Struggling with being on the spectrum

Hello all; I’m 21 years old and I’m on the spectrum. Last two years I’ve been struggling to deal with myself and my behaviour has gotten really bad, I’ve started to get really aggressive and defensive over it and I can’t keep control of myself during difficult times and places. I’m reaching out for some help as I can’t carry on the way I’m going. I feel the label of Autism is taking over my life when I should embrace it and not let it get in the way of everyday life. I need to take action to improve my wellbeing and overall happiness, what steps should I take to move forward?

  • It's really tough when you're struggling with your mental health. Hope you find some of the suggestions here helpful and that you feel better soon.

  • Thank you, I will try this and will start to do research.

  • I’ve been diagnosed and I’m on the spectrum, diagnosed at age 4. My mental well being isn’t very good been struggling last couple of years with different events in my life and trying to prove to everyone that I can do what “normal” do day to day which sometimes I can’t which stresses me out and makes me angry 

  • Like Duckbread says, go for a formal diagnosis. There is a lot of stuff to learn about autism (I have been reading up on it for years and am still finding out things). What you probably need to do is to find out ways to avoid difficult situations and to deal with them better when you encounter them. There are ways and means to deal with both. If you can feel yourself getting anxious or worried, sometimes breathing exercises can help. You may need to experiment with the type of breathing exercise that works for you, but it is a good way to deal with stress. I tend to find slow, regular deep breaths help me, and my mood when I need it. You can do this just about anywhere.

  • Hi - I'm sorry to hear you're struggling at the moment.

    Have you been formally diagnosed as autistic? I'm 25 and decided to get myself on the waiting list, as I feel I need some autism-specific support with certain aspects of my life.

    It might also be worth trying to get some support with your mental health. I self-referred to my local NHS mental health service and they were hugely helpful to me. I went through cognitive behavioural therapy for OCD, but I'd had some support with anxiety prior to that.