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Workplace mentor experiences

NAS24859

I teach in a university and have students all year round. I started my post in April and the summer has been fine. Now its suddenly changed from having a hundred or so students on campus to thousands I can't cope. As there are so many bodies dotted around, as well as the noise, I feel panicky, I spend last night dreading work and now I'm here I just want to go home and never come back.I've experienced this feeling throughout my career and was previously led to believe I was mentally unwell, now I know its autism and sensory overload, yet I don't know what to do about it.

I have a place on the NAS women and work course but its only two days and I think I need longer-term support, especially as since getting the diagnosis I've been left to my own devices. Has anyone ever had an autism mentor funded through A2W and if you did was the support helpful? Alternatively, have you found anything else useful.

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  • Hello, I’ve only just seen your message and relate to it so much. It’s almost as though I wrote it! I’ve just been diagnosed myself, also teach in a university and struggle a lot with sensory overload issues. Like you its all previously been put down to mental health issues. 

    Did you have any luck finding out about mentors, it’s something I’ve been thinking about myself? The women and work course also sounds really good, I might have a look at that. Like you I’m still only just starting to think about how knowing it’s actually autism might help. It has in one way already though - I’m not beating myself up about everything and blaming myself any more. The diagnosis was a massive relief. Was it similar for you? Knowing what to do now is way more tricky. One thing I do that does help is wear in-ear headphones around campus. I don’t have music on but it dulls the noise enough to make it more bearable. Do you do anything like that?

    I’ll try to send you a friend request (if I can work out how!). I’d like to be able to PM you as it looks like it might be a great support to try and work out how to deal with this together :o). Accept if you’d like to do that.

    goodluck, with everything.

Reply

  • Hello, I’ve only just seen your message and relate to it so much. It’s almost as though I wrote it! I’ve just been diagnosed myself, also teach in a university and struggle a lot with sensory overload issues. Like you its all previously been put down to mental health issues. 

    Did you have any luck finding out about mentors, it’s something I’ve been thinking about myself? The women and work course also sounds really good, I might have a look at that. Like you I’m still only just starting to think about how knowing it’s actually autism might help. It has in one way already though - I’m not beating myself up about everything and blaming myself any more. The diagnosis was a massive relief. Was it similar for you? Knowing what to do now is way more tricky. One thing I do that does help is wear in-ear headphones around campus. I don’t have music on but it dulls the noise enough to make it more bearable. Do you do anything like that?

    I’ll try to send you a friend request (if I can work out how!). I’d like to be able to PM you as it looks like it might be a great support to try and work out how to deal with this together :o). Accept if you’d like to do that.

    goodluck, with everything.

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