Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi, as the title suggests, I've just made an account here. I'm a bit afraid of oversharing, but at the same time I feel like a bit of backstory is necessary.
I'm a 25 year old male, still living with parents, who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome as a child. I never really received any kind of education into what being Autistic entails, nor any of the issues I'd be expected to face with it, so I've kinda grown up just having to deal with things as I went. I also lived in Spain for most of my adolescence, where mental health and all kinds of non-neurotypical cases are largely unknown and ignored by the layman and health systems alike.
I was lucky enough for my family to move back to the UK after some pretty bad economic issues around 8 or so years ago and have been living here since age 16. In that time I've struggled greatly with my mental health, as various issues reared their ugly heads, and have gotten worse and worse in terms of managing my life. I was lucky enough to be in a relationship that lasted for 5 years before ending in 2020 (much to my dismay), but have otherwise been totally unable to form any kind of friendships or relationships.
At the moment I find myself struggling a lot and rarely go outside or speak to people. Most of my time is spent in my room, playing videogames and watching YouTube, which has not particularly helped. Over the course of this year I've tried improving my life and mental health through various services, including therapy, but for various reasons these have had the inverse effect. Recently I also attempted to give my local Autism Hub a chance and attended a couple of sessions, but found myself struggling to relate or talk to anyone and feeling lonelier than ever. Now, at the recommendation of my mother, I'm giving this site a try. I'm hoping that by broadening the net and talking to people who might have had similar experiences with autism, mental health and other stuff, I'll increase my chances of making friends and socialising.
Anyway, hope my wall of text hasn't bored anybody and that this is all appropriate and not overshare-ey. Have a nice day, whoever happens to have read this far.
Hello, I am also new here. I am 22 with ASD/C and live at home whilst I am not at uni. If I don’t have a session or not travelling to and from uni (which I hate) I am in my room in bed playing on the switch, drawing, sleeping or doing uni work. I also don’t go outside unless I have an in person lesson to attend. I have no friends and don’t work or socialise at all. I don’t work and also worry about how I will be able to communicate to a high enough standard after I graduate uni.
I have my horrible struggles with mental health and had to take breaks in studies form uni because of this but, it has since improved with the help of well-being support, and medications but not so much with the cognitive behavioural therapy I received. Not everything will work for everyone. You need to find what support is right for you and it may not be easy/ take a while as it has for me. For now, my main issue is trying to deal with the negative effects mental illness has done to my routine. For instance, my routine is the same as when I was experiencing major depression rather than before that and has not changed much since then. This is because I have gotten use to it. So I really feel bad for anybody who have to deal with any kind of mental health problems and I hope things improve for you like they have for me.
I am not a good writer so sorry if there are mistakes.
Kind regards,
Jai (Nickname)
Thank you for sharing Jai, don't worry, you wrote everything very well and clearly.Indeed, I've also had some lows with CBT over the years, but I'm glad that at least medication and well-being support has been good for you. I'm hoping to get back into therapy next year, since my current situation is unsustainable.
My goals for 2024 are essentially to break free of my current negative mental health cycle, learn to trust the system and process of mental health care again (it's a long story) and form relationships (either platonic or romantic). With a significant amount of luck I may attempt to look for some kind of employment, as this would prove a potential way to socialise and form solid routines, but considering that at the moment I freeze up and my mind goes blank whenever I go somewhere unfamiliar or meet new people, I doubt that'll happen without seriously intensive and extensive therapy. I wish you lots of luck with the rest of your uni degree. My little sister is going to uni next year and so I have a small idea about how stressful it is. If you ever want to reach out and talk about anything, feel free to message me (but there's no pressure either). Have a great day or night!