Hi

Hi. 

I found that the loneliness and isolation causes (or makes worst) so many other issue, like self worth which which further compounds everything.  Since I started to unpack my mind things have made more sense and allowed me to work on my mental health in a far more compassionate way and allowed me not to beat myself up over the things I have no ability to change.

Hope that makes some sense and helps?

Quick one, did you find a source of where your problems regarding self worth came from/started?  I cant work mine out but it startef really early

Amongst the factors was that socialising and maintaining relationships was something that other people do and I was unable to do, this lead to the "if people don't like me then it must be because I am unlikable". 

Absolutely, it allowed / forced me to forge my own path of interests and hobbies seeing as I didn't fit into anyone's in group.

Knowing and learning about it now allows me to be kind to my past self too. 

Exactly.  Keep looking back thinking "if only i had known"  winds me up, but it is what it is.  I survived and have a decent life, to be honest....im a bettet person for it

Retroactively apply the ASD Secret Decoder Card to your life fills me with so many "Oh right, yeah" moments.  It would be easy to be bitter with the world for not letting me in on the secret sonner.
 

Im 42, was very isolated.  The internet helped me when i was around 20......know it has its downsides but im effective to express myself when im not face to face and it helped me a great deal.  Before then......i was a ghost

And i'm old too, so have a huge amount of baggage and stigmas around anything other than going out drinking and racing cars and there was no the possibility of positive neurodivergent roll models for about twenty year after when I needed them.  No internet either so it was all very isolating. 

Ahhhhh.....that is true for me.  Couldn't underdsand why i couldnt fit in to social circles.  I just thought people didnt like me, for whatever reason.  I guess its because we are different? But maybe dont really know it when younger?.....it must be some sort of vibe that we give off? Trying your best to fit in is hard, difficult for a young mind to understanf i guess.....i guess thats were the self esteem thing comes in? Its not that you are unlikeable, its just people maybe cant work you out.

Ahhhhh.....that is true for me.  Couldn't underdsand why i couldnt fit in to social circles.  I just thought people didnt like me, for whatever reason.  I guess its because we are different? But maybe dont really know it when younger?.....it must be some sort of vibe that we give off? Trying your best to fit in is hard, difficult for a young mind to understanf i guess.....i guess thats were the self esteem thing comes in? Its not that you are unlikeable, its just people maybe cant work you out.

Absolutely, it allowed / forced me to forge my own path of interests and hobbies seeing as I didn't fit into anyone's in group.

Knowing and learning about it now allows me to be kind to my past self too. 

Exactly.  Keep looking back thinking "if only i had known"  winds me up, but it is what it is.  I survived and have a decent life, to be honest....im a bettet person for it

Retroactively apply the ASD Secret Decoder Card to your life fills me with so many "Oh right, yeah" moments.  It would be easy to be bitter with the world for not letting me in on the secret sonner.
 

Im 42, was very isolated.  The internet helped me when i was around 20......know it has its downsides but im effective to express myself when im not face to face and it helped me a great deal.  Before then......i was a ghost

And i'm old too, so have a huge amount of baggage and stigmas around anything other than going out drinking and racing cars and there was no the possibility of positive neurodivergent roll models for about twenty year after when I needed them.  No internet either so it was all very isolating.