Published on 12, July, 2020
I'm 29 and have just been diagnosed with autism.ive had suspicions for a while that I was different and I was diagnosed after a series of meltdowns in work due to crowds, noises, smells and losing important things such as keys or My wallet.
I'm off sick at the moment because knowing that I will experience these overloads causes me great anxiety. I get picked on for my behaviour and not many people talk to me because I am "rude" and "obnoxious" I don't mean to be, I sometimes get over excited about a topic and will interrupt people and throw information at them to the point that they visibly try and get away from myto end the conversation.
I can't really escape a lot of the triggers in work, I work in a hospital!
Does anyone have any tips or recommendations to try and minimise some triggers? Or is my best option to find something with less triggers?
Hello NAS86601,
Thank you for sharing this and welcome to the community! I'm sorry to hear that you've been going through such a hard time. You may find the following information on sensory differences useful: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/sensory-differences/sensory-differences/all-audiences
You might like to have a look at our guide ‘Support at work – a guide for autistic people’ which you can find here:
https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/employment/support-at-work/autistic-adults
There is information in the guide about bullying in the workplace which might be helpful, information about the role of your employer and advice regarding what you can do if you think you are being bullied or discriminated against.
All the best,
ChloeMod
Hello, and welcome.
"Or is my best option to find something with less triggers? " - You shouldn't have to do this. Do you like your job? Then I hope you don't give up. If you are comfortable letting an inner circle of colleagues know about your diagnosis, they may be more understanding of you. It's important that they understand it's a difference not a defecit but that accomodations should be made, even if it's just in greater tolerance and understanding shown. Hopefully in a healthcare environment, you have a better chance of it than in some other environments. Hope the support you find here helps anyway.