Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi I've not been diagnosed officially but after watching things and doing a test I feel for certain that I am on the spectrum, I will probably arrange to do a test.
I've always felt like a square peg in a round hole and don't make friends easily, I see people around me make friends quickly and this really is an alien concept to me. I have a job low paid, function "normally"but suffer from anxiety when I am in certain situations and I really don't know how to deal with confrontation. My idea of hell is a social event where I don't know anyone I'm bad at small talk. I will make excuses not to attend. I think the anxiety stems from not being able to deal with people. I'm in my 50's now but feel still quite lost and I am having a bit of an identity crisis at the moment.
Hello, I was diagnosed as autistic a year ago at the age of 57, so I've had quite a few years of not feeling like I fit in, and struggling to cope when interacting with people. I also don't do social events as they make me really anxious, and have only a couple of friends who I don't see very often. I work for a disability confident employer and have disclosed my autism diagnosis. Even though I enjoy my job and should feel supported, I still feel like "the odd one out", and am exhausted at the end of each work day, having to deal with all the noise and conversations in a catering environment.