Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi, I’ve just been diagnosed with ASD and I’m feeling completely overwhelmed. Is this usual? It’s been nine years since I first presented for assessment - at that time I was thought to have complex trauma and ended up taking part in two years of group psychotherapy. I started the assessment process again 18 months ago as I was struggling with so much.. Following the assessment I was initially told I only partially met the criteria however, there were issues in the diagnostic process and a second opinion from within my mental health team suggested that I might have ASD after all. I have finally been diagnosed and I don’t know what to feel, I’m even wondering whether it could be wrong given my earlier experiences. I’ve also had to take some time off work because I feel so exhausted but feel very guilty about it. Any tips on getting through these first few weeks? Thank you
Jo said:I don’t know what to feel,
You don't need to feel anything about it if you don't want to - in fact autistic people often have problems in connecting to their emotions and expressing them, so don't worry about it.
It is what it is - you know now and everything that has gone before cannot be changed.
Look back on it, reflect on what happened that was probably due to autism and consider what should change in the future - these are the areas to focus your energies on.
Learn all you can about autism and ways to make your life more comfortable, how to be productive and how to enjoy being yourself now you know more about the things that make up your thought processing.
Don't get hung up on what you should or shouldn't be doing - take your time to decide what is best for you and "take control of your own power" as my therapist would say.
Spend some time on the forums here and chat away - you will learn a lot from our shared experiences and solutions too.
Welcome to the club.