Published on 12, July, 2020
My question is - do you have any place (community, environment, online,,, anywhere) where you feel you belong to and can be 'as you are' without masking or concealing the autism diagnosis?I'm an autistic adult who recently found out I'm autistic, in my 30s.Currently I feel a little lost, that I am reluctant to disclose my diagnosis at work, to my friends, even to my family... I feel I never experienced 'unmasking' too. So I'd love to hear some others stories who have places like you feel home.Thank you!
I feel free and myself when I’m alone. And also here to sone degree - on this site I can share the most “shameful” (weird) pieces of me without being judged or laughed at, what I get instead is some advice (almost always helpful), understanding and other user’s experience reassuring me that I’m not alone. Honestly I used to think that I’m the only weirdo stimming in this world. So it’s empowering. I have never learned to fully mask (I can asses it by the frequency of being told how weird I am and that I need to be fixed) but now when I know better, how my brain works and why I’m different I care much less about what others think or say about me. I let myself unapologetically just be more myself.
Im myself at work as I work alone. I don’t feel particularly different but I feel more comfortable. I feel like I will never know my true unmasked self unless I can be me around others and that feels impossible for me right now. I have my first therapy session on Friday so hopefully this is the start of me figuring things out. My goal is to be myself and not care what anyone else thinks about me.
fingers crossed
Thank you Zoey
Hope everything goes well for you also
Take care
Thanks for the message. I really agree with the situation "that feels impossible for me right now". But I think I can start thinking about it when I'm alone at home. I hope your therapy would be a good experience to you!