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?
The only good way to deal with the diagnosis really is to do all you can to accept it and make peace with it. After all - not having a diagnosis would not take any of your difficulties away (they were there already) but at least with a diagnosis you can increase your understanding and work out good strategies to help you deal with the things you find difficult. Knowledge is a good thing. It takes time but it is possible to use the diagnosis to help you live a happier and more fulfilled life.