Published on 12, July, 2020
hello everyone,
so today i was diagnosed with autism and i came online and came across this website, has anyone got any tips or useful words that could possibly help me through the diagnosis. i always felt different to others and never really socialised which again made things worst throughout school and now following in to my adult life things seem to appear to be the same way. it is thought that i have autism alongside adhd although not formally diagnosed with adhd yet. i struggle really badly with sensory overloads and a lot of social anxiety for example when travelling and even just out trying to do normal things such as the weekly food shop. ive been relying quite havily on fidget/popit spinners recently in order to get myself through the sheer panic, the worst thing is i dont even know or recognise my triggers. has anyone got any help they can potentially offer me in such an uncertain time?
many thanks....
As a person who was diagnosed only back in order at the age of 21, I sympathise with a lot of this. I think it is very good that you have found this platform so quickly, as I have found it very beneficial but literally only came across it a couple of days ago. My main takeaway from my own experience is that it truly does get better with time, and just being able to explain why you are the way you are makes it a lot easier (if not exactly easy) to help mould your life into something more comfortable. Also, if you are comfortable, telling people about your diagnosis can be really helpful as I have found "I react quite negatively to excessive loud sounds" gets an eyeroll and a bad word but "I react quite negatively to excessive loud sounds due to my autism" tends to be received a bit better.
Saying that though, I have found that one of the most important things is to never ever feel like you have to tell/ not tell people about this. It is entirely up to you and you shouldn't feel shamed into either direction. I told a few people, and many others have guessed, but it has definitely left me with the feeling of control over my own life and narrative when I first felt like the rug had been pulled out from under my feet when I was first diagnosed.
Hello NAINAI84
Thank you for sharing this with the community and welcome to the forum!
You may find the following page our website useful:
https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/diagnosis/post-diagnosis-support
All the best,
ChloeMod
I mostly rely on music, distraction (like playing a game on my phone or knitting or something) and a lot of repetition to deal better with the stress of being out and around people. I still feel the anxiety on bad days, but I'm mostly able to keep it as something that comes and then passes rather than building into a real panic.
Congratulations on your diagnosis. How do you feel? When I have sensory overload usually sit quietly and do things I enjoy doing. In my last year of 30s which is scary.