Hi all new here

Welcome to forum !! I am a newly diagnosed autistic as well so still processing it myself. I have found engaging with the autistic community on here has helped a lot and made me feel less alone. I also reached out to an online autism support group and that also helped me.

I also think consuming media with autistic representation is really beneficial and I have found watching autistic YouTubers really useful as well as they document their on journeys which you may relate to and get some guidance that way.

The most important thing to remember is you’re not alone and there’s nothing wrong with you :) 

 Mermaidsophiebarbie 

Because I’m not sure whether you’ll now get a notification for it, this is just a quick note to let you know that my post from Saturday (which I’m replying to here) has now been released from spam prison (the forum has an over-sensitive automated spam filter). 

It’s very hard at times and I’ve had to work incredibly hard much to my own expense I am very caring and emphatic and I didn’t realise until I got diagnosed that some people with ASD can have hyper empathy and that is definitely me ! 

wow thats a really tough job and its great that you can do it. I'm rubbish when it comes to medical stuff and very squeamish. You must face some tough challenges and like you say a test of your principles. Hope you start to feel better!

Hi Sophie, welcome! My advice is to take your time and be patient with yourself. I didn't really feel all that much when I received my diagnosis, after all, I'd spent 12 months fighting to get it and I wouldn't have gone through such effort if I didn't know I was autistic already. The diagnosis was, in all honesty, my attempt to get a bit of validation for my feelings.

So, if you don't immediately jump into action upon receiving your diagnosis, that's okay, it's been about 9 months since my diagnosis and not a great deal has changed in my life. That being said, you've probably masked your entire life to some extent - possibly to such an extent that you don't know what parts of your life are masked and which aren't. Therefore, I'd try "unmasking" a little, and seeing how it goes. Embrace your uniqueness if it makes you feel better (I'd recommend checking out this YouTube video which really helped this topic click for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq2ZsTly1HY)

I definitely do feel different, and I also struggle with loneliness.

Hi all, thanks for getting back to me it’s really nice to know people are acknowledging how I feel and providing some really insightful info! 
haha yes very long name ! I am obsessed with barbies and mermaids! 

I feel I have finally got an answer to why I have always felt so different! What I really struggle with is my job…. I am an intensive care nurse and although I am perceived as quite outgoing etc it’s far from what I am like at home I am incredibly drained and feel numb after my shifts so I trying to think of how I am going to go back (I’m off at the mo) as I reached a point of burn out I think? My morals are incredibly strong sometimes to the point I cannot think of anything else (my morals are challenged a lot in the nhs). It’s hard!! 
I am just wondering how I will cope sometimes 

thanks very much guys for getting back to me! 

Hi Sophie - congratulations on your diagnosis and welcome to the community!

The NAS has a great set of articles focused on "after diagnosis", including one covering how you might feel during the subsequent days / weeks / months. You might find them helpful:

NAS - How you might feel after a diagnosis (includes examples of reactions from other autistic people)

NAS - Other advice covering post-diagnosis including:

• Talking about and disclosing your autism diagnosis
• Emotional support for family members after a diagnosis
• Formal support following an autism diagnosis
• What can I do if formal support is not offered or is not enough

In terms of what to do next, my advice would be to give yourself time and breathing space to process and absorb everything that you've been through, and let your feelings settle down. For me and many others here, my diagnosis turned out to be the start of a new journey, rather than a conclusion full of instant solutions for my ASD difficulties. 

Therapy (or counselling) is often recommended after a diagnosis, as a follow up action for your GP to arrange. In anticipation of that, you might find it helpful to borrow or buy this book. It discusses various types of therapy and counselling, together with advice on choosing the right therapist or counsellor - all from an autistic person's viewpoint. Several of us here have found it very helpful:

The Autistic Survival Guide to Therapy  

By way of some "quick start" advice / tips, this is the first book that I bought after my diagnosis, and it enabled me to make some useful changes straight away. It's not overly long or technical, and the suggestions can be read in any order that you like:

Self-Care for Autistic People: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Unmask!

Hi Mermaidsophiebarbie, thats quite a long name...welcome to the forums. From earlier memory I have always felt very different to a lot of people and never quite found a spot where I felt comfortable. I've gone through periods of loneliness but probably no so much as I've grown into an older dragon . Still trying to find my way but lots of good stuff on the forum and I've read/watched quite a lot of material over the last month or so. 

My mind is quite strong on images too and sometimes I do have the internal movie bit, this is one thing I do like about myself but not sure how different it is to the norm? 

Hi and welcome to the community! I feel different than others my whole life. I very Short moments when I thought I’m like others when pretending (masking) but I quickly understood it was just my illusion. I don’t really know how it is to be “normal”. My interests, perception and communication is always different. I wish you find here support and friends and whatever you need. 

Hi and welcome to the community. I'm a woman in my sixties and I've always felt somehow "different" but it feels to me that I'm the human and non autistic people are the aliens

I see patterns and details that others miss, and can notice small sounds that others don't - I hate ticking clocks or watches, I can hear the quietest ticking!

 "Seeing in pictures" is something that autistic people tend to do - we're usually visual learners too.

 I hope you find this forum useful and enjoy chatting with us.