Recently diagnosed with autism as an adult

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

There are plenty of late-realised and/or late-diagnosed people here, so you're in good company  

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 - includes perspectives from other autistics

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

Danuk said:

I’ve been really struggling for the last few years to know how to function better in life as I feel like I’m getting worse.

You might find this advice helpful:

NAS - Autistic fatigue and burnout

Danuk said:

Does anyone have advice about how to approach my thoughts and how I can better interact with others?

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

Finally, I'll just mention a couple of books that I and others have found helpful early on in our post-diagnosis journeys:

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

How to Be Autistic (free download currently available via this page)

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

There are plenty of late-realised and/or late-diagnosed people here, so you're in good company  

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 - includes perspectives from other autistics

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

Danuk said:

I’ve been really struggling for the last few years to know how to function better in life as I feel like I’m getting worse.

You might find this advice helpful:

NAS - Autistic fatigue and burnout

Danuk said:

Does anyone have advice about how to approach my thoughts and how I can better interact with others?

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

Finally, I'll just mention a couple of books that I and others have found helpful early on in our post-diagnosis journeys:

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

How to Be Autistic (free download currently available via this page)