning when cooking, I always clean as I make the mess. So if I measure something in a measuring cup I wash that before I do the next thing. If I spill I wipe it before I do the next thing. If you get in the habit of cleaning while you work you'll only have a tiny mess when you finish, which you can quickly dispatch before sitting down to eat or wait for it to cook. It will feel annoying and cumbersome until you're used to it but once you are you'll wonder why you ever did it differently. Oh - and make sure you're putting everything back in the same spot you got it from to save frustration later. These methods worked for me until I had a kiddo and he got old enough to be in the kitchen when Mom is. Not sure how intrusive your doggies are but hopefully they can't get near the counters while you're working or pull things out of the fridge and cupboards!

Your new place looks super cute, good luck with this new beginning 😊

Thank you so much for this video, please do more like this one, my daughter will be in high school soon it helps to have ideas about preparing her for that transition to adulthood, thank you ❤

I had roommates for 20 years and moved from Alaska to NY, NJ, then central Massachusetts and now Phoenix. I've had my own place for almost 3 years now. It's really interesting. I've lived in rural areas and cities. I definitely prefer cities. I enjoy having and making friends, but I love relaxing and exploring on my own. Anyway, your perspective and struggles are understandable. Take your time and get settled in. Have fun. Stay chill.

I really like to be alone. Sometimes its lonely tho. I think the challenge is to find interesting and intellectually stimulating people which are VEEEERY rare.

I love content creators such as you and wish people like you were the popular “influencers” so they we can influence society to be kind, compassionate, communicative, and tolerant. I hope you have a better time moving forward with your move. I’m so jelly! New Hampshire sounds very amazing! Wow! ❤

As always, very nice vlog, Morgan. Congratulations on the move!

I moved out last time with 17 (ran away first time with 13, was some time at foster care/aunt&uncle) and til today it feels like "I want to live with a mom and dad, I don't feel like I can make it".( I get 50 in some years...) But unfortunatly my mother was a horrible violent person, so that was no option. It is good You have this safety net to try out. Best wishes, honey!

Your actually my comfort youtuber 💞

I appreciate you sharing your experience, I’m 23 and haven’t moved out yet. I’m excited for when it happens but the thought seems overwhelming. Seeing how you’re dealing with it definitely gives me some relief. I’m proud of you for taking this step in your life! Also 8:20 is SO relatable. I’m introverted and want to make friends but then when it starts happening I get anxious and have to stop myself from backing out lol

Fellow AuDHDer here. I always cook for three days. Kinda like meal prep but without the need of a freezer bc if I freeze my stuff, I’ll forget it exists. Doesn’t happen with the fridge. That way I can clean up on the day after cooking if it’s too much. I also got a robot vacuum (Roborock Q Revo) to clean the floors which I love bc I work 6 days per week and 10h per day most of the time so after that I’m too exhausted and my brain needs to wind down.

You are so brave! I'm 18 and live with my parents, but I hope that one day I will be as brave as you and be able to live on my own.

Congratulations!! I'm excited for you and I hope the settling in gets smoother and calmer quickly. Difficulty making choices and knowing how well we're doing is very relatable. But I hope you keep in mind it's okay to tell people you have a lot changing and happening all at once and that you might not get back to them for a while. After big changes, I tend to throw myself into the social world and then have to back pedal a lot. I tend to be alone 90% of the time, and then suddenly people want to talk and try to hang out all the time and it stresses me out. But its also hard for me to not do that when I'm really needing solidarity and friendship. Its such a hard balance to keep. Are there any neurodivergent social groups in your area? This can be a great way to find people who are much more receptive to others who need longer periods of time in between social interactions because most will experience that on a deeper level too. Anyhow, if I knew you, I'm sure I'd be proud of you as a closer friend would. One step at a time, I bet you're doing even better than you think. Cheers!

Hi Morgan, I've been following you on Tiktok and your videos are so helpful to me as I am on my diagnosis journey! I relate a lot to the difficulties with decision making and prioritizing things on my to do list. Also I think I'm gonna print myself a mensual calendar to remind me that I need to do little chores every couple of days like you mentioned! Take care!

This has literally been like watching myself do a day, thank u

"Oh crap, my plan to make friends has backfired and now I have to talk to people", lol! Yep, it's comforting to know they're there, but overwhelming to talk on the phone or meet up. Same.

Congrats again on the move! It's definitely hard at first but overtime you will form habits that help with living alone. Ever since I realized I had autism, adhd, and anxiety I've started planning some changes to make things easier for me. I'd say my hardest challenge is cooking for myself daily and reminding myself that I should probably eat haha.

This is so helpful! I totally relate to a ton of the independent living struggles you mentioned and it gives me a lot of hope to see another neurodivergent person figuring out how to use accommodations and make it work!

I have a Roomba i6+ that I set to run twice a week. It works really well to keep my floors clean, and it empties itself into a bin that only needs to be emptied once every 60 days. Definitely worth it

That seems like a really awesome house, Congratulations! Every time I move I end up staying up all night and relying on coffee to keep going. For me these major changes in my environment and location are very overwhelming, I find it a total shock to my system especially if I am alone. I don't think its you being lazy iether if your actually moving alone for the first time that's a major change for anyone period. Sounds like your quite outgoing I never would have had the courage to join a random friend group. All the best in your new home!

Love this vlog and would love more videos following your life in your new home ✨

I loved this. Thank you for sharing.

I really can relate to the problems that you described about cleaning. I always get triggered quickly by my room not being fully clean, yet don't have the energy to go and clean it up, which only makes it worse. But funfact: You actually gave me the motivation to use the time I listened to your blog to clean my room in the background. So thanks, it actually was a huge help

I love you and your videos, Morgan!

I just moved too- when I saw this video update I had to click on it immediately cause I’m going through the same thing. We went from living w my boyfriend’s family- 7 people in one house- to just us and we couldn’t get more than a weekend off to do it so it’s been driving things over slowly for awhile now. All the change has been really hard for me and I’ve been having a hard time sleeping too, esp because there’s no AC here and we’re having a 5 day heatwave. But luckily a friend is going to loan us an AC unit, at some point eventually we will be done unpacking and while the quiet is kinda unnerving right now, I know in time I will love having this space and once I decorate, it will feel like a home. Best of luck with everything, I love your content and I can’t wait to see more!

3:18 I moved back to Vermont a little over 2 years ago. It was a great decision for me, living alone but with family nearby is the only I can be “independent”

The curly hair really suits you ❤. Thanks for inspiring me to make some hairdo… It was always a problem to me to do anything (except washing/brushing) with my hair bc it was tiring to do it every even 3 days in a row. But I see that you do it every video and it has inspired me!

u got this! Im even more inspired

I saw a HUGE whiteboard calendar at Michael’s - they also had other sizes, but they were cuter than Walmart’s.

this is GREAT. Thank you for sharing. Autism is very misunderstood, (un-understood?) I'm glad to find people in the community

As a lone wolf-type person myself, the times I have lived alone were not my favorite, and I find it works best when I live with someone who also doesn't need a lot of face-to-face interactions. So we might eat meals together but we have our own spaces and things like that. We can hangout if we want to or parallel play or just silently watch shows (often the same shows or movies). Then, I don't have to do things outside alone. Alone, I start to get manic and feel very isolated and being in a place you don't know can make those feelings worse (I was once stranded in a random town for several days because of transportation issues and that was the worst I've ever felt being alone). I really hope you're safe, first and foremost, and that the longer you are there, the more comfortable you feel in your space, along with finding people there you enjoy spending time with when you want to spend time with people.

Having a calendar will save your life, I personally color-coordinate mine to further help with the visual side of things since I'm that kind of autistic. Don't know how much that'll help, but I figure to put it out into the general universe in addition to doing the photos for certain tasks.

This is cool! You should do live shows!!! Your dog is great!

Awesome video Morgan 😊

I think you are doing really awesome with your move and it's cool to see putting yourself out there trying to make some friends :) In terms of worrying about making friends and not being sure about their intentions this could be something to potentially discuss with a therapist. I know this is sort of expensive but this is something I do for my own struggles. My therapist lets me book in for one or two sessions when I am going through a hard time and need help with a few big things going on in my life. I think in the last three years I have seen her like 10 times? It is like having a parent help me but without all the judgement or without them trying to take over and nag me to do what they think I should be doing. She has helped me with some of my interpersonal relationships and pointed out when people have been treating me badly or when I have been too rigid in my thinking. Like one time I got mad at someone for changing their mind about something and she reminded me that people are allowed to change their mind about things and somehow just hearing that I was like "Oh yeah that's true" and it really helped me.

Super, super job on this video! One thing I do, in addition to the big calendar, is that I have a HUGE dry erase board, and multiple marker colors ...and I do a huge brain dump writing down anything and everything. Then I break things down into tasks and days, etc. so that I am able to plan. Before I got on medication for ADHD, my working memory was so bad that I bought small dry erase boards and wrote on there what task I was working on. My perception of time is so bad that I started doing task analysis on the time it takes me to do tasks. It reduces my anxiety to find out that it only takes me 7 minutes to put the hang-up clothes away. Had I counted on MY perception of time, I would have thought the task would take 30-45 minutes. Anyway. Im rambling

Moving is stressful anyway. You are so lucky to have the house. I wouldn't be able to cope with the stress of a long drive back and forth everywhere.

Buy an air fryer! It's made my life so much easier. I don't always forget to eat but I hate having to clean up.

In our family most of "cleaning" part is now done by mopping robot. Saves lots of energy.

As a petite young women i was always taught to never tell strangers that you live alone. But here we are..... crazy people out there, man. Please be careful with what you share.

Hi. I'd recommend checking out the Fly Lady system for cleaning checklists and routines. I'm (self diagnosed) autistic and find them really helpful and customisable.

Living alone is too intimidating for me. I even remember saying as a pre-teen that I was never leaving my parents house (because I didn't want to be completely alone). Thankfully, I have a husband that lives with me, and I don't think he's leaving any time soon. I also am really good at my dogs' schedule. I get exhausted really quick though, so after I feed them and give my girl dog her medicine, I'm horrible at remembering to eat and take my own medicine.

I suffer from TMI and TMD in my conversation style. Too Much Information and Too Much Detail. I reveal too much, then I find myself in a bind later on. Please be careful! As a Counselor I can tell you that not everyone is as pure of heart and intention as we may think they are or they portray themselves as. My stepfather (rest his soul) taught me to be circumspect the hard way.

Yes

Ur so brave❤

lol i’m scared of the dark too! it’s just really scary to look into the dark and my mind tries to make up scary images.

i only found your channel a few days ago (found via shorts, which i only started watching a few weeks ago), but you are rapidly becoming one of my favourite YT channels (and i expect i'll probably binge much of your earlier content soon). the vast majority of what you say resonates so well and says what i have failed to convey for so many years (to the point where i was literally in tears because "someone actually understands!"). i'm in my mid 30s and just starting diagnosis. first appt with specialist for that is in a couple of months and have had the thought it might be faster to show them your videos and point out the differences (joke, obviously, but still)

disturbingly relatable

I’m autistic and have lived alone for 4 years and It’s great

I LOVE living near woodlands!!! I'm surrounded by woodlands where i am, but it's more fractured habitat than anything else, like suburbs and rural area combined. Love your house btw!! ... did you get your sheet set from Natural Life? Looks like one of the sets I have.

Your hardwood is a beautiful. Someday I will install a similar one.

As others have said, safety first and careful what/how you shoot vid 💪💪 I'm neurodivergent. I'm on the other side of life, moving into a new place alone after divorce. I'm hoping for lots of quiet so I can work without interruption, and someday a neurotypical partner that deeply and truly understands how much I hate being interrupted when working 🤣Good luck, and I think you'll make your way through the challenges without too much bother, b/c smart 💐💐

"Food and all that crap i thought i wouldnt need" set me off

& yesyou we’re Brave! No need to sort just pick maybe 4 or 5 people that you actually feel excited / expansive / zero stressed & want to meet. You can probably feel their energy from a pic or what they write. N

Do you think you will make a sensory room? With cool lights and comfort items? There’s a lot of really cool sensory lights like star projection, bubble lights etc? Also there’s like indoor swings and what not? It looks like you have a lot of space. When I moved out I built a safe space room and it significantly helped me

I'm self and friend/family suspect4ed AuDHD. I do not live alone, and do not think I should live alone, because I will probably consistently forget to eat, or get food, or clean, or any other number of things, that tend to be very important things. But, I am quite happy existing around other people, while mostly living out of my bedroom. XD

What about a radio or music station on the tv at really low volume for white noise for Evie so it makes it less stressful for her at night? Might help you too (you'll have another noise in the background so her barking wont be as stark in the quiet), because the new house noises wont be as apparent. Phrasing it like this so its for Evie>easier by bypassing the self judgment and doubt when its for you (hopefully).

Remember : you can always call your mum ❤

When I moved in alone for the first time in like… 14 years, it took me A while to get used! Being stuck in my own bullshit was revealing lol, apparently i make dirty dishes too, can you imagine???

Hi Morgan. I relate to you a lot. I Love being a mom yet it has been really a lot for me & no one really gets that I ( “may “) be autistic. No body really gets that I can’t take all the noise anymore. Also, I agree please be careful & take good care of yourself, as you do! You matter & you are very important. I wish that we could be friends. Are you an air sign ? I’m a water sign. Anyways, yes prioritize your rest & trust yourself. You are not one molecule lazy. Trust yourself & I hope that you can figure ou5 how to get evie sleep bc you need your sleep, even though you are beautiful regardless of getting tons of sleep . Also , what about getting a bigger dog to keep you safe, even though you are safe. I’m sorry, I tend to be somewhat caretaking. But yea, is there a way to get a big dog too? A rescue or an old St. Bernard or something. Evie may miss the feeling of being in a pack from where you lived bf( ?). Just my wandering thought, take them with a grain of salt :)❤😊😊, Noelle

more videos plz🎉

I take up 3 day do get used to new place before I can sleep well. Hotel rooms are the worst when on road trip. Basically means no sleep.

(edit: OMG I guess I had a lot to say 😬 sorry for the essay of fear) I actually had to take the time to think about this... That's why you might see a joking reply from 4 days ago... I did that so I could find this video again after thinking and formulating what I want to say about this personally. I too would like to live alone, however, I already have for a few months and I failed to keep up with the price of living and keeping it cleaner than "organized chaos". It was extremely difficult because I didn't know where to put the things, how to pay rent and electricity and still feed myself. I was overwhelmed with everything because I'd never been alone and it takes more than a job at pizza hut(now days) to afford every necessity... I couldn't do it by myself and I thought I had a roommate at the time to help me but my cousin proved an underwhelming disappointment when he gave up and didn't bother replacing the job he lost over something stupid. I was in disbelief of how difficult it was. I still have hope that one day I won't have to be forced into it, however with my father getting up in age that is becoming more and more frightening. One day he won't be here anymore and that day is becoming more like a looming beast of heartache, grief, and potentially crippling despair. I don't know if I can be ready in time, or if I could afford it... Right now I am already depressed and if my dad dies on me before I am ready to live by myself, that could be the crippling blow that sends me past my breaking point... I won't be able to breathe or talk or laugh without tears streaming down my face... I may even do myself in if that's the case because at that point, it'd be too painful to be awake... That scares me... I don't know how I can get it done alone... He's always been there and he's my only safe person... Let's just say that I'm worried about him and in turn worried about myself through this association... He's the only reason I'm still alive today and still ignoring the su!c!dal thoughts... Unless I find an alternative reason to stay before he goes, I fear I will no longer have much of a choice because it's pretty much starve or die by then...

My sister, who is 22 also, has the same problems but she is actually (in my opinion so i could wrong) quite social