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Recently diagnosed with autism

FinlaysonA

Hi Guys,

My name is Alex and yesterday I was diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder. I don't know how to feel about it. My head is just continuously running through the motions. All I can think about is that I've lived with autism for 14 years and no one has known about it tell yesterday. How?!?! I've been displaying a lot of the symptoms for a while now. Being diagnosed with depression and anxiety, not being able to cope with social situtaions, having fixed interests, noticing the smaller things... the list goes on and on. How can I cope with this new chapter of my life? How can I move on knowing this now?

Parents

  • Hi Alex

    First thing you need to do is STOP - and get comfortable with the fact you're autistic - you're not disabled or broken, you're just different.   

    Everyone around you is used to you being you - if you have any strange quirks or obsessions, they already know about it and accept it as part of you.

    You will benefit from a period of self reflection - look at what you do and critically measure yourself with respect to your peer group - what do they do, what do you do.

    Think about your interests - if you're into interesting things, they may form avenues for your success.    Look at your weaknesses and accept them - you can't 'change' them but you can learn to mask them if you have to or want to - but it's hard work - try to avoid it.

    I SERIOUSLY doubt you are depressed.   I have found that our openness and comfort with talking about darker things gets us labelled as depressed - NTs hide anything negative in their life because they see it as a weakness - and doctors are terrified of people talking about hard reality - they think you must need medicating out of that!  Smiley   

    Anxiety is the killer - you really need to look at this - it's THE driving factor in your whole life.    We are wired slightly differently so our fight or flight mechanism seems to be in overdrive all the time .

    NTs blunder through the world not noticing the details but we 'see' everything so you see risks and problems more vividly than NTs - you need to form comfort strategies and escape plans so you can interact with the world on your own terms - it can be anything like having numbers of cab companies on you at all times in case you get stuck somewhere or having a battery booster for a mobile phone - just little things that will get you to safety.

    Like I said - your life is all about managing anxiety - and finding a lifestyle that suits you and finding a place where you 'fit'.

    I've found ASD people are actually much more successful than people realise - if you go anywhere where you need a specialist or someone with strange skills or expert knowledge, you'll find us.     

    What stuff are you into - what hobbies or skills do you have?

    You actually have been given a great gift - the knowledge of knowing who you are!       Most people never figure it out - you now have the ability to take control of your destiny and drive your life in the way that suits you rather than flopping around with no direction.  Smiley

  • in reply to Plastic
    • I found that really amazing advice for myself. 
  • in reply to Pikl

    please dont listen to Anti-NT "advice" it is very destructive way of think about the people around you.

  • in reply to aidie

    hi - I don't mean to sound anti-NT -  it's just my personal observations of over half a century of direct measurement.   'Some of my best friends are NT'  Smiley

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