Hi

Hi. All I can say is I feel exactly the same as you. You are not alone here. I have tried all my life to fit in as well, but now I'm realising that there are others, like yourself, out there who are feeling the same as me. I've tried various clubs and activities, but making friends for me has been extremely challenging due to autism.

I couldn't connect with youngsters my age. I tried joining various clubs, but it is similar to what you are going through. I mainly go out for walks, spend time with my loved ones and dog, watch TV occasionally. 

I'm always very weary of joining online groups on other websites due to safety. Feel free to share your experiences, or more about your hobbies in a reply to me. 

Just a thought for you: why not go out to like a park where there are people or centre? Just embrace nature. Or even say hello to people when out. They most likely feel the same as you. You never know.

August, you're never truly alone. As there's people like who are going through the same as you. Please take some comfort in knowing this. You have been very strong in posting this, as it's summed up everything I'm going through now.

I have some previous posts, where I have detailed my own struggles too. Feel free to check them out and comment on them, so you know you're never alone ok?

Fitting in doesn't sound much but it's so difficult. Just saying hi to somebody can feel like climbing the tallest mountain, but I try. Sometimes people reply, others don't and some people just nod or smile. Those days those people make me feel like a queen lol.

I wish it wasn't so hard interacting with people. I want to join a group or activity, one to do with wildlife would be fab but my anxiety usually puts a stop to it before I've even started.

It's good you go out for walks, do you go with your dog? I wish I had a dog. I would love one I bet they make the best friends and it's nice to have company when you are out. I go for walks sometimes but drive more often than not, mostly because where I live it's in the middle of nowhere and impossible to walk to town.

I have so many hobbies and interests but I always struggle when it comes explaining about them to others. Maybe because I have so many and I wouldn’t have enough time or words to express how much they mean to me.

I’m kind of hopeless with explaining things though and this doesn’t really help. Increasing social skills is on my To Do List and maybe then this will help me in future. In the meantime I’ll hang here and hope I can pick up some tips from others who are better at interactions than I am.

But back to my interests. I’m interested in wildlife and nature, both mean a lot to me and I like watching things and reading books to do with wildlife and nature. Growing up I loved watching the CBBC show Deadly 60 after school. I also enjoyed collecting wildlife books and encyclopaedias.

I also like

• Music
• Lego
• Gaming
• Writing
• Poetry
• Reading
• Dance
• Graphic design

and lots more!

Thanks! I feel less alone since writing my post this morning. It feels nice to be part of an online group that really does get it and understand.

I hope you find being part this community helpful too.

Thanks for being so welcoming.

Fitting in doesn't sound much but it's so difficult. Just saying hi to somebody can feel like climbing the tallest mountain, but I try. Sometimes people reply, others don't and some people just nod or smile. Those days those people make me feel like a queen lol.

I wish it wasn't so hard interacting with people. I want to join a group or activity, one to do with wildlife would be fab but my anxiety usually puts a stop to it before I've even started.

It's good you go out for walks, do you go with your dog? I wish I had a dog. I would love one I bet they make the best friends and it's nice to have company when you are out. I go for walks sometimes but drive more often than not, mostly because where I live it's in the middle of nowhere and impossible to walk to town.

I have so many hobbies and interests but I always struggle when it comes explaining about them to others. Maybe because I have so many and I wouldn’t have enough time or words to express how much they mean to me.

I’m kind of hopeless with explaining things though and this doesn’t really help. Increasing social skills is on my To Do List and maybe then this will help me in future. In the meantime I’ll hang here and hope I can pick up some tips from others who are better at interactions than I am.

But back to my interests. I’m interested in wildlife and nature, both mean a lot to me and I like watching things and reading books to do with wildlife and nature. Growing up I loved watching the CBBC show Deadly 60 after school. I also enjoyed collecting wildlife books and encyclopaedias.

I also like

• Music
• Lego
• Gaming
• Writing
• Poetry
• Reading
• Dance
• Graphic design

and lots more!

Thanks! I feel less alone since writing my post this morning. It feels nice to be part of an online group that really does get it and understand.

I hope you find being part this community helpful too.

Thanks for being so welcoming.

I’m sorry you feel so isolated and lonely. I can relate to this, it’s pretty much how I have felt all of my life so far. I’ve tried making friends in the past but it didn’t work out. I’m awkward around people, always anxious and I think it shows and makes people feel I’m weird. Suddenly going off on one about things like birds or the interesting colours of leaves probably doesn’t help mind!

Sorry you were bullied. This is something I also experienced; secondary school was a lot more challenging from this point. I know it can lead to scars that run deep. I hope things are better for you now.

Have you thought of getting an autism therapist or support worker?

My GP has referred me for an autism therapist as she believes this will help me better understand myself and cope with the way autism affects me on a daily basis. I don’t know how long the wait times will be but I’m hoping this will be helpful for me. It doesn’t help that after diagnosis there’s no post support, just sort of leave you to it and find your own way lol.

I hope being here helps you.

I have very restricted interests: walking every day, spending time with family, spending time in my room everyday just watching YouTube. It feels so isolating and lonely too. It's not really fun. I don't have any other outlets apart from this forum really. I have tried for years to make friends with others, especially with young people my age. But they're not very understanding of my autism difficulties and assume I'm whatever they think. I've experienced bullying in my younger years and always stays with me.

Quite often, I have meltdowns where I lose control and struggle to contain my emotions. I'm looking into solutions, but I really feel stuck what to do about it. I genuinely can't help it and my family now understands why. Hopefully I can get the help I need, I don't have many close friends, just my parents, dog and brother. Or any other family to rely on, as they're very selfish and only care about themselves. I am hoping sharing my experiences with you gives you some comfort knowing that you're never alone.