Autism assessment- conflicting feelings

Hi Chris - congratulations on your diagnosis and welcome to the community!

Following a diagnosis, it can be common for us to experience a lot of emotional dysregulation, so please don't worry if you continue to experience this - it's normal, and I've linked to an article below about it.

Besides perhaps feeling some relief about having an explanation for our difficulties, this can also include working through a phase where we experience a loss of confidence and mixes of emotions like confusion, uncertainty, so-called "imposter syndrome", and/or (backward-focused) anger, frustration, grieving, and more. 

It's also common to feel more aware of our traits. It might help to remind yourself that this is good information to have, because it will enable you to better understand and accommodate yourself - whether directly, or by asking others for support or adjustments.

My own diagnosis turned out to be the start of a new journey of learning and adapting, rather than a conclusion. My main piece of advice is to pace yourself, and to be kind and patient with yourself as you process your diagnosis and gradually adapt to it.

The NAS has a great set of articles focused on "after diagnosis" - including the one I mentioned above, which covers how you might feel during the subsequent days / weeks / months. You might find them helpful as a starting point:

NAS - How you might feel after a diagnosis - includes perspectives from other autistics

NAS - Other advice covering post-diagnosis - including:

• Talking about and disclosing your autism diagnosis
• Emotional support for family members after a diagnosis
• Formal support following an autism diagnosis
• What can I do if formal support is not offered or is not enough

There's also some information here about communication:

NAS - Autism and communication

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.

If your low mood persists or worsens, I'd also suggest talking to your GP about it. We can often experience co-occurring mental health issues, so don't be shy about asking for support with it.

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 Chris - congratulations on your diagnosis and welcome to the community!

Following a diagnosis, it can be common for us to experience a lot of emotional dysregulation, so please don't worry if you continue to experience this - it's normal, and I've linked to an article below about it.

Besides perhaps feeling some relief about having an explanation for our difficulties, this can also include working through a phase where we experience a loss of confidence and mixes of emotions like confusion, uncertainty, so-called "imposter syndrome", and/or (backward-focused) anger, frustration, grieving, and more. 

It's also common to feel more aware of our traits. It might help to remind yourself that this is good information to have, because it will enable you to better understand and accommodate yourself - whether directly, or by asking others for support or adjustments.

My own diagnosis turned out to be the start of a new journey of learning and adapting, rather than a conclusion. My main piece of advice is to pace yourself, and to be kind and patient with yourself as you process your diagnosis and gradually adapt to it.

The NAS has a great set of articles focused on "after diagnosis" - including the one I mentioned above, which covers how you might feel during the subsequent days / weeks / months. You might find them helpful as a starting point:

NAS - How you might feel after a diagnosis - includes perspectives from other autistics

NAS - Other advice covering post-diagnosis - including:

• Talking about and disclosing your autism diagnosis
• Emotional support for family members after a diagnosis
• Formal support following an autism diagnosis
• What can I do if formal support is not offered or is not enough

There's also some information here about communication:

NAS - Autism and communication

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.

If your low mood persists or worsens, I'd also suggest talking to your GP about it. We can often experience co-occurring mental health issues, so don't be shy about asking for support with it.

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)