AWG Secular 12 Step Self-Esteem Group 🚀
Code: 781927
Meeting description
It is not mandatory to turn on your mic or camera. Coming to listen is totally fine.
By taking part, we hold space for others, and ourselves, to participate in a way that is manageable for us as we exist right now.
It is not necessary to actively be doing the AWG 12 Steps in order to be a full participant.
Any contact with the group and its resources can be beneficial as long as it’s sustainable for each of us as individuals. Many of us participate simply by attending meetings.
As we participate in this meeting over time, we might find ourselves seeking to…
• Find our own concept of self-esteem and grow toward it
• Come to understand personal boundaries, their roles in our lives, and how to develop and maintain healthy boundaries
• Understand the concept of nonviolent detachment and how and when to enact it
• Develop more manageable lifestyles
• Develop a sense of self that leads to more health, well being, and manageability in our lives
• Release others from the responsibility of defining or reinforcing our sense of self-esteem
• Form personal goals about self-esteem and self-concept based on our own understanding of our own needs, as they exist today
AWG 12 Step Self-Esteem Readings
"Positive", "negative", other?
The more I know about my autistic self, the more I question the way I used to use certain words, like "positive" and "negative".
My journey with autism is also a journey with language. The more I know about my autistic self, the more I question the way I used to use certain words, like "positive" and "negative".
For example, "positive" things like "eating right", "exercising", "dressing flatteringly", and "having a wide social circle" have been hard for me to do in the way that conventional thinking expects. Even when I did do them, they didn't always make me feel good the way others seemed to feel. I didn't know then about spoons, overwhelm, or burnout, so I judged myself harshly for "not doing positive things".
Meanwhile, "negative" things like "spending 'too much' time resting", "being alone", "obsessing over 'weird' stuff", "being 'over-reliant' on set plans", and "taking medication" made me feel good when, according to popular thought, they were supposed to make me feel bad. I didn't know about my traits, how important rest is for me, or that it's okay to enjoy my own company, so I judged myself harshly for "doing negative things".
Now that I know I'm autistic, the way I use "positive" and "negative" is starting to reverse in situations like these. It's made parts of my life make more sense. I feel more comfortable making the lifestyle decisions that are best for me. Has anyone else found their definitions of "positive" and "negative" start to change around autism-related things?
Share questions:
- Have any applications of the idea of "positive" and "negative" changed for you since learning about autism?
- Do you feel safe sharing these reversals with others, i.e., speaking up about the things you are finding positive and negative these days, even if it contradicts conventional perceptions?
- Can you name examples of new positives you've identified since learning about autism? New negatives that conventional thinking might say are positives?
- Any tools, strategies, or resources that helped you?
- Anything else to add?
AWG 12 Step Self-Esteem Workbook
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3