Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi,
I'm Ess Cee (which as you'll probably guess means my initials are SC). Correct!
I'd be interested in sharing experience with people newly diagnosed as adults. For me, it was no surprise (I've suspected it for a long time) but it was a 'shock'. Maybe I am just very good at pretending to be neurotypical. How exhausting that is! It's really a tremendous relief to start letting some of the autism out . . .
Hi! Welcome to the forum I'm still waiting for my assessment - I had an initial telephone assessment a few weeks ago, but my face-to-face one might not be for a while due to the pandemic. I do a lot of 'pretending' (or masking) too - it really is exhausting. I don't even mean to do it at this point - it's almost like I don't know how to unmask. I hope you find the forum helpful
Hi, Duckbread, Thanks. Waiting is the worst. Outside London the wait is something like 18 months. Just stick it out; establish a routine, and start your day with a list (I find short lists the best). And yes, the pandemic has slowed everyone and everything down.
I didn’t know the word masking until fairly recently - I’ve only ever been conscious of putting on a bright face and acting as if I’m having a great time - because ‘that’s what you do’. Well the good thing about a diagnosis is that you’ll find ways to use that time more constructively.
I think it ‘is’ a struggle to ‘unmask’ - we’ve being doing it, albeit unconsciously, for most of our lives.
One good thing about the pandemic is that it is making the world a quieter greener place. Bit by bit we can start to reset our boundaries so that people know what kind of things we prefer to participate in (and tough if they don’t like it) and just practise living life on our own terms