There are some nice kind people in this world

I think you'll be fine... Good attitude! My friend who I speak to and share media with 4 days of the week including film night has just been found to have a serious heart defect, and he is a major contributor to what little well being and sanity I possess so the increased possibilty of losing him would be paralysing and our  evenings a little stilted and awkward if I were to keep that possibility at the forefront of my mind.

There's nothing I can do about it, he is at least as good at googling as me, so we both have a pretty clear idea of the techncial aspects and the choices he faces and the risks so Ignorance, is again the correct psychological tool for me to apply unless he wants to talk about it. 

"Ignorance" is a skill, that neurotypicals have in spades, but which we have difficulty with. 

It's also why there are so many bitter arguments here, our people are not innately skilled at the art of being "ignorant" at the right time. 

 But that's only what I think, and how I try mostly sucessfully to not get overwhelmed by these things.

Thanks for sharing this with me and I do try to find ways to cope but the fear that my friend might have had another heart attack consumes me even though he is fine. I am am trying to find methods of coping better it’s just very early days for me. 

I can relate to what you say .I find people we know and family tend to let us down but strangers and professionals don,t.

I can relate to your anxiety I hate it when I text a friend and they don't get back to me .I too start thinking they have dropped me rather than looking for logical answers.Hopefully therapy will help me.

Do be careful it sounded like your night was saved by these lovely people.

Horrible day that it was, it's clear that "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger" is a thing. 

I'm quite sure that if you keep your focus and faith on the niceness and kindness the anxiety will continue to decrease.  

That part where you start imagining that something bad has happened and get super worried happens to me occasionally when my brain chemistry fluctuates and I suddenly need to go and call the cat in. When he does not come in quickly, the anxiety starts to get close to terror, and I get a horrible feeling of not knowing what to do MAGNIFIED by an urgency to do something and it's overwhelming.

THEN I use a psychological tool of great power to stop myself "losing it". I stop "doing things" and give myself "time to think". It's an agressive way to reclaim your power, stopping doing anything and thnking about things before taking action, it really is.. 

IN the case of my "cat fear" I soon realise that horrible a concept as it is, I actually do not know what the reality is, and it is out of my control, so all I can do is wait, and endure the wait. I HAVE NO CHOICE. Knowing and acknowledging this basic truth, means that I then use another super powerful psychological and legal tool, "Ignorance".

Since I cannot mitigate the situation, I will deliebrately IGNORE it and DO SOMETHING ELSE until either he comes in, or enough time has elapsed that I need to go and call from him again.

I usually find that the ignorance pays off after about an hour or two and he walks in asking for food, and you'll note that two hours have now gone by and my inital terror of "he didn't answer my call and come back" was not allowed to drive me for a whole two hours... 

IF you want to know "what happens if he doesn't come back after two hours and the terror returns" I'll let you know, but if you really read what I wrote and understood it you might like to take a guess first... Kinda like a school excercise!  

Caelus, whilst I broadly agree with a lot of your perspective, from what you've told me in private and public about your life and how you think I have come to believe I have plumbed deeper depths of "weakness of character" or "disabilty" or "over-sensitivity" on occasion in my longer life than you have yet managed. (And to be honest I hope you NEVER get to act and feel as crap as both the O/P and I have experienced). 

The original poster may either require "de-sensitivity training" as you instinctively realise, or medication if not to have an unhappy life, or nature (A.K.A. God's planning and design!) which is wonderful sometimes might take care of it for her with the passing of a few years...

Your last paragraph is super-wise but will require MUCH repackaging by one of our more eloquent and generally "wise"  members before it could be construed to be helpful to Rach91, and is a clear indicator that you still have not read that book!   

and the power of forgiveness for an friend in meltdown.

So glad to read about the kindness that is out there despite all the doom and gloom brigade saying otherwise. I too, have experienced such help from strangers and I do help where I can. 

I hope that you have a better day today.

ah young gens... physically cant get in his car... he could do, he just used the english language wrong or warped it to sound better than the truth of "i just couldnt be bothered/i didnt want to" 

my work place upsets me alot some times, i broke down alot from work. i still force myself to go every day.... no matter how upsetting it is i can never physically not go. i dont want to go, i really dont, but i force myself, and no matter how much i dont want to go i always physically can go. i guess this is another reason people say we are using autism as a excuse as that there is clearly a excuse use case and a twisting of words to sound more polite. im more of a blunt person myself i think, its only younger gens that do this lying and twisting of words to soften the harsh reality of their truth which looks bad on them, into some sort of excuse to excuse it and make them look better. id rather embrace truth and flat out say i was feeling sad and i couldnt be bothered to go or something, i was so down id rather jiust play on xbox instead.... but yeah thats me, i prefer blunt hard honesty to pleasant lies and excuses. people hate me for it but then they are in bed with so many snakes and a man of truth and bluntness would have been their better friend. 

Last Thursday, I received a Message from the Lord; in human flesh.

On Thursday evening, after getting to Birkenhead from the Belfast ferry, I needed to change myself; in the toilet at Hamilton Square Train Station. While doing that, I left my keys inside my case; which I then padlocked. (I bought the padlock because I forgot the code for the built-in lock) I panicked at the station. Then, when in Liverpool, I asked people about buying a lock-cutter. A guy at the Bus Station - basically a glorified Bus Shelter - said that there's a Home Bargains down the street.

At the Home Bargains, I asked a woman working there if they sell lock cutters. She said no, but a Scouse Bloke overheard me and said, "Try Duct Tape, Mate!" Then, I explained my scenario. He then said, "Call the Hotel, in Birmingham, and ask them to cut it for you!" In the end, the maintenance man at the Hilton in Birmingham cut the lock; the following afternoon. I got my keys back.

That was definitely divine intervention.