Published on 12, July, 2020
Mid 30's from Swansea, South Wales. I was first diagnosed about 20 years ago but left with no guidance on how to function among the people around me. Since then after many meltdowns and shutdowns I got medication and therapy and an adult diagnosis.
This left me with some hard questions about adult life particularly in forming and maintaining relationships and friends. I have become used to being alone but I hate how it feels.
Therapist suggested I try looking online for ASD groups and I thought I would look at this one as well.
I'd like to add that I do want to be more socially confident but trying to go against a lifetime of masking and being closed to others is easier said than done.
My interests are gaming, music and spending hours on YouTube watching unboxing and gaming videos among other things.
I also like to improve my general knowledge and test myself on Duolingo and puzzle games.
I'm a job seeker but fill the gaps with volunteering. It can be boring but it keeps me busy.
I would recommend the following book towork on the social confidence:
Social Skills for Teenagers and Adults with Asperger Syndrome - A Practical Guide to Day-to-day Life - Nancy J., Ph.D. Patrick (2008)ISBN 9781843108764
Dealing with the masking is a long term challenge as you need to allow yourself to be a bit more vulnerable though being your authentic self - the best starting point is to put yourself in the company of people who can be accepting of you and slowly let yourself be yourself.
It can be nerve wracking at first but done with the right support around you and with reviewing your progress to build confidence you can be much more authentic relatively quickly (compared to your life span that is).
There is a tremendous amount of knowledge amongst the posters here about living with autism and ways to deal with specific issues, as well as a great social venue (with the odd heated arguement it is true) so welcome to the club and ask away with what you want to know about.