So, I got my ASD diagnosis 2 hours ago. I am all in a muddled mess…but I am so glad that I finally have an answer for all that I’ve been through (I’m now in my mid 50s).
I only just joined this online community so…I now have to figure all this out. In any case, I’m very happy to be here in the community
Hi Xannah - congratulations on your diagnosis and welcome to the community! 
There are plenty of other late-realised and/or late-diagnosed people here, so you're in good company! It's not unusual to experience some emotional dysregulation following a diagnosis - I certainly did.
The NAS has a great set of articles focused on "after diagnosis", including one covering how you might feel during the subsequent days / weeks / months. You might find them of interest and/or helpful:
NAS - How you might feel after a diagnosis - includes perspectives from other autistics
NAS - Other advice covering post-diagnosis including:
Therapy (or counselling) is often recommended after a diagnosis, as a follow up action for your GP to arrange. If you prefer, depending on where you are in the UK, you may instead be able to self refer for talking therapy on the NHS.
Before arranging it, you might find it helpful to borrow or buy this book, which includes discussion of various types of therapy and counselling, together with advice on choosing the right therapist or counsellor - all from an autistic person's viewpoint. Several of us here have found it very helpful:
The Autistic Survival Guide to Therapy
Finally, I'll just mention a couple of books that I and others have found helpful early on in our post-diagnosis journeys:
Self-Care for Autistic People: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Unmask!
How to Be Autistic (free download currently available via this page)
Hi Xannah - congratulations on your diagnosis and welcome to the community!
There are plenty of other late-realised and/or late-diagnosed people here, so you're in good company! It's not unusual to experience some emotional dysregulation following a diagnosis - I certainly did.
The NAS has a great set of articles focused on "after diagnosis", including one covering how you might feel during the subsequent days / weeks / months. You might find them of interest and/or helpful:
NAS - How you might feel after a diagnosis - includes perspectives from other autistics
NAS - Other advice covering post-diagnosis including:
Therapy (or counselling) is often recommended after a diagnosis, as a follow up action for your GP to arrange. If you prefer, depending on where you are in the UK, you may instead be able to self refer for talking therapy on the NHS.
Before arranging it, you might find it helpful to borrow or buy this book, which includes discussion of various types of therapy and counselling, together with advice on choosing the right therapist or counsellor - all from an autistic person's viewpoint. Several of us here have found it very helpful:
The Autistic Survival Guide to Therapy
Finally, I'll just mention a couple of books that I and others have found helpful early on in our post-diagnosis journeys:
Self-Care for Autistic People: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Unmask!
How to Be Autistic (free download currently available via this page)
