Hello
I am newly diagnosed in my 50s and am finding that it is all a little unsettling. It is very strange to suddenly have a name for the thing that has made me the odd one out and unable to cope with the things that others manage with ease.
Hello
I am newly diagnosed in my 50s and am finding that it is all a little unsettling. It is very strange to suddenly have a name for the thing that has made me the odd one out and unable to cope with the things that others manage with ease.
Hi Octopus and welcome
I'm newly diagnosed and in my 50s and I agree it's a lot to bend your head around. That's why I'm here.
Hopefully we won't be the odd ones out on here. 
Hey Octopus! Welcome to the community and congratulations on the diagnosis
Hi Octopus - congratulations on your diagnosis and welcome to the community! 
There are plenty of late-diagnosed folks here, so you're in good company
Following a diagnosis, it can be common for us to experience a lot of emotional dysregulation. Besides perhaps feeling some relief about now having an explanation for our past difficulties, this can also include working through a phase where we experience confusion, uncertainty, so-called "imposter syndrome", and/or (backward-focused) anger, frustration, grieving, and more. So please don't worry - it's normal!
As for many others here, my own diagnosis turned out to be much more of the start of a new journey, rather than a conclusion full of instant solutions for my difficulties.
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 of interest and/or helpful:
NAS - How you might feel after a diagnosis
NAS - Other advice covering post-diagnosis including:
Therapy (or counselling) is often recommended after a diagnosis, as a follow up action for your GP to arrange. If you prefer, depending on where you are in the UK, you may instead be able to self refer for talking therapy on the NHS.
Before arranging it, you might find it helpful to borrow or buy this book, which includes discussion of 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
This book also taught me some important principles and enabled me to make some immediate, helpful changes - perhaps you might find it useful, too:
Self-Care for Autistic People: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Unmask!
