Before learning I am autistic, body image was one of the most unmanageable parts of my life. I told myself that if I could look a certain way to others, the chaos and confusion inside me would be banished. I had no way of knowing at the time that the main cause of my pain had little to do with the way I looked.

Learning I’m autistic helped me to stop yelling at myself for not being able to pursue every one of my body image goals. That said, I have new questions. What parts of my body image am I willing to spend spoons on? What if I don’t have the spoons even for those? Who do I want to consider when thinking of my body image—just me? My coworkers and clients? My partner? My family? What do I want to “get done” through how I look, and is that worth having less spoons in other important areas of my life? How does my gender identity relate to my body image? I’m still working it out.

• How is your current body image?  
• Do negative or positive aspects of your body image influence your sense of self and self-esteem?
  
• Do your body image goals have anything to do with masking? 
  
• Has your body image changed since you learned you are autistic? If yes, what was it like before, and what is it like now?  
• Are there any strategies or resources that helped you?
•  Anything else to add?