Seeking some help and advice as someone new to the online discussions.

Hey I’m new to the online community and just wanted to know if anyone else is struggling with feeling very isolated and left behind by people there own age like your stuck and everyone’s moving on. I’m 18 years old almost 19 and I’ve not experienced half of the stuff the people my age, I’m too scared to even sign up to a job because I’m trying to avoid socialising. It’s really tiring trying to pretend I’m okay being on my own and that I prefer it that way but in reality it’s really lonely and I feel trapped I just want to be able to related to someone and have a friend I don’t feel like I’m masking my self around them 

Parents
  • Hi  , nice to meet youSlight smile  I'm older but can relate to what you've said.    I've been trying to find out information too.    I think the local council has information about what support there is locally, and there may be charities near you who offer support.   Also there is an organisation called Aspens.   I'm not sure how to post a link for them.   It's worth searching online, because I've seen more for young adults than I have for my age.   I think some people have a personal assistant or support worker visit them.   Maybe try searching autism local charity (or group).     Do keep posting here of course.   Someone who knows more might be able to reply.

  • Hi it’s nice to meet you too. I’m sorry to hear you feel the same way as me, right now it’s the most loneliest feeling ever. I really appreciate your reply and I will most definitely look into aspens and the local charity’s and have a look at it. Thank you! 

  • I'm sorry to hear too that the loneliness feels so acute lately.   I started a thread here called I don't know how to handle this about a friendship situation, and  wrote a very helpful post in reply about genuine friends compared with acquaintances and other people you might meet, which you might find helpful too, and there were other contributors who helped too.

    Incase this helps you - I did find it a help, before meeting potential friends, to start thinking how I could begin initially by being a good friend to myself.    For example, by speaking kindly to myself when struggling, practising good physical and emotional self care and learning about healthy boundaries with myself and others.   There is a book by someone called  Nedra Glover Tawwab i started looking at called Set Boundaries, Find Peace.    I found the workbook for it helpful, and it can be bought on its own from online shops, although it doesn't specifically focus on autism.   

    For me, learning more about boundaries really felt like an important part of the puzzle for how to relate better to people, but I still get stuck in different ways.   Also, some people make better progress by doing rather than studying a topic first.   Hope you are feeling okay today.

Reply
  • I'm sorry to hear too that the loneliness feels so acute lately.   I started a thread here called I don't know how to handle this about a friendship situation, and  wrote a very helpful post in reply about genuine friends compared with acquaintances and other people you might meet, which you might find helpful too, and there were other contributors who helped too.

    Incase this helps you - I did find it a help, before meeting potential friends, to start thinking how I could begin initially by being a good friend to myself.    For example, by speaking kindly to myself when struggling, practising good physical and emotional self care and learning about healthy boundaries with myself and others.   There is a book by someone called  Nedra Glover Tawwab i started looking at called Set Boundaries, Find Peace.    I found the workbook for it helpful, and it can be bought on its own from online shops, although it doesn't specifically focus on autism.   

    For me, learning more about boundaries really felt like an important part of the puzzle for how to relate better to people, but I still get stuck in different ways.   Also, some people make better progress by doing rather than studying a topic first.   Hope you are feeling okay today.

Children