“ I’m still figuring out exactly how autism works for me.” - Janyke

My name is Janyke, I am 26 years old. I live on the beautiful Zuid-Veluwe where I love to cross through the woods on my mountain bike. Coloured trainers, coffee, puns, a good conversation with friends, brownies, happy dogs, surfing, snowboarding, music, books and watching a Lord of the Rings/Disney movie make me happy. I work as a data manager at UMC Utrecht and I am a Christian, by ups and downs ;)

I was recently diagnosed with autism, in May 2021. I’m still figuring out exactly how autism works for me. One of the most important things is that I often have a whole closet filled with open drawers in my head. Each drawer represents a task or something I'm working on, and everything just calls equally for attention. This quickly causes me to no longer oversee situations and become mentally overstimulated.

Social contact also takes up a lot of my energy; my head sometimes works overtime, even during ordinary conversations. I don't like small talk: I prefer to dive straight in deep rather than maintain small talk. After all, that's much more interesting ;-) Finally, some of the external stimuli can quickly become too much, e.g. eye contact, busy times in the supermarket or food with an odd texture.
Autism plays a role for me mainly on the inside. Very ordinary things come in a bit harder, cost me more energy, cause more rollercoasters in my head. That is why I think it is important to broaden the picture of autism. Even if you can't see it in someone, he or she may be autistic!

I take pride in being able to throw myself completely into a hobby and become good at it as a result. For example, I go surfing every summer; I can hardly leave the water! The rolling waves, the feeling of the water around you, I experience it all very intensely. I think that is one of the great things about autism: being able to be totally caught up in what you are doing.

My tip for people with autism: don't be afraid of a bit of self-mockery. Sometimes that's the best weapon against negative thoughts! According to my sister's friend, my best quote ever, for example, is "Don't take it so literally.... says the autistic person".