Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi, I’m new here. Sort of.
I’ve been dipping in and out of this forum for the last 5/6years, usually only reading what others have written rather than actually participating myself. I find socialising, even online, very difficult, but I’m trying to overcome that by introducing myself and participating a bit more.
For the sake of introductions...
Im a 31 year old female on the spectrum, I was diagnosed by my local Health and Social Care Trust in 2016. I have no partner or children, live alone (apart from my dog), and have dedicated most of my time to studying. I am in the process of completing a PhD and also teach within the university I attend, but am currently on a leave of absence due to burning out... once again. A lot of people mention their passions or special interests in their introductions, I’m not sure this counts as either, but I’ve been preoccupied by notions of justice for as long as I can remember. I also love animals and enjoy reading, listening to music, organising things, running, playing the PlayStation and a number of other pretty typical activities.
By participating more in this forum I hope to build some confidence, learn new things, hear about other people’s experiences of living with autism, share my own experiences, and maybe even make a friend or two (even if they are only online friends). This is already longer than intended so I’ll wrap up here and just say thanks to everyone who was brave enough to share their thoughts and experiences here on this forum, you’ve helped me a lot without even realising it, so thank you, I hope I can do the same for someone someday.
Welcome!
I found University waste of time, with hindsight, and wished I had gone straight to work at sixteen. Whenever I was young, I was told I had the world at my feet, but hid in my room and struggled whenever I did find work.
Burnout, plus mental health issues, really dragged me down. See if your local NAS branch has a social group. That might boost your confidence.
I also live on my own, my parents and grandparents are all dead - and my brother is undergoing his final semester of study at Uni in Derry. The scenario isn't ideal for me, but I'm learning to fend for myself.
Good that you have a dog. Unconditional love.
Hi Desmond79. Thanks for your reply, I’m sorry mine has been a bit late. I’m from NI too so it’s nice to see a few others on this forum from the same area. I’m not from Derry or the surrounding area, I’m based in a different city, but it’s still comforting to know there are others out there. It’s also nice to hear that you are managing to fend for yourself, especially since I’m going to be in a similar situation at some point in the future. I have only one younger sister, and although I still have my grandparents and parents, they are all in pretty poor health and I worry a terrible lot about them and dread the day I find myself without them all. I suppose I’m really just wondering if you have any advice on how to deal with such losses and operate without the support network?