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Any success stories?

NAS96243
19 hours ago

Hi all,

I've been recently diagnosed with high-functioning autism as an adult (I'm in my mid-forties), and I am struggling to understand how to move on with my life and make things better for myself and the people around me. Therapy is helping me to reconsider who I am and how I respond to my challenges, but I feel like I don't really have a plan for the future.

On the one hand, a diagnosis is great because it helped me understand that most of the issues I've faced during my life have a cause: the very precise feeling of being different from everyone else, which makes being in a social situation a nightmare; the tendency to isolate myself and use my special interest to create an alternative world where I can lose myself and feel comfortable; the discomfort I've felt at work. It's nice to see that there always was an objective issue, and it's not just me being lazy, difficult, or plain stupid.

On the other hand, I am quite exhausted by all this, and I'm quite scared by the prospect of living in the same way as I always have, until the end of my days. Being alone used to be a relief, but it has turned into a prison. I'm aware you can't simply switch autism off, you have to accept it, but I'm really hoping I can find ways to work around my limitations. 

So I wanted to ask the community, has any of you been diagnosed with ASD as adults, and managed to turn their lives around (or at least, make some progress) following that realization? Do you have any success stories, advice, strategies, that you would like to share?

Parents
  • 6 hours ago

    I think it seems to be quite common for late diagnosed adults to experience struggles in some areas of their lives, after diagnosis, that previously they had been 'coping' with. For my part, being diagnosed at 37 has meant I can accept who I am and begin working on my mental health issues from a solid footing, rather than stumbling around in the dark so to speak. It's not easy, but better than before, and now I have a goal.

    You need to find what works for you, be kind to yourself, and give yourself some time to adjust. 

Reply
  • 6 hours ago

    I think it seems to be quite common for late diagnosed adults to experience struggles in some areas of their lives, after diagnosis, that previously they had been 'coping' with. For my part, being diagnosed at 37 has meant I can accept who I am and begin working on my mental health issues from a solid footing, rather than stumbling around in the dark so to speak. It's not easy, but better than before, and now I have a goal.

    You need to find what works for you, be kind to yourself, and give yourself some time to adjust. 

Children
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