Published on 12, July, 2020
As an older man, who was diagnosed as on the ASD scale last year via the Retreat, York, i was expecting my life to become easier and people more understanding of my condition. However, although I am happy that I understand why I have been backwards socially and find relationships very difficult, I have not ben able to move forward at all.
Covid was a very bad time for me as my father died without the proper care needed due to the severe restrictions in 2020. After my father died, my uncle died in 2022. I was at my lowest point and the doctor tried to prescribe social help in the way of MIND and WELLBEING.
I have been unable to go outside the house now, and frequently experience panic attacks if I have to break any routine. I am hoping there is someone through this organisation who I can talk to
Bet Wishes
I heard that autistic Facebook groups can ba bit toxic, but I have no direct experience. Maybe there are autistic meetup groups in your area, such as through a social service provider or meetup.com.
Thank you for your support. I wear foam ear plugs every day as I am so sensitive to sounds. Im lucky to be able to walk around my garden and keep busy. I have a hobby, Marquetry, which I found out I could do quite well....It also helps me to concentrate for a few hours a week.
Thank you very much for the information
I tried joining a Neurodiverse Facebook group based in York. I got to the stage of reaching out for help, but I did feel that they had there own reasons for not replying and after getting no responses, I gave up. I did make one friend, but she has her breakdowns most days. I can see its a daily struggle for us autistic persons.
Do you have any avenues to find opportunities to meet other autistic people? I've been getting into the autistic scene in my area, and I feel like I have found my people. It's soooo different. We can all be ourselves without masking, worrying about hidden messages, etc. This is what I've been missing.
I've had a very similar experience as regards the diagnosis.
Three years later I am still coming to terms with it.Some things are a bit better, but some things I now know I cannot get done without help, which seems unavailable for my age and demographic.
Covid dealt us all a serious blow both societally, and as individuals. I've had my own difficulties in wanting to go out myself since Covid, which is a different thing to panic attacks I'll grant you, but still an unpleasant change.
The good news is that panic attacks are manageable for some people, and apparently with training most people can overcome them quickly and without drama too.
If you can;t do it unaided, then ask someone who knows, or a professional for help, it's important to take back your freedom to leave the house
NAS72531 said: I am hoping there is someone through this organisation who I can talk to
Hi, sorry to read this.
Here are 2 links that may help:
This one is to the 'mental health' section:
https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/mental-health
This one is to the contacts section:
https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/contact-us
I'm sorry you've had to go through so much.
I apologise if my advice seems obvious or patronising but all I can say is that when I've had those kinds of anxious breakdowns the most important thing was once I've reached a point where I'm relatively stable when I stick to a routine, to just take very small steps and repeat them a heck of a lot of times. Like I'd put my most calming music on my headphones and just go into the garden for 2 minutes or even less, and then it took a long time but I eventually got up to a short walk. My most recent disaster was about 2 years ago and I've finally got to a point where I can go for a proper walk. But still centring my days on the routine so I can push on in whatever free blocks I have.
I hope things start to get easier for you soon.