Conflicted over disclosure and acceptance

Not posted in a while, been in a bit of denial if I'm honest.

It's been over a year since diagnosis, I've gone through many emotional states since. 

I think recently I've been in denial. I've been acting like nothings different, like I used to years ago before diagnosis, masking completely, telling myself "maybe they got it wrong". I avoid going near the subject with people who know, trying to hope they forgot and think I'm NT.

  1. I'm struggling at the moment to see how I can use the diagnosis for anything useful. I don't want people to treat me differently, I know that the ones I've told might be sympathetic, but they don't have a chance of understanding how I feel. Feels like disclosing to anyone else is a waste of time as it goes against what I want. I spent my life trying to fit in and it goes against that, but I know now that I never will fit as I've been told I'm fundamentally different. 

On the outside people can't see a difference, only those close to me notice my reactions to things can be odd or my mood odd at times, I hide it "that well". I'm lucky that my traits are ones I can mostly hide, but it's often like swallowing a hand grenade. I know it's not doing any good to bottle things.

But all these things said, I think it might be too late in life to embrace or even trust a new big change enough to make it worth it, so I'm "in the closet" pretending I'm NT...

As you can probably tell I'm extremely conflicted.

Guessing you all went through this to some degree so really just wanted to say "me too" and vent a bit. Thanks for listening!

Parents
  • I'm two years post diagnosis and feel very similar.  There were some things I was able to get support with, (with alot of arguing the Equality Act I might add) and diagnosis provided me with some helpful insight but mostly I've been left confused as to how to present myself in the world.

    I feel I should be able to allow myself to speak and move how I want but still feel under pressure to keep my external stims under control to avoid ridicule by nasty people.  I would love to be honest about my autism to anyone, but I grew up in an era where being in any way different was to be ridiculed. My parents have so much denial and ableism and I have internalised this.

    I have been honest to some people and received the usual, 'no you're not', 'awwww, bless you,' and even the classic, 'everyone's abit autistic , don't worry about it'!

    Others have tried to be nice and mention the next autistic person they know in their lives which may or may not have been helpful!

    I have been treated like I'm stupid by some, as if suddenly my intelligence has disappeared since I told them!  

    Some people are kind but I think unless I'm able to infodump all my internal issues on someone , they truly won't know how I'm affected by my autism in full.

    Holding everything in is exhausting so Im trying not to suppress my stims.  I'm always suppressing how I carry my body, my gait for instance in order to appear 'normal'. 

    It's all work in progress . It's all about feeling safe to be honest with people.   I'm going to keep trying to let myself flow naturally and be honest with people. At the very least people will get to know what a range of autistic people look like.

  • All sounds very familiar!

    We just need to be fairer to ourselves I guess, it's just hard when it feels like that would come with judgment from others or being treated differently.

    I'm still glad I know, I can understand myself more than ever now, it's just figuring out how to go forward that's a bit rough now 

  • Yes the judgement of others is hard, especially if we feel others are treating us as 'less than' and we don't always have the strength to argue it.  I think just do what feels safe in any moment and be nice to yourself :)

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