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Interoception Check-In
Interoception is the sense that reads what's happening inside your body — hunger, thirst, needing the bathroom, tension, tiredness, emotion. For a lot of autistic people these signals are muted or hard to read until they're urgent. This is a skill you can build, gently, with practice.
Body scan — what can I sense right now?
For each one, notice: how clearly can I feel this right now?
- [ ] Hunger
- [ ] Thirst
- [ ] Needing the bathroom
- [ ] Temperature — too hot or cold
- [ ] Muscle tension
- [ ] Fatigue
- [ ] An emotion (and where I feel it)
Which signals are hardest for me to feel?
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Catch signals earlier
Scaffolds that help
- Set timers to eat and drink rather than waiting to feel it
- Anchor check-ins to routines (after a task, on the hour)
- Pair a body-check with a habit you already have
The scaffold I'll try
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One experiment this week
One thing I'll test
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Muted signals aren't a character flaw: If you've ever been told you're 'bad at looking after yourself,' this is likely why — and it grows with scaffolding, not willpower.
Go deeper
Ready for more? These lessons pick up where this worksheet leaves off.
- The Body, from The Neurodivergent Brain. The physical side of neurodivergence: interoception, co-occurring conditions (EDS/hypermobility, POTS, gut, sleep), and sensory sensitivity.
- Emotional Dysregulation & Alexithymia, from The Neurodivergent Brain. Why neurodivergent emotions hit harder, later, and longer; what alexithymia is; and how to build an emotional first-aid kit.
- TAS-20 — Alexithymia, When You Can't Name What You Feel, from Autistic Self-Discovery. What alexithymia is, why half of autistic adults have it, and what a TAS-20 score really means.