Are there any women here? #2

I'm still here in the long grass and I hope the discussions will continue as it's still reassuring to read other people talk about life in a way I understand.  I do hope also that men like Lonewarrior and others who identify with a more female iteration of autism feel free to comment too, not all men are the stereotype either.

Does anyone else feel completely trapped in their lives, or are you in stable, even happy relationships and jobs that have survived the revelation of being autistic?  For the most part I'm behaving exactly as I always have because I see no alternative for survival, but some days I feel sure I'm just shy of breaking completely. ()

Hello Spotty Tortoise, nice to see you here. Since I realised about the asd I have felt huge relief at not 'needing' to beat myself up about who I am. Not lazy, thick, rude etc after all! I have almost completely stopped doing the things that I struggled to cope with - coffee mornings, evening classes, craft groups etc. (I am in the fortunate position of not being at work). I do miss doing creative work with other people but on balance I am so much happier just drifting through, just me and my other half. I haven't spoken to anyone other than him about being autistic. I think quite a few people had worked it out before I did! I do see family and love seeing the children (lots of them in the extended family) but it's never for long and I can back out if I need to. I really hope this doesn't all sound complacent or smug, because I'm not. But like you I don't behave any differently when I am with other people - the habits of a lifetime, I suppose.

I hope you're feeling less down today()

Hello Spotty Tortoise, nice to see you here. Since I realised about the asd I have felt huge relief at not 'needing' to beat myself up about who I am. Not lazy, thick, rude etc after all! I have almost completely stopped doing the things that I struggled to cope with - coffee mornings, evening classes, craft groups etc. (I am in the fortunate position of not being at work). I do miss doing creative work with other people but on balance I am so much happier just drifting through, just me and my other half. I haven't spoken to anyone other than him about being autistic. I think quite a few people had worked it out before I did! I do see family and love seeing the children (lots of them in the extended family) but it's never for long and I can back out if I need to. I really hope this doesn't all sound complacent or smug, because I'm not. But like you I don't behave any differently when I am with other people - the habits of a lifetime, I suppose.

I hope you're feeling less down today()