Loneliness and overwhelm

In respect of feeling lonely, unfortunately, it's not uncommon for us to feel lonely or isolated.

Alongside enjoying chatting with others here (where friendships can also develop naturally over time), you might find some of the advice in these articles helpful:

NAS - Loneliness - includes links to other examples of autistic people's experiences of loneliness and how they cope.

NAS - Making friends - a guide for autistic adults

You might like to consider asking your GP for a referral to your local social prescriber. Or just ask the GP’s admin team, who might be able to tell you how to self refer. A social prescriber’s (non-medical) role is to develop a personalised care and support plan that meets your social, practical, and emotional needs. That could include helping you to find local groups or socialising activities that fit with your interests, for example.

The article below explains more (it relates to England, but the same model operates throughout the UK):

NHS England - Social prescribing

You might also be able to find some socialising opportunities via the the NAS's directory, or through a local or online NAS branch:

NAS - Autism Services Directory

NAS - Branches

As a final couple of suggestions, you could:

• Search on Facebook and/or Google for any local groups that might fit with your interests and hobbies.
  
• Perhaps find some online games you enjoy that also include a social element (eg perhaps they have an associated chat group, or a built-in ways to socialise - like chatting in the game itself).

Congratulations on your diagnoses and welcome to the community!

As for many others, my diagnosis turned out to be the start of a new journey of learning and adapting, rather than a conclusion with instant solutions. I'd suggest taking extra care to be patient to, and kind with, yourself - and to take your time with processing everything.

The NAS has a great set of articles focused on "after diagnosis". You might find them helpful as a starting point:

NAS - After diagnosis - including:

• How will I feel after receiving an autism diagnosis - includes perspectives from other autistic people
• 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

Therapy or counselling are 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 might 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)

Hello Ayrejordan,

Many people are unsure how to react when they receive an autism diagnosis. The National Autistic Society (NAS) website provides information about the range of emotions and reactions that people commonly experience after being diagnosed. You can find more information here:

https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/diagnosis/after-diagnosis/how-will-i-feel-after-receiving-an-autism-diagnosi

All the best,

Karin Mod