Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello community,
It's nice to meet you.
I received a diagnosis of autism yesterday. I'm 50, I'm in shock, and I also feel a bit like I'm falling into a deep hole of confusion. While I'm now glad to have a treatment framework to work within, I'm also feeling very sad that I didn't know about this until now, the latter of which seems to be a common theme I've read here.
Should I tell my extended family? Should I tell my workplace? Should I be open about it, or keep hiding my true self? I'm not sure what to do. I've been ashamed of being different my whole life, so it seems counter-intuitive for me to share this neuro-divergent diagnosis with neurotypical people.
Thanks for reading
First of all congratulations :-).
As for telling people, oh boy. Depends on the people. Personally, I'm loud and proud. I even have a collection of Born Anxious T shirt..."Woke up autistic again". Lol. But then, my friends get it and my work place is brill and I ain't the only autie on the team. My mother always knew there was something and is upset she couldn't do anything to help when I was little, but then that was the 60s/70s when no one got it. Bless her she paid for my assessment now.
But others aren't so lucky. Some are surrounded by people who don't understand or who will worse take advantage.
Maybe tell one person you truely trust to start with, then enlist their help to choose who else might react well.
Some folks feel they have no choice but to keep hiding behind the mask. I understand why. But that's a tough road that will burn you out.
Thanks Dawn, for sharing. This is an excellent point, thanks for saying it:
Dawn said:Some folks feel they have no choice but to keep hiding behind the mask. I understand why. But that's a tough road that will burn you out.