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?
Currently I am listening (7 hours 6 minutes as an audiobook or 352 pages as a paperback) to an audiobook via my local Library online service which might interest you. Refreshingly, it is written for adults (as opposed to children and young people) coming to terms with a diagnosis of Autism / ADHD.
TITLE: How not to fit in - an unapologetic guide to navigating Autism and ADHD.
AUTHOR: Jess Joy and Charlotte Mia.
PUBLISHER: Thorsons (February 2024).
It is available as an audiobook / paperback / hardback / Kindle eBook.
One of the points they make is that in late diagnosed people the lack of information can make people assume they are anxious / not working hard enough / just entirely failing altogether.
They are trying to help people explore the journey of discovering, accepting and flourishing with your Neurodivergent brain.
To give you an idea of how popular the book has become since it's publication in February 2024: my county Library service has 4 audiobook copies and I was on the waiting list for access to a copy for 17 weeks!
I should just highlight: it is a booked aimed at adults and does include ...what one job interviewer once so delicately described to me (when they were concerned I might find their otherwise all male team shocking) "industrial language" ...it would have been a speedier processing experience for me sat the other side of the conference room table during that interview - if the interviewer had just said: "swear words"!
Thanks, I’ll definitely give that a listen