Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi, I’ve just been diagnosed aged 25 and I feel this has made things worse as I now know what I thought was just social anxiety (so possibly treatable) is actually autism and so will never go away. Looking back at my life, I realise that autism has had a huge negative impact - I’m unable to do things such as join sports teams or go to parties/social events without experiencing extreme anxiety before going, and then wanting them to be over the whole time I’m there. This has lead to me having no friends at 25 years old which is beginning to take a toll on my mental health. My mind feels like it’s in a constant battle with itself where I want to join in and enjoy playing sports, etc. but when I actually think about doing it, the anxiety kicks in and I end up back where I started. Does anyone else feel the same or have any advice on dealing with the diagnosis?
Hi, welcome to the community, I relate a lot to what you described. I did, related when I was your age. Now I’m 36 and some time ago I stopped caring about doing things that others do, I also stopped caring so much about having friends. I’m not sure if it’s coping strategy or just me being exhausted of this world. I suffer me tally my whole life, only now I decided to take care of myself. I’m not professionally diagnosed, but I’m looking for a psychologist that would suit me (without gaslighting etc). It’s unfortunately very common experience in autistic community and yes, autism can not be treated because it’s not a decease. It’s hard, but I think the only thing we can do about it is get help with the symptoms that cause us most problems and accept ourselves the way we are. When I was younger I used to hate myself for being a loner and looser. Now the most problematic thing for me are sensory sensitivities and emotional regulation, I always had them but never concentrated on them before because I was preoccupied with the “no friends” issue. i hope here you find some understanding, validation and support. Maybe also some friends.