Autistic Myths Busted - Overthinking is Safety

Added: 2026-05-20

[00:00:00]Let's bust a few of the biggest myths that get autistic adults judged unfairly and what the research suggests is going on. Myth number one, you're overthinking it. Reality, a lot of the overthinking is our autistic brain trying to reduce uncertainty so we can feel safe and functional. Now, a 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis in the Journal of Autism by Jenkinson et al. found a strong link between intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety in autistic people. Meaning uncertainty can hit harder and planning, scripting can become a coping strategy. See, your brain is running rehearsals like it's opening night. That isn't you being dramatic, that's your nervous system trying to reduce uncertainty. So, when people say, "Stop overthinking." they're basically telling you to stop doing the thing your autistic brain uses to feel safe in an unpredictable world. And if uncertainty drives anxiety, then scripting and planning is your brain's safety strategy, not a personality flaw.

[00:01:09]That's not drama, that's regulation.