Diagnosed but not changed

Baggers said:

I really thought a diagnosis would help me understand

Can you share what you have done to educate yourself about your autism please?

Post diagnosis support has been largely absent for those adults with "high functioning" in the diagnosis although I think new guidelines has been issued in the NHS to improve this - if they ever get funding to hire the resources to do it of course, but that is a different matter.

Baggers said:

still feel alone, more confused and isolated.

This seems quite a common issue for late diagnosed people in my experience - I was diagnosed in my mid 50s and people largely didn't want to know in my family and work so I just continued as I was before with them, masking away until I was able to retire early.

I found this site if a great place to find similar people, talk about our issues (or in some case share photos of their cats!) and generally have a sort of community of a lot of quite different people bonded by a shared diagnosis.

Baggers said:

Was it worth it? 

It is only worth it if you take that information and make it work for you. Learn about your traits, find ways to reduce their impact on your life, find coping mechanisms to let you achieve things that were previously beyond you because of your traits and - if you have the guts - get a therapist to go through your life experiences around autism to "unpack" the traumas and find a way to live with them.

The last item is not for everyone but I have heard so many people here making significant improvements to their quality of life by dealing with these things that you didn't know were in your subconcious, making you look over your shoulder, freeze up, run away or whatever when certain things happen.

But I'm just some random off the internet so don't take what I say at face value without doing your own research.

Welcome to our community.

Baggers said:

I really thought a diagnosis would help me understand

Can you share what you have done to educate yourself about your autism please?

Post diagnosis support has been largely absent for those adults with "high functioning" in the diagnosis although I think new guidelines has been issued in the NHS to improve this - if they ever get funding to hire the resources to do it of course, but that is a different matter.

Baggers said:

still feel alone, more confused and isolated.

This seems quite a common issue for late diagnosed people in my experience - I was diagnosed in my mid 50s and people largely didn't want to know in my family and work so I just continued as I was before with them, masking away until I was able to retire early.

I found this site if a great place to find similar people, talk about our issues (or in some case share photos of their cats!) and generally have a sort of community of a lot of quite different people bonded by a shared diagnosis.

Baggers said:

Was it worth it? 

It is only worth it if you take that information and make it work for you. Learn about your traits, find ways to reduce their impact on your life, find coping mechanisms to let you achieve things that were previously beyond you because of your traits and - if you have the guts - get a therapist to go through your life experiences around autism to "unpack" the traumas and find a way to live with them.

The last item is not for everyone but I have heard so many people here making significant improvements to their quality of life by dealing with these things that you didn't know were in your subconcious, making you look over your shoulder, freeze up, run away or whatever when certain things happen.

But I'm just some random off the internet so don't take what I say at face value without doing your own research.

Welcome to our community.

Oh read every book I can find, internet article… but most seems targeted at kids diagnosed.  Seems zero support for older diagnoses… guess we have developed our own coping mechanisms.. but many of mine aren’t healthy.  Isolate a lot as it’s easier. 
Because it’s invisible to the world people don’t understand how situations can trigger or become so overwhelming.. and no rhyme or reason to it.  Just tired ..burnt out