Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello everybody. I’m still in this no man’s land awaiting the results of my assessment. I was seen on Feb 1st and my husband has been called in since then to complete a questionnaire on me. I’m not sure which one it was. What I really want to know is what does it look like to unmask? I know that this is one think that I will hope to be able to do when I get the results but what does that entail? I’m in my late 60’s and have built up this very respectable, quietly polite, ladylike demeanour……which becomes increasingly difficult to sustain. I struggle to think of conversations to have with people. What do I have to do to make changes? Thank you.
I was diagnosed at 60 and the concept of unmasking is something I find quite hard to grasp.
I find it very difficult in any case when you have lived so many decades without the awareness of autism, to be able to tell the wood from the trees ie what is just 'you' and what is specifically autistic so equally, what is a 'mask' with relation to autism.
The changes I have effected since I have received my diagnosis may to a degree come under the umbrella of ‘unmasking’, but I’m not sure.
So, the diagnosis/awareness gave me a context for my life's experience and my present likes/dislikes/sensitivities/vulnerabilities.
I was then able to use that knowledge going forward and put any life decisions I make, large or small, into the context of my autism.
Very specifically, for me, this has involved saying ‘no’ more often to doing social things I’m not really very keen on doing after a lifetime of saying ‘yes’ to please other people.