Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi. Joined a few weeks ago after self-identifying, and have begun the process of an official diagnosis a few days ago.
I am pretty convinced that I have Aspergers/HFA, but after reading the posts on here I feel that perhaps my symptoms are not as bad as I thought. Relationships have suffered throughout my life, I stim, have anxiety issues... but is it crippling? No.
I lead a relatively normal life. Married with a child. Successful career. But I always put my foot in it. Say inappropriate things. My tics are discreet but ongoing. Man of very few friends. Can be obsessive. Scored 44 on ASQ and 10 on EQ. But then I read some of the posts on here...
So - are the issues many of you face on here typical for somebody suffering from Aspergers? I read about suicidal thoughts, being afraid of the outside world, crippling anxiety, and an inkling of doubt starts to creep in!
I feel a bit guilty because I was one of those posters. I have been using / reading the forum for more than ½ a year and recently started commenting and joining in. My own reckoning (and i could be wrong) is that there is a big dark storm cloud hovering at the moment. A combination of lockdown, shopping anxieties, cancellation of support services, unexpected change etc has made people reach out to peers instead, and seek more online help than a few months back.
There used to be a lot of chit chat, what's on at the weekend, cars & trains and some joke threads, many people writing about their special interests and hobbies. These are still available to browse as well as some very helpful replies about diagnosis as well.
I am trying to contribute and not to just "vent" but I'm also more anxious than normal, job security and family stuff, there's no other place to offload that anxiety at the moment except a session of pounding the pavements.
Good point .. these are certainly 'interesting times'
.. and so chatting about what concerns you with others in any medium I'd say is a good thing .. I'm def finding it so ..
.. the anonymity of being on here - and the total absence of stress about face to face conversations is great
.. and with a typed message of course its possible to read it several times to get a good grip on what is being said and then formulate a reply in your own time
.. its a fine place to exchange thoughts and ideas I reckon ..
Nothing to feel bad about; it may just be a sign of the times. I hope you didn't take my post personally, it was a genuine question. Take care