Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi all, I'm a 42 y.o. man who was diagnosed in Feb 2020. I joined the forum last year but there was an update so here I am again! I am also dad to a 6 y.o. diagnosed last Nov. A lot of my time is spent on work, parenting etc so I feel like I'm still processing my own diagnosis. Hoping the odd chat (or even just lurking, if we're allowed to confess to doing so) will help.
Hi, I was diagnosed in the same month, at 59 years,
The main thing I've noted is that it's definitely helpful as a frame of reference for how I experience life going forwards. But I have found it hard sometimes with being diagnosed late and worrying about whether, after all this time, I am who I am, or just a stack of coping and masking strategies
I found the diagnosis useful for forgiving myself for past failings. I think that we are the sum of our past experiences, so coping mechanisms are part of our identity. As long as they are not harmful, I would just accept them. I can small talk and look people in the eye, I don't enjoy either much, but doing them does not cause me any appreciable distress. In society they are expected, so I comply. If I stopped doing these things, I think that it would negatively affect how others perceive me, and that would, ultimately, negatively affect me.