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Forest bathing: The free cure for stress and anxiety?

Forest bathing: The free cure for stress and anxiety?

What if I told you that there was a free way to alleviate stress and anxiety that didn't require any fancy equipment or techniques? And that it's proven to lower your blood pressure, heart rate, depression, and even overall mortality rates? I've got good news -- it's called forest bathing, and I tried it out. Forest bathing worked pretty well for me, and I'll let you know how to introduce the practice into your life as well.

It's no secret that in today's world, stress is a growing problem. In 2017, a Gallup poll reported that the world's population is more stressed, angry, sad and in pain than ever. A lack of clean drinking water, food insecurity and widespread illness wreaks havoc on the health of populations worldwide. Furthermore, people in every pocket of the globe can find something to worry about -- personal relationships, looming deadlines at work and the health of loved ones are just a few of the many things that make us fret everyday.

Read more: Soothe vs. Zeel: Which on-demand massage service is best?

Personally, I can thank my lucky stars that I don't have anything major to be stressed about, but I still often find myself anxious. In between classes, work, and trying to write the next great American novel, I've got a lot on my plate, and I know you all do, too. In today's world, we're constantly staring at screens, and it isn't helping our mental health. A lot of the de-stressing solutions that have been popping up -- meditation apps, improved sleep tracking and online workout subscriptions -- can work extremely well, but on some level they're just adding more technology to our lives.

Read more: The best essential oil diffusers  

I've been reading about a growing phenomenon called forest bathing for a while now, and I decided to try it out.  I meditate for 10 minutes every day and usually fit in a good amount of exercise, but I still feel the grip of stress almost every day. I was hoping that forest bathing would give me a greater sense of calm. I'm also continually working on my ability to let stressful thoughts go without hanging on to them, and I thought that spending a few hours unplugged in nature would help with this relaxed state of mind.

Contrary to what the name might suggest, forest bathing doesn't involve taking off all of your clothes and swimming around in some pine needles. It's a Japanese practice of nature therapy, used to help people de-stress and take a break from technology. I ended up loving my time experimenting with forest bathing, and I hope you can take the lessons of the research, my personal experience, and the rich history of forest bathing to implement more nature therapy in your own life.

What is forest bathing?

In the early 1980s, the Japanese government noticed some growing issues with their population. High suicide rates, social isolation and over-reliance on technology were hurting the people's well-being.  Seventy percent of Japan is forested, and the government took to the trees to find a solution. A public health program called shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, was started in 1982.

Forest bathing involves simply going into nature and being present with all five senses. The use and presence of technology is discouraged (turn off your phone!) and many participants forest bathe with bare feet for the full grounding effect. It's not a strenuous hike -- though those are great for you, too -- it's a meandering stroll with frequent breaks to observe what's around you. There's no peak or end goal in sight. Many experts recommend practicing shinrin-yoku for a full two hours, but of course many people fit as much time in the forest as they can, even if that means just 15 minutes.

Any place with a bit of green is suitable for forest bathing.

Getty Images

Shinrin-yoku began as preventative medicine for the immune system, cardiovascular system, depression and anxiety, inflammation and other prevalent health problems. Since 1982, many researchers have published a wealth of evidence for the benefits of shinrin-yoku, and it has become imperative in the Japanese healthcare system. Today, the healing power of forest bathing is being spread all around the world.

Forest bathing has been shown to lower your heart rate and blood pressure. It has a whole host of positive mood effects, including a reduction in hostility and depression. Forest bathing also decreases fatigue, anxiety and confusion, and generally has a strong relaxing effect. In Japan, increased forest coverage has even been suggested to lower overall mortality rates. I could go on and on -- the point is, overwhelming scientific research backs up the power of forest bathing to help with numerous mental and physical health ailments. 

Turning off my phone and my brain

Despite spending a lot of time outside, and going on some cool backpacking trips, I hadn't really done something quite like this. All of my hiking trips were more goal-focused, and I loved the feeling of accomplishment that came from "completing" a hike or getting to camp. But with forest bathing, the goal isn't to accomplish anything specific or do something strenuous. It's simply to exist in a green area with minimal distractions.

The first time I tried it out, I went all in. I texted a few important people that I would be offline, walked up to my campus's arboretum, turned off my phone and stayed outside in the same patch of lawn and surrounding path for two hours. The first thing I did after dumping my stuff and taking off my shoes and socks was promptly lie down in the grass and close my eyes for a while.

Life feels a lot easier when you're napping on a grass field.

Caroline Roberts/CNET

After resting in the sun, I got around to strolling across the lawn a few times. I walked slower than I had ever walked before, and on my first loop I made friends with a couple of small salamanders. Later in the afternoon, I had a staring contest with a group of deer from several yards away. I think we were both surprised at how still the other was being. If I had been walking along in my usual hurried fashion, I would have definitely missed these cute creatures.

A few laps of walking the lawn and laying down in the sun later, I was ready to do some more serious thinking. I'm a very goal-oriented person, and I had recently hit some benchmarks that I now needed to reset. My mind was quiet enough for me to decide on what I wanted to focus on next for my fitness and writing pursuits, something I had been too stressed and busy to think about for a few weeks.

Mostly though, the whole time I was there I thought about nothing. And it felt amazing. 

Being barefoot forced me to walk way slower than I naturally would.

Caroline Roberts/ Giphy

The arboretum was surprisingly quiet for a Friday afternoon, but a few people passed by while I was doing my thing. I was nervous when I heard voices approaching, but with everyone I saw we simply smiled at each other and went on with our day. Luckily, no one asked why I was wandering around with my shoes off.

At the end of the first day, I was pretty excited to put my socks back on -- my feet had been getting cold -- but more reluctant to switch on my phone. I felt rested and calm, and I didn't quite want to go back into the busy electronic world. 

The second time I tried it out was pretty similar to the first, though I only had time to stay for an hour. I didn't have any more breakthroughs in personal goal-setting (probably due to lack of time), but I loved just being able to take some time to let my mind go blank.

The last time I went was the only session I did on a weekday, and it definitely changed by mindset. I had a two-hour break between classes that I usually spent trying to knock out some work, but this Monday I was spending it forest bathing.

I'll be honest. I was a little stressed heading back to the arboretum on a typical weekday, and the stress didn't magically disappear as soon as I took my shoes off. As hard as I tried not to, my mind kept rehearsing everything I had to get done throughout the day, even though I wasn't that busy. I kept noticing my jaw clenching -- a classic sign of overthinking for me.

The arboretum was practically empty, and I meandered to some places I'd never been before, like a quaint bridge. I also saw a baby salamander, and it was as cute as can be. I took some time resting my eyes and opening my ears. I had just spent two hours in a classroom right next to a construction site, and the silence of the arboretum was extremely welcome.

I returned after I was done forest bathing to snap pictures.

Caroline Roberts/CNET

After an hour, I turned my phone back on and continued with my day. I kept checking in with myself— did I feel more calm, more productive, or less hurried?

I soon realized that the answer was a shaky "yes." Sure, my eyes felt better with a break from staring at a screen, and my chest felt a little less tight than usual. But, I only really started to feel calmer once I got back on track with the work I wanted to get done. I headed to class right after, and I did notice something pretty cool— I was noticeably less inclined to secretly check my phone during the lecture. I had proved to myself that, shockingly, I could survive on my college's campus without constantly touching my phone.

Overall, my experience trying out forest bathing was great. The rest was mentally rejuvenating, and I enjoyed wandering a lot more than I thought I would. The one part I kept mulling over was what exactly was helping me feel relaxed -- was it something to do with being barefoot in nature, or was it simply that I wasn't staring at a screen like I spend so much time doing? I decided that ultimately, it doesn't really matter, and it was probably a mixture of both. The grounding aspect of standing in the dirt has been shown to physically reduce stress, but it also just feels nice to escape the constant buzz of notifications for a few hours.

I'll definitely be back to this beautiful lawn, though I might not be alone.

Caroline Roberts/CNET

Would I do it again? I'm not sure I absolutely loved being alone with nothing to do, but I definitely want to incorporate spending more time outside with my phone turned off. Whether that's having a picnic with friends or bringing a book back to the arboretum, taking some time away from screens is desperately needed in my life.

How to make it work for you

While I think forest bathing is a wonderful thing, I know that it's unrealistic for most people to take several hours out of your workday to unplug. But, if you can find time to try forest bathing on a weekend, you can still reap the benefits.

I know I'm in a pretty lucky situation to be able to find a green space nearby, turn off my phone for two hours and lounge around. If you live in the middle of a city, or have children, forest bathing is a lot harder to pull off. But, you don't have to go whole hog -- even just slipping off your shoes and standing in your front lawn for a few minutes before work can be de-stressing -- or head your backyard if you worried what your neighbors will think If you raise children with a partner or a family member, ask them to watch the kids for an hour while you escape to your local park.

If you'd rather not walk around barefoot, simply spending time outside with your electronics turned off can do wonders for your mental health. Forest bathing was originally designed to benefit public health, and as such you should modify it to best fit your needs.

If you live in an urban area, you may be surprised to find that there's likely open space near you that you can use for forest bathing. Besides just Googling "green space near me," there are several crowd-sourced websites, like Map of Play, to find an open area in your city. If you're still out of luck, try finding a window and sitting with the sun on your face. It might not technically be forest bathing, but if you switch off your mind for a while, I promise you'll feel much better. 

Read more:  The best indoor garden for every type of gardener in 2021

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

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DIY Pipe Shelves: Stylish, Affordable and Ultra-Easy to Build

DIY Pipe Shelves: Stylish, Affordable and Ultra-Easy to Build

This story is part of Home Tips, CNET's collection of practical advice for getting the most out of your home, inside and out.

Large custom-made shelving can be extremely expensive, especially if you hire a carpenter to make bespoke units that fit your space. But by using pipes you can create a storage system that fits perfectly into any space and doesn't require expert fitting or years of DIY skills to put together. By using commonly available screw-fit pipes and precut timber boards, you can easily make shelves any size you want or fit them into awkward positions, often at a lower cost than commissioning custom-built units. 

You can create floor-standing shelves or wall-mounted shelves, shelves that reach up to your ceiling, or shelves that stretch the whole of your wall, turning that lovely spare room into a beautiful library. 

The great thing is, it's not even that difficult to do. The pipework screws together and the wooden boards sit on top, so there's very little to go wrong. I'm a total novice with DIY -- I've managed to change a lightbulb, but I've never tackled anything like this -- and when I bought my first home, I knew that a big shelving system was exactly what I needed. 

Here, then, is my guide on how to build your own custom DIY pipe shelves. (For more, check out how to make custom poster hangers for just $1 and organization ideas for smaller spaces.) 

Read more: Best Office Chairs for 2022

Why do you need custom shelves? 

I'm a professional photographer and product reviewer for CNET. That means I have a lot of equipment. Like, a lot of equipment. I work from home and needed my office space to function as a photography studio, so I needed a storage solution that was also an easy-access workspace. 

A custom-designed shelving system let me create something that fully suited my needs. But it's not just photographers who'd need it; these shelves would make for a wonderful library wall, or for displaying lots of collectibles. The industrial look can work great in your bedroom, an office or running along the wall of your living room, proudly displaying photos of your family, lovely plants and your collection of Friends VHS tapes from the '90s that you can't bear to get rid of. 

This is what counted as a shelving "plan" for me.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

How to design your shelves

Take a look at your space and really consider what it is you need from your shelves. For me, I needed lots of room for storage, but I also needed a clutter-free workspace. So I wanted to keep the floor clear by maximizing the vertical storage space, building my shelves high and taking advantage of my 13-foot ceilings. 

I wanted to incorporate my desk, so I sketched a design that would go around it, with room for my computer tower to fit snugly beneath. With five tiers, each stretching over 8 feet in length, I'd have enough room for all my photography equipment and plenty of space for whatever products I'm testing, leaving the rest of the room free to work in.

Consider how your shelves can fit in your space -- perhaps there's a sloping roof and you can build your shelves to fit beneath the slope. Or maybe fit your shelves in the alcoves either side of a chimney breast. My advice is to sketch out some ideas, no matter how roughly, and see what you think will work best in the space you have. The modular nature of pipe shelves means it's not difficult to fit them in even the most awkward spaces. 

The empty wall offered a lot of space to fill with the custom shelving. I have a lot of stuff to store.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Think as well about how many tiers of shelves you'll need. If it's fitting in a small space, can you really squeeze four tiers in, or will three layers give you more room between each shelf to store taller objects? If it's for a bookshelf, find your tallest book and make sure you're leaving enough space for it to slide in. 

Read more: Best Standing Desks of 2022

Measuring and buying shelf components

Once you've settled on your design, it's time to measure up. Your specific measurements will depend entirely on the space and the number of shelves you want. For me, I wanted five levels, going up to about 10 feet in height. That meant I needed gaps of roughly two feet between each shelf. 

I say "roughly" as my design allowed for some errors, at least on the vertical measurements. I knew there'd be at least two feet of space above the top shelf, so an inch or two difference when measuring upward didn't matter. That's good, as when I measured the pipes between the shelves, I neglected to include the T-shaped connectors. There were five of these on each vertical support, which added about six inches to the total height. 

Some of the pipework and fittings.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

If I were building the shelves to fit perfectly between the floor and the ceiling, then my shelves wouldn't have fit. As it was, they simply reached slightly higher than planned, which wasn't a problem. As long as each of your vertical supports are the same height, that's what matters. If you're measuring for a specific space then make sure you find out exactly how much length your connectors will add so you know the exact height of your shelves when assembled. 

Your retailer should be able to help with this. Most big hardware stores will likely sell pipework and fittings that will be suitable, but an increasing number of specialist plumbing companies sell pipes specifically for building furniture. These have often been given an aged look -- or other more visually appealing aesthetic -- that will look great. 

My shelves would stand on the floor but I also mounted them against the wall. For each upright support, I required five longer pipes (the pipes standing vertically between each level), five shorter pipes (connecting between the wall and the vertical pipes, the length being two inches longer than the wooden boards I'd ordered). I then needed five T-shaped connectors and six wall plates (five to attach to the wall, one to act as a 'foot' for the pipes to stand on the floor). 

The shelves attach to the wall using these iron 'feet'. Because there are 20 of these, the weight is spread across the whole wall, rather than putting too much weight on a single mounting point.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

I had four uprights, so ordered four lots of all of the above. Each pipe had been screw threaded to allow it to simply screw into the fittings. I used 3/4-inch steel pipe, which provides more than enough strength to support the shelves. My retailer also provided reclaimed oak timber in various forms so I also ordered that, cut to size, treated and scorched to give a beautiful aesthetic. Oak can be quite expensive however, and you can get similar results with pine or even plywood. Check with your local lumber yard and see what they can offer. 

Building DIY pipe shelves

Once your components have arrived it's time to get building. Start by making a cup of tea and putting on a good playlist. Then make sure your work area is clear and you've got the space you need to build and install. 

I started by connecting the pipework to build each upright support. It took some doing and I ended up having to put a lot more effort into screwing everything together than I imagined. Once done, I stood the vertical pipe on the floor and leaned it against the wall in the position it would be, using a spirit level to check it was in line both vertically and horizontally. I marked the position of the screw holes using a pen and then laid the pipe back down. Repeat for all four upright supports. 

As I installed each vertical strut, I used a spirit level to check it was exactly vertical and used a temporary 'shelf' (in this case, a roll of paper) to allow me to check that the real shelves would also be perfectly level. 

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

I used a stud and wire detector at each of the marks I'd make to check if it was safe to drill and then used a 7mm masonry drill bit and a hammer drill to drill around an inch deep. I then hammered in wall plugs to help further secure the screws. Some didn't go quite deep enough so I used wire cutters to trim them down. 

When I finished drilling the holes, I held the pipes back up and shimmied them into the perfect position before screwing them into place using screws I'd already checked had wide enough heads to properly secure the mounting plates (the first lot I bought simply passed straight through the holes so would not be suitable). 

I was nervous about whether my old walls would support the weight (my house was built in the 1860s) but it was the floor that would take most of the weight, with the rest being spread across 20 mounting plates on the wall. The more mounting points I used across the shelves, the more that weight would be spread out and easier for the wall to hold. A year on, they've not collapsed. 

I used a multi-function stud, wire and pipe detector to make sure that wherever I drilled was safe and wouldn't cause any harm to either myself or my house. If you're in any doubt about safety, consult an expert.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Once the upright metalwork was in place I laid a roll of paper across and used a spirit level to check that it was completely level. The bubble sat in the middle, so I was all good. Then it was simply a case of sliding the timber boards onto the horizontal supports. The oak boards were almost 2 inches thick, so they're extremely heavy, but there's no flex in them so I wasn't concerned about them bending when I put things on them. 

I secured them in place using simple metal brackets that wrapped around the pipes they sat on and screwed underneath the wood. Finally, I loaded up the shelves with my photography gear and took a step back to admire my work. 

These gorgeous oak boards are actually reclaimed from old planks used by a scaffolding firm. They'd been stripped and aesthetically charred, and although cheaper wood is available, the overall look was exactly what I wanted. 

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Would I build these shelves again? 

I was pleased with how straightforward the building process was once I had my plans in place. Having never done anything like this before, I was nervous about getting the measurements wrong or, even worse, managing to collapse the whole wall in the period property I'd just bought. Mercifully, everything seemed to work out pretty well and the shelves have been extremely useful so far. 

That said, with a total bill of materials somewhere around the $1,000 mark, it wasn't a cheap process and with zero experience with projects like this, things could easily have gone wrong and that money would have been wasted. While getting a similar custom-designed shelving system installed by professional carpenters would have likely been a lot more expensive (potentially several times over), those risks would be much lower. 

I'd absolutely do a similar build again though, even if it's just creating a single shelf or two in my bathroom or some small bookshelves for the bedroom. It's a straightforward process and the pride at having created from scratch a genuinely useful addition into the home is well worth the effort.

For more organization tips, check out the best way to organize a fridge and how to declutter your closet. 

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I Bonds: Are They the Best Way to Save During Inflation? It Depends

I Bonds: Are They the Best Way to Save During Inflation? It Depends

This story is part of Recession Help Desk, CNET's coverage of how to make smart money moves in an uncertain economy.

With inflation running rampant at 9.1%, Americans are flocking toward Series I Savings Bonds, a government-issued investment that's protected against inflation. I bonds have both a fixed rate and an inflation rate that's adjusted every six months. Right now, I bonds will deliver a 9.62% annualized interest rate, which means that they'll get you higher returns than any other federally backed bank account or brokerage. 

The attractive yield has spurred Americans to open more than 1.5 million accounts since last November. Before that period, there were fewer than a million I bond accounts in total, according to Treasury data cited in The Wall Street Journal.

With widespread concern about the current economic downturn and anxiety over layoffs, many of us are considering savings strategies to add some cushion to our financial future. Depending on your needs and goals, an I bond may work best… or not. Here are my recommendations based on a few common hypothetical scenarios. 

Benefits of an I bond

In today's savings market, I bonds stand out for their top-yielding returns and relatively low risk. Because they're investments backed by the US Treasury, you're guaranteed to secure your principal at the very least, so they'll never lose value. With a potential recession ahead, I bonds can offer you some financial security. And while you do have to pay federal income tax on the gains, I bonds are exempt from state and local taxes. If the savings are used for higher education purposes, the IRS may let you skip taxes on them altogether.

When an I bond makes sense

• You're saving for a big expense in the short term: Whether your goal is to afford a wedding, a home down payment or a new car in the next few years, you can start saving now -- safely. Investing in the stock market may not be wise since it could take several years to recover from bear market losses. Instead, to ensure that inflation doesn't continue to erode the power of your cash, take advantage of accounts like I bonds with higher annual yields so that your savings won't lose value. Just remember that I bond purchases are limited to $10,000 per person each year, so if you have to set aside more than that, you can save the remainder in a high-yield account.
• You want higher returns with no risk: Let's assume that after paying your bills, saving in an emergency fund and adding to your long-term investment accounts, you have a few hundred dollars to spare each month and want to get the greatest financial return without the risk of stock market volatility. If you purchase I bonds with those savings, you'll get solid returns today without taking any chances. Later, depending on your financial goals, you can decide if it makes more sense to keep the cash in the I bonds or move it elsewhere.

Read more: Best CD Rates for 2022

Disadvantages of an I bond

I bonds do come with strings attached. For example, you must keep your cash locked up for the first year. There's also a five-year holding period during which if you take money out, you risk forfeiting the final three months of earned interest. You're also limited to buying no more than $10,000 worth of electronic I bonds per year. You can buy I bonds straight from the Treasury's website, but the process has reportedly been difficult for some. In several cases, the Treasury hasn't been able to confirm people's identities, requiring added steps and cutting through bureaucratic tape.

When an I bond doesn't make sense

• You're investing for the long term: If you want to grow your money for the future and get a higher rate of return for your long-term savings, you could invest that cash in a diversified portfolio of majority stocks and some bonds through either a workplace retirement account like a 401(k) or an Individual Retirement Account. While the S&P 500 or broader stock market is not performing as well as I bonds at the moment, stock gains have been better over previous decades. And while I bonds carry an attractive yield now because of the rate of inflation, the economy will eventually cool and so will I bond returns.
• You have income insecurity and need cash liquidity: Whether you're worried about a possible recession and possibly getting laid off or have plans to quit before finding your next role, having savings to cover a minimum few months of unemployment in the next 12 to 18 months may be vital to staying financially afloat. While a high rate of return on your cash is always ideal, the more immediate priority for someone who's worried about income security is a bank account that offers liquidity and easy access. In this case, an I bond doesn't really make sense because you wouldn't be able to touch your money for the first year. Instead, consider an account with branches or ATMs conveniently near your home or a digital bank that provides easy and quick money transfers, including a high-yield savings account.

In summary: Whether an I bond is worth it is a personal question. Earning a high rate of return is great, but it's important to consider the trade-offs that come with the 12-month holding restriction or not investing those savings for your retirement.

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Behind the seams of my star trek captain s holiday behind the seams of paper behind the seams quilt shop project runway behind the seams behind the scenes behind the wheel driving school journey behind the falls

Behind the seams of my Star Trek captain's costume

Behind the seams of my Star Trek captain's costume

After spending my childhood dreaming of joining Starfleet and my adulthood of roaming the universe with Captains Kirk, Picard, Janeway, Sisko and Archer, I finally got command of my own ship.

I now have an original-series captain's uniform. It's part replica, part cosplay, and I feel like I could roam the halls of the Enterprise when I'm wearing it.

Instead, I'll be prowling the Star Trek 50th anniversary convention in Las Vegas this week for CNET, just the nudge I needed to finally complete my costume. This is the story of how it all came together.

I chose to go with my first love, the original series. As much as I identified with Spock, my younger self stepped forward and told adult me: "You need to be the captain of a Constitution-class starship." So I based my costume on Captain Kirk.

"I shimmy into it, close the shoulder zipper and transform into a Starfleet captain, fulfilling a long-held dream."

All through middle school, I wore an original-series Star Trek movie insignia on my jacket. The one with the bar behind it and a circle around the Starfleet logo. It was an everyday testament to my fandom. These days, I might wear something subtle, like a Star Trek T-shirt or an IDIC necklace. But when I go to the convention, I'll be decked out and ready for duty in command gold.

Click for full coverage.

The prize feature of my costume is a Captain Kirk tunic from costume maker Anovos. The shirt is copied from patterns and materials from a screen-used Spock tunic. It's meant to be an exact replica of the shirt William Shatner wore (Spock's tunic had the same design pattern as Kirk's) and I can personally find no flaws with it. A man's size small fits me perfectly. I shimmy into it, close the shoulder zipper and transform into a Starfleet captain, fulfilling a long-held dream. But don't call me Captain Kirk. I'm Captain Kooser.

I am no sewing savant, so I turned to my Star Trek-loving sister-in-law Odessa Winter for help shaping up my outfit. My shirt might be an exact replica, but everything else in the costume is just an approximation. My pants are a $30 pair of " Briggs New York Women's Superstretch Pull on Kick Flare Pant" from Amazon. Odessa helped to take up the cuffs and sew them into place at the proper height. These pants have a bonus non-canon feature: pockets!

Odessa also took on the more challenging task of reworking an inexpensive avocado-green Captain Kirk V-neck wrap shirt bought on eBay. She took in the arms and tucked the sides. She also repaired the insignia that sits on the belly, as the gold had rubbed off after one wearing. Did I mention the shirt was cheap? There was too little time before the convention to fully fix the rank braiding on the arms, so I'm demoted to lieutenant when I wear it.

The Kirk wrap shirt in the midst of alterations.

Amanda Kooser/CNET

Classic Trek boots typically have a chunky heel, something that does not agree with my foot anatomy. Rather than going screen-accurate, I went with a pair of Vivobarefoot boots. They're tall. They're black. They're shiny. They have an absolutely flat sole. Close enough, said my feet.

I first wore a full uniform in public to the opening night of the reboot movie " Star Trek Beyond." As I walked from my house to meet up with my brother (dressed as Kirk) and sister-in-law (dressed as Jaylah), a lot of memories swirled.

What emerged was me, somewhere around the age of 10, sitting on the floor in front of a small television, eyes wide and taking in every moment of a "Star Trek" rerun. I know it's a fictional world, but when I wear my uniform, I'm a member of Starfleet. I wish I could have told younger me that, yes, one day I would make captain.

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$1 Custom Poster Hangers: Here's How I Made My Own

$1 Custom Poster Hangers: Here's How I Made My Own

This story is part of Home Tips, CNET's collection of practical advice for getting the most out of your home, inside and out.

Hanging large posters or big art prints can be tricky, and buying a huge frame or wide hanging rods big enough to support the paper can get expensive quickly. Sure, you could just tape your prints to the wall, but that would give them a look more like something you'd find in a student dorm than your lovely home. But I found I was able to make my own poster hanging rods out of reclaimed wood that were easy to make, looked beautiful and only cost me $1. 

The rods attach to your poster across the top and bottom: The top strip provides a way to hang it off your wall, while the bottom acts as a weight to keep the poster taut against the wall. I recently ordered a print measuring 47x71 inches, but I'd need to get custom-made rods that would cost around $80 if I wanted to hang it, so I was very happy to find a home-made solution that saved me a lot of cash and made use of otherwise scrap materials. 

Here's how I did it. For more home decor tips, check out the best place to mount your TV, and the best Urban Outfitters home decor deals available now.

Read more:  Best Smart Home Products for 2022 That Aren't Made by Amazon or Google

The wood batons I got were cheap, but were dirty and scuffed.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Step 1: I measured my print's top edge. If you're hanging it in portrait orientation, it'll be the shorter measurement. If you're hanging in landscape, you'll want the longer measurement. I wanted the rods to extend slightly beyond the print, so I added about 2 inches to each side.

Step 2: I visited a local reclaimed wood supplier. If you can upcycle and reuse otherwise wasted wood, that's always preferable to using virgin timber, but you may not have a recycled wood shop near you. (Google will help you there.) I found a couple of pieces of timber that didn't match, but that wasn't a problem, and I had the wood shop cut them to size. It cost me 78 pence here in the UK, which works out to almost exactly $1 USD. I can't argue with the value. 

Some time with an orbital hand sander and they looked good as new.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Step 3: Being reclaimed from an old bit of furniture, I think, the wood was a bit splintery and rough with visible pen and printing marks. I used an orbital hand sander and gave both pieces a thorough sanding until they looked and felt great. 

Step 4: I used Danish wood oil on an old rag (formerly an old T-shirt) and worked the oil into the wood, which gave it a darker tone. This is just an aesthetic choice that you don't need to follow if you prefer the wood's natural look. 

Once oiled and dried, I screwed in picture hooks in order to attach the cord for hanging the frame.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Step 5: I screwed in two picture hooks into the piece that would form the top bar and tied cord between the two. I used enough cord to loop it back over itself three times, making it stronger overall when hung. While once or twice would probably have been enough, I was concerned that the print's weight, plus the wood at the bottom might be too much of a strain.

Step 6: Attaching the poster print to the hanging rods was the most difficult part. Premade rods often come as two pieces for the top and two for the bottom. Each pair usually snaps together using magnets, trapping the print and holding it in place. I couldn't get enough thin wood for this, so I instead opted for one larger, solid piece at either end that I would attach to the poster using small nails and glue. 

I first attached the print to the rods using small nails. It made it easier to get the print into position and keep it taught all the way along.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

The downside is that you can't simply swap the print out by undoing the magnets when you want a refresh. Removing the print using my solution would involve tearing the top and bottom off. On the upside, this is a very cost-effective solution if you know you want this print hanging for a long time. If that's the case, using such a permanent fixing approach will be fine. 

I squeezed in some glue into the gaps between the nails to add extra strength.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

The poster should be attached to the backs of the rods, with enough overlap left over so you can put the poster in place. When your print is lined up with the rod, use small nails (or a sturdy staple gun) to affix the print in place, working your way along its length to ensure it remains taut and in line. Then, with a thin-ended tube of glue, insert glue into the gaps between the nails or staples and pile some weights (I used some books and a PlayStation4 that happened to be nearby) until the glue dries. 

And I weighted the rods down with books and a PS4 until the glue had dried.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Step 7: Hang your mounted print from the cord you attached onto any regular picture hook or nail in your wall. Ensure that the hook or nail is able to take the weight of your new mounted print, particularly if it's been hammered into older drywall. 

Step 8: Stand back and enjoy your lovely, massive print. 

For more Home Tips, check out the best place to put your houseplants, and how to unclog a toilet without a plunger.  

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I was wrong about the first razr cell sorry mom i was wrong about the holocaust i was wrong about the stink bomb why i was wrong about lent jennifer kostick i was wrong about putin i was wrong about mitt romney i was wrong chris stapleton i was wrong chords when i was your man lyrics how old am i if i was born on calculator when i was a child i spoke as a child i wash you dry

I was wrong about the first Razr

I was wrong about the first Razr

After more than 16 years reviewing several hundred phones for CNET, only a handful burn brightly in my memory. Mobiles like the first iPhone, the Nexus One and the Motorola Razr V3 will forever rise above a churning sea of black rectangles that have blended into each other.

My relationship with the Razr is particularly complicated. I remember it not just because of its groundbreaking ly slim profile, but also because I was initially so wrong about it. Years from now, when I'm annoying my nephew to help me use the whatever phone has been invented by then, I will admit that I didn't foresee the thin phone tsunami that followed the Motorola Razr's release.

Now Motorola is trying to replicate that success by unveiling a new Razr in a foldable design. CNET's Jessica Dolcourt went hands-on with the phone and Roger Cheng has its creation story, but first join me for my Motorola Mea culpa.

Like I said, I was wrong

Motorola's Razr press release first landed in my inbox in early July 2004, a few days after then-CEO Ed Zander displayed the handset during an investor's conference (few companies announced phones at flashy launch events in those days). My immediate thought was, "It's thin... so what?" It didn't promise any new features and the photos in the press release made it look far from impressive. It looked like a coaster and I was concerned it would feel like a toy.

So, after writing a quick First Take with my first, not-so-cogent analysis ("Eh, it looks OK"), the Razr quickly slipped from my mind. I wouldn't be able to review it for a couple of months, and this was a time when Nokia was in its heyday, introducing a new phone seemingly every week. They all needed a review, not to mention the regular series of phones from Nextel, Sanyo and other manufacturers that have long since left the business.

A couple of months later, the Razr finally went on sale at Cingular Wireless (now AT&T). Though I just tried to convince a gadget-obsessed friend that the Razr would not be worthy of the hype that had begun to build around it, the queues that quickly formed at Cingular stories were the first sign that I was mistaken.

A daring design

My review model finally arrived in late November and it was then, when I held the Razr in my hand, that I really grasped just what Motorola and designer Paul Pierce had done. Moto was well on its way to changing the phone world. Again.

Motorola had been making history since Martin Cooper placed the first public cellphone call in 1973. Moto then built the world's first commercially available phone, the first mainstream flip phone and the first 3G phone sold in the US. But while Moto's previous hits had at least one envelope-pushing feature (even the Startac was one of the first phones with a vibrate mode), the Razr's feature highlights were a VGA camera (equivalent to 0.3-megapixel), Bluetooth and voice dialing -- generous for the time, but hardly noteworthy.

The new foldable Razr is even more striking than its predecessor.

James Martin/CNET

Outside, though, the Razr was an entirely different story. Motorola had achieved a rarity in the gadget world: a design we'd never seen before. The Razr was gorgeously thin (just half of an inch wide), it had a shiny metal skin and it didn't feel flimsy or cheap. Yes, it was boxy and the buttons were slippery, but it looked so damn good and it slid effortlessly into your pocket. Try doing that with the latest Samsung Galaxy Note.

Motorola's success was even more impressive when you remember that 2004 was a time when phone design was massively more exciting and varied than it is now. We had flip phones, swivel phones and sliders. Almost every phone -- especially the crazy designs from Nokia -- looked different. The placement of physical buttons and the shape of the body really mattered. Until we get a real bendable phone, phone design will remain relatively dull.

In my final review, I gave the Razr three and a half stars and said, "More than just a pretty face, the Razr V3 backs up its radical design with solid features and good performance." (I pooh-poohed the lack of video recording and the call volume level.) In the end, I got it right.

Making thin in

Of course you know the rest of the story. Despite an initial price of $450 with service (about $725 adjusted for inflation), the Razr was an instant hit. My friend, and many like him, waited hours to get one and Cingular stores sold out. Motorola's competitors quickly noticed, and the thin phone revolution had begun. It was a revolution that lasted a bit too long -- it took the iPhone's introduction in 2007 to really kill it -- and Motorola produced too many Razr versions in a rainbow of colors (plus a few Krzrs, Slvrs and Rizrs). But it all showed the power that one phone could have.

So, yes, I did not call this one well. As it turned out, a new design could be enough to make a phone popular. And while we stay mired in an era where every phone looks the same, I'll fondly remember a time when that kind of revolution was possible.

Originally published Dec.  22, 2018.
Update, Nov. 13: Adds information for the new foldable Razr launch.

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Tricks what are the best starter words for wordle best starter words for wordle best wordle starters best words to start wordle best starting word for wordle best wordle words best 5 letter words for wordle what is the best word to start wordle with wordle youtube wordle yordle wordle tournament world your you

Wordle: Your Best Starter Words, Strategies, Tips and Tricks To Win

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Wordle: Your Best Starter Words, Strategies, Tips and Tricks To Win

Recently, I shared my new easy winning strategy for playing Wordle, the hit online game invented by Josh Wardle that's now running daily on The New York Times' site. Essentially, I begin with TRAIN and CLOSE, then look at any correct letters and try a word that uses them in numerous spots. When I need to picture possible winning words, I utilize Xs to spell out the correct letters I know so far.

So far, the strategy is still working. While my streak of 38 wins is nothing to some people, it's my best ever. And I laughed to discover that right after I published the strategy, the answer to one day's Wordle was CLING, which nabbed me two letters from TRAIN and then two in the first two positions from CLOSE. It was kind of my Wordle lucky day. 

But as with any strategy, sometimes I get tired of proceeding down the same path or I feel stuck after four guesses and need to shake it up.

So I asked readers and friends to share their Wordle strategies these days. Hope you'll find some tips to freshen up your game play here.

Be a CHAMP

"I used to use TRAIN as my first guess; now my first two words are always NOISE and TRULY. If the word isn't apparent, I next use CHAMP. Those three words give me 15 letters that are most common, including all 6 vowels. If I'm still totally lost, I go with DEBUG, giving me three more consonants."  --Dan Hughes

Use yesterday's winner

"I always start with the previous day's winning word. Continuity!"  --Marc Hirsh

The random method

"For a long time I used two starter words that gave a lot of vowels and common letters, which always made me a solid four-line winner and sometimes three. But then I branched out and just tossed in random words. Still made me a solid four line winner, sometimes three and a couple of twos."  --Susan C. Young

Another vote for random

"I have almost no strategy. My wordle (and quordle) play is a random free for all. I get wordle in 4 guesses almost every time. I use whatever starter word pops into my head. I will use a second, random word to try to get more hits."  --Debe Ashe Hoover

Importance of A and R

"I also always type out what I have correct with 'X' in the unknown spot(s). Often times a visual person like me can then see the correct answer right away. Also, if I have an 'a' and an 'r' in the wrong place, I almost always move them to the 3rd and 4th spots, so it (could spell) 'are' or 'ard,' etc. That's where they belong a large percentage of the time, if I don't already have it correct."  --Christine Eberhard Minor

Get those vowels

"My strategy is starting with AUDIO to target four vowels."  --Vanessa Bloy

Did we mention vowels?

"ALOUD or OCEAN are my usual."  --Juli Jansen Pelletier

'Stare' at the puzzle

"I stopped playing — but my starter word was always STARE."  --Scott Lerman

Use a 'straw'

"(My starter word) is STRAW…". --Stefan Myslicki

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Yes i mean yes i m designer yes i miss you yes i meant yes i m inter yes i m sure yes i miss you chord yes in spanish yes in russian yes in italian yes indeed yes in japanese yes in chinese yes it is

Yes, I'm Autistic. No, I'm Not a STEM Savant

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Yes, I'm Autistic. No, I'm Not a STEM Savant

This story is part of Mysteries of the Brain, CNET's deep dive into the human brain's infinite complexities.

Hire them, and you'll have walking supercomputers on your hands: near-infinite processing power and perfect conformity to rules. Sure, they'll short-circuit in social situations and overheat on occasion. But aside from that, they're perfect robots who won't exhibit those bothersome human emotions that can stifle their usefulness. 

They are the future of Silicon Valley: Einstein, Gates and Zuckerberg, all rolled into one. As long as you keep them tucked away behind monitors where they can't cause trouble, they'll be your company's greatest assets. 

They're the picture of autism. 

And they're not real -- no matter how badly companies want them to be.

April marked Autism Acceptance Month here in the US, where more than 1 out of 50 adults have autism, according to an estimate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

I am one of them. I've spent 22 years navigating a world that views my autism as simultaneously a burden to be stamped out and a commodity to be taken advantage of. Though most of us with autism want to be employed, ignorant attitudes about the disability pervade workplaces, making them less accessible for us. 

The psychologists who knew me as a toddler would consider it a miracle I'm even employed in the first place.

To be sure, companies have made commendable progress in recent years thanks to advocacy from autistic people and our allies -- and I feel fortunate to work with caring folks who are helping to foster an environment that supports my needs. Some companies have started employee resource groups, consulted autistic people in making their workplaces more accessible and even cultivated hiring programs to train neurodivergent workers. 

But these wonderful steps will only go so far when popular misconceptions about autism still permeate workplace culture and guide policy in less-than-accessible directions.

Pigeonholed and misunderstood

The psychologists who knew me as a toddler would consider it a miracle I'm even employed in the first place. I was diagnosed at age 3 with Asperger's Syndrome, a neurological and developmental condition that's nowadays classified as simply autism spectrum disorder. (That change in terminology is a good thing: Austrian autism researcher Hans Asperger was shown to have collaborated with the Nazi regime.) 

Researchers aren't sure what causes autism. I struggled to interact with my preschool peers, "melted down" when switching from one activity to another, and sobbed in grocery stores because the fluorescent lights felt like daggers in my eyes. "What time is it?" my dad would ask me. "Wednesday," I'd respond. It's not that I didn't know the answer, it's that I didn't understand the question due to my auditory processing difficulties. 

Doctors told my parents I'd never be able to drive or live independently. "Mary often appears to be staring through you rather than looking at you," reads one preschool teacher's remark in my file. "During free-choice time, she just sits in the middle of the floor and stares." 

CNET Associate Editor Mary King, a 22-year-old autistic woman, works at her desk in the Charlotte, North Carolina, headquarters of Red Ventures, CNET's parent company. On some days, parts of the office are still relatively empty due to the pandemic.

Anna Throckmorton/Red Ventures

I'm exceptionally lucky my loving parents had the resources to send me to occupational and speech therapy, which were critical in teaching me how to speak, interact with others and handle my sensory challenges. Like many autistic people, especially those socialized as women, I observed my neurotypical peers and learned to "mask": putting on a manufactured personality to hide my autistic traits, even as it exhausted me to the point of tears by the end of the day. 

By the time I was about 10, I reached a point where the untrained eye couldn't clock me as autistic. I excelled at school and standardized tests, especially in the humanities. Then I'd go home and shut down, drained from the masking and sensory overload. When my parents would show my teachers my diagnosis and ask for a simple accommodation -- like the option for me to go sit in the school library for a few minutes to calm my overstimulated brain -- they would respond with dismay, disbelief and outright dismissal because I didn't match their preconceived notions about autism.

Read more stories in CNET's ongoing series Mysteries of the Brain. 

As a result, I'm all too familiar with the popular idea of what autism looks like. We're all male. White. We're either deemed high-functioning, perfect performers with savant-level STEM abilities that companies can harness for profit, or we're pigeonholed as low-functioning and written off altogether because we aren't "useful." In addition to arguing that autism "functioning labels" do more harm than good, journalist Eric Garcia, who is himself on the spectrum, identifies these as the two myths that plague autistic people in the workforce.

"These narratives put the onus on autistic people to find a super skill that will make them an asset to employers rather than forcing employers to become more accepting of autistic workers," Garcia writes in his 2021 book We're Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation.

Autistic workers need acceptance and support from our employers, Garcia and others stress, regardless of how our autism manifests. Autism spectrum disorder involves difficulties with sensory processing, communication and executive functioning, with the key word here being "spectrum." (Here's a great comic explaining how the autism spectrum is better described as a spider graph than a straight line.) 

It looks different from person to person, and studies haven't found a consistent autistic brain composition. Our challenges and abilities vary greatly. Most autistic people, myself included, are not savants. But sometimes autism lends us special skills in areas like memory, pattern recognition and visual thinking. 

"People with autism might see the world through a filter that enhances the intensity of the details of the images they see every moment of their lives," researcher Arjen Alink told the autism-focused news outlet Spectrum News in 2021. 

Autism exists in every ethnicity and gender, though research shows autistic people of color and women have a harder time accessing diagnoses and support. And contrary to the stereotypes, we're employed in every field. Sure, we're scientists, engineers, software developers and tradespeople, but we're also artists, retail workers, communications professionals and businesspeople. 

We share your desks and break rooms. When we choose to disclose our autism to you and communicate the work conditions that would help us succeed, please believe us, even if we look, talk or act differently than what you're expecting. Even if we don't remind you of Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory, or Dustin Hoffman's character in Rain Man, or your aunt's neighbor's cousin's autistic fifth grader who's enrolled in linear algebra.

Not a human calculator 

"They think we're like calculators," Gideon Kariuki, a 21-year-old public policy student at Arizona State University, told me. 

"We're members of the community, too," says Gideon Kariuki, a junior at Arizona State University. "Regardless of our support needs, regardless of, quote unquote, 'what we can contribute to society.'" 

Margarete Moffett

Kariuki is, in fact, anything but a human calculator: He said he's always been "awful" at math. Instead, his passion lies in civics, public service and policy. He reckons his sharp analytical thinking -- an ability commonly found among autistic folks -- has served him well in these areas. 

The night we spoke, he was headed to a concert featuring one of his friends from Blaze Radio, the student radio station at Arizona State. Kariuki is Blaze Radio's program director, and he co-hosts two news analysis shows there.

"I'm somebody who's a big old chatterbox, as I'm sure you're figuring out," Kariuki said with a laugh. 

Being an autistic chatterbox myself, I had a splendid time talking with Kariuki as we derailed the interview and led each other down rabbit trails only tangentially related to the topic at hand. At one point we landed on the subject of US immigration policy and his parents' emigration from Kenya. That's when he made a compelling connection between attitudes toward immigrants and autistic people.

"One of the things that drives me up a wall concerning American immigration rhetoric is, 'Immigrants are such a benefit to the economy, yada yada.' Listen, I agree with that," he said. "However, that's not why you should support immigration."

The US should support immigrants not solely for the potential economic benefits, Kariuki argues, but because it's the right thing to do. By similar logic, while autistic workers can benefit employers with the special abilities and helpful traits we often bring to the table, that's not the primary reason workplaces should treat us with respect.

"We're members of the community, too," he said. "Regardless of our support needs, regardless of, quote unquote, 'what we can contribute to society.'"

What support looks like

For 32-year-old New York City-based video producer Hunter Boone, who uses both "he" and "they" pronouns, support in the workplace could look as simple as supervisors being more direct with their communication. Boone said they've noticed that once they reveal they're on the spectrum, supervisors tend to start speaking to them as if they were a toddler. With a newfound hyper-awareness of Boone's condition and a desire to avoid offending or confusing him, the supervisors start to be even less direct: the opposite of what Boone needs.

"I crave communication," Boone told me. 

For instance, one time his boss assigned them a task, and Boone completed it correctly. But afterward, Boone's boss told him he actually didn't intend for Boone to take the assignment literally. It had been difficult for Boone to discern that, as the interaction had taken place over the messaging platform Slack, where he couldn't see his boss' facial expressions or tone of voice to understand his meaning. It's a classic hangup that can happen as neurotypical and neurodivergent people work together, Boone said. More direct communication can help make things smoother. 

When we advocate for ourselves by expressing our needs, it's important for employers to welcome that self-advocacy and join us in developing solutions. 

Tim Johnson, an autistic 24-year-old notary public in Virginia and a friend from college, said the best thing that could happen for him in a workplace would be for people to stop expecting him to socialize exactly like they do.

"If I could hand out a business-card-sized little written thing saying, 'Hey, I'm probably not going to look you in the eye. Probably going to listen a lot more than I speak. I'm probably going to take criticism badly,' and not be socially judged for it, I would do it in a heartbeat," Johnson told me. 

That's a brilliant idea. If I had a little "Hey! I'm autistic!" handout like Johnson described, mine would ask managers to be very direct and literal when they assign me tasks; that might have helped Boone, too. Mine would also say I might accidentally come across as snarky or overly blunt, but I'm being earnest 99% of the time -- just ask me for clarification. Finally, I would say I struggle with multitasking and bouncing between tasks at a moment's notice. When we advocate for ourselves by expressing our needs, it's important for employers to welcome that self-advocacy and join us in developing solutions. 

Johnson's job requires him to take on requests for support as they come in, and he's had to manage his own expectation that he has to respond to every incoming message immediately. (I have trouble with that, too -- thanks a lot, Slack.) His standing desk has been helping him "take a literal step back": To fidget, he shakes out his arms, and that helps bring his stress back down to a manageable level. We discussed how dogs (beagles being one of Johnson's special interests, a term used in the autism field to describe areas of intense focus) do a similar sort of shaking motion to reset.

"Whenever my dog does it, it's when she comes in from the rain and she's getting all the rainwater off," Johnson said. "It's essentially the same thing, but with stress, for me."

Taking a fidget break 

Sometimes the very nature of work can be difficult for autistic people to navigate, so we innovate ways to tend to our own needs. For example, I struggle when I'm interrupted in the middle of a task and told to go do something else. Sure, I can technically do it, but my brain will feel fried, making it more difficult to complete the rest of the day's work. 

Cara Larsen's mixed media art (on Instagram at @caralarsenart). "The arts can be a haven for autistic people, an environment where our traits and talents can be appreciated, and we can express ideas we may not be able to say in words," Larsen wrote in a blog post for Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network.

Cara Larsen

Karisa, my understanding and supportive manager at CNET, lets me block out time on my calendar each day to focus on long-term projects, uninterrupted by day-to-day tasks. (This is a good idea for everyone, autistic or not.) I still get all of those tasks done: I just do it in a way that works for both me and my team. Managers can help by letting us do what we need to do. Allow us to take a step back and fidget, like Johnson. Or let us complete tasks in a workflow that works for us, even if it seems strange to you.

Cara Larsen, a 29-year-old autistic artist, prefers to complete her art in "bursts": She'll work for a few minutes, then pace around or read for a while before going back to her creation. Or she'll hop on her swing -- mounted indoors, to escape the overwhelming Mississippi humidity -- to gaze at one of her works in progress and contemplate her next course of action.

I conducted my interview with Larsen via email, as she said typing can often be easier for her than speaking. While growing up, she told me, teachers would try to shoehorn her into what she calls "the autistic STEM genius stereotype" despite her struggling with math. When she was deciding on a major in community college, she told instructors and advisers she was good at art and design, but they would immediately shoot her down.

"No one really encouraged me to explore different types of design careers, but I was constantly pushed toward STEM because in their eyes, that's what smart people did," Larsen told me.

She said she's suffered a lot of impostor syndrome as a result of these experiences. Larsen also discussed this in a 2018 blog post for Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network, in which she argues that even seemingly positive stereotypes are still harmful for autistic people.

"The 'autistic math genius' stereotype may seem better than 'gifted kids who struggle in school are just lazy' or 'girls can't do math' or 'art majors don't get jobs,' but it can limit a person's future just as much as those more negative stereotypes can -- especially when it is combined with them," Larsen wrote.

April is Autism Acceptance Month. While I appreciate the blue balloons for autism awareness, I'd encourage companies to also direct energy toward creating more accessible work environments.

Kaipong/Getty Images

I asked Larsen if there's any sort of community of autistic artists. I was curious, as that's not a profession stereotypically associated with autism. She said she's met a few, but wishes there was more support in place for artists on the spectrum. They may have trouble affording supplies, as many autistic people are low-income, studies show.

"No-strings-attached grants for low-income autistic artists, with an easy application process," she suggests. "And help promoting yourself at art-related events."

From artists' circles to media organizations, you probably work with an autistic person regardless of your field. Instead of wearing a blue shirt for autism awareness, celebrate Autism Acceptance Month by making a conscious effort to listen to our needs and support us. 

The many faces of focus

Often, it's in the little things. For example: Zoom calls. People often perceive my neutral facial expression as glazed over, checked out or irritated, even when I'm feeling perfectly fine and focusing intently. So when my camera is on, I have to devote energy to putting on my "pleasant, active listening face" and looking like I'm paying attention. (Ironically, this makes it more difficult for me to actually pay attention!)  Because of this, I tend to focus much better when my camera is turned off. To some people, though, this indicates the opposite: that I'm not listening. 

Instead of enforcing a strict camera-on policy and assuming we're less dedicated employees when we turn our cameras off, understand that focusing can take many shapes. 

Like Hunter Boone said, sometimes we need you to be more direct. Like Tim Johnson said, sometimes we don't conform to social expectations. Like Cara Larsen said, sometimes we just work a little differently than you. 

Read more:  What You Need to Know About Autism Spectrum Disorder

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