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Work stress/getting overwhelmed query

NAS64138
over 4 years ago

Hi,

Got diagnosed with Aspergers in April this year, and while it has been helpful to a degree honestly it's almost raised more questions than it's answered as looking into it I've just found a huge list of possible effects it could have to the point that even explaining it to people is difficult besides just dumbing it down to "to literal don't read people". One of the major issues I'm finding currently is in work, I work full time in an annoyingly open-plan office, and most of the time I can cope and just focus on work, but sometimes minor things just seem to either massively stress me out or cause a complete breakdown (honestly not even sure what I'd call it), yesterday for example I had to change 2 passwords, ended up putting the wrong 1 in to often and thus started 3 hours of trying to sort it out as our companies system for it is ridiculously convoluted, and by the end of it was I so stressed out and tense I couldn't calm down and ended up having to go and work from home, which tends to sort me out fairly quickly.

So to the question, is this actually anything to do with Aspergers or is it just entirely separate not coping with stresses well? and if it is related is the best way to sort it actually any different to other people? The person who did the assessment made a point of some things are other people just need to learn how to deal with people with Aspergers, but there is some stuff you need to work on, however I've been finding it very hard to even confirm what is definitely part of it and what could just be 1 of the other things that can come with it. It's made worse as well as I live with a friend who's advice is always "you just need to grow up and deal with stress like everybody else does it's nothing to do with Aspergers", which is mainly her view as her boyfriend has Aspergers as well and doesn't have this as an issue, so at this point I'm just not sure if she's right and is just being harsh about it, or if she's just wrongly working on a basis of "every single aspie is exactly the same so as my boyfriend isn't like that you shouldn't be either as he's my template for aspies"

Thanks in advance and feel free to say she is right and I just need to deal with it, as honestly even know for sure that's it would help, I just really don't know right now as afterwards I always know it's a stupid thing (I mean having a breakdown from locking yourself out of a computer at work is stupid), but it still ends up happening every few months and if I try to go into work the next day I end up feeling crap again, today I tried to go into work and ended up having to come and work from home again as I couldn't cope, but tomorrow I know I'll almost certainly be fine.

Parents
  • over 4 years ago
    1. I am with you on this one! I also work in an open plan office and it can be super difficult. I have had two disciplinaries at work due to issues I've had with my autism and I hate using it as an excuse when I mess up but it definitely is the reason i struggle more than most. I've been reading up a lot on autism as an adult and provide my manager with useful information I have found to help them understand me a bit better. The best thing to do is find an individual you are comfortable with and sit down with them and talk them through what you struggle with and what may trigger it. They should be understanding of you needs and requirements and aim to provide any resources which may be helpful. For example, i had to move my desk to a quieter area away from people that I clashed with and made me feel stressed. I was provided with a noise cancelling headset which i wear even if i am not taking a call to block out the noise of the office which i sometimes find difficult to cope with. They also understood that sometimes little triggers may cause me to have a meltdown and have allowed me to withdraw myself if i felt this beginning to happen, to avoid any unwanted attention or added stress. It is definitely tricky working with autism but there are people around to support you. If your managers aren't familiar with how to cope, don't forget you are the best teacher for them!!
Reply
  • over 4 years ago
    1. I am with you on this one! I also work in an open plan office and it can be super difficult. I have had two disciplinaries at work due to issues I've had with my autism and I hate using it as an excuse when I mess up but it definitely is the reason i struggle more than most. I've been reading up a lot on autism as an adult and provide my manager with useful information I have found to help them understand me a bit better. The best thing to do is find an individual you are comfortable with and sit down with them and talk them through what you struggle with and what may trigger it. They should be understanding of you needs and requirements and aim to provide any resources which may be helpful. For example, i had to move my desk to a quieter area away from people that I clashed with and made me feel stressed. I was provided with a noise cancelling headset which i wear even if i am not taking a call to block out the noise of the office which i sometimes find difficult to cope with. They also understood that sometimes little triggers may cause me to have a meltdown and have allowed me to withdraw myself if i felt this beginning to happen, to avoid any unwanted attention or added stress. It is definitely tricky working with autism but there are people around to support you. If your managers aren't familiar with how to cope, don't forget you are the best teacher for them!!
Children