Recently diagnosed at 57

Hi NAS73103 

"Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome!"

Others have given great suggestions and the NAS resources are there to explore.

To add my ten penneth -

I was diagnosed about 3 years ago age 58

For me, despite people telling me "it's OK you're still you..." I found that at diagnosis I still experienced a paradigm shift .  I.e. a fundamental change in approach/underlying assumptions.  That takes a while to settle into.

Accepting that I am "neurodiverse" and understanding how that impacts me rather than believing that I am just a bit sh1t at living in comparison to how society expects me to.

This is now coming around to an acceptance that the harder paradigm shift is for society to accept me as autistic rather than me accepting myself...  How to self advocate becomes a part of life post diagnosis in my experience.  

Normal?

I come from Norfolk where the term "Normal for Norfolk" was coined.  The term is considered derogatory because it portrays people from Norfolk as normally being strange, or peculiar with an inference that they are in-bred.

Just to say,..    Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson was born and brought up there.  Norfolk put up Albert Einstein for 3 weeks after he fled the *** before he made his home in USA.  Julian of Norwich, the first woman to write a book in English probably lived all her life there.  I could go on... :-)

Best way of getting support - learn to tap into your inner strength would be my suggestion.

There's lot of us autistic people and remarkably despite being apparently disadvantaged by society we're still here!   So there must be something about us that is strong, valuable and enduring.  By implication a lot of the things opposite to how one can be drawn to feel because one is "different".

Google AI  says on this:

"To find inner strength, cultivate a positive mindset by focusing on your purpose, setting small goals and practicing gratitude. Nurture your physical and mental well-being through self-care like exercise, healthy eating, and relaxation techniques such as meditation or deep breathing. Connect with supportive people and activities that bring you joy and a sense of purpose, while also learning to let go of negativity and trust your own resilience."

All the best!

Hi NAS73103 

"Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome!"

Others have given great suggestions and the NAS resources are there to explore.

To add my ten penneth -

I was diagnosed about 3 years ago age 58

For me, despite people telling me "it's OK you're still you..." I found that at diagnosis I still experienced a paradigm shift .  I.e. a fundamental change in approach/underlying assumptions.  That takes a while to settle into.

Accepting that I am "neurodiverse" and understanding how that impacts me rather than believing that I am just a bit sh1t at living in comparison to how society expects me to.

This is now coming around to an acceptance that the harder paradigm shift is for society to accept me as autistic rather than me accepting myself...  How to self advocate becomes a part of life post diagnosis in my experience.  

Normal?

I come from Norfolk where the term "Normal for Norfolk" was coined.  The term is considered derogatory because it portrays people from Norfolk as normally being strange, or peculiar with an inference that they are in-bred.

Just to say,..    Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson was born and brought up there.  Norfolk put up Albert Einstein for 3 weeks after he fled the *** before he made his home in USA.  Julian of Norwich, the first woman to write a book in English probably lived all her life there.  I could go on... :-)

Best way of getting support - learn to tap into your inner strength would be my suggestion.

There's lot of us autistic people and remarkably despite being apparently disadvantaged by society we're still here!   So there must be something about us that is strong, valuable and enduring.  By implication a lot of the things opposite to how one can be drawn to feel because one is "different".

Google AI  says on this:

"To find inner strength, cultivate a positive mindset by focusing on your purpose, setting small goals and practicing gratitude. Nurture your physical and mental well-being through self-care like exercise, healthy eating, and relaxation techniques such as meditation or deep breathing. Connect with supportive people and activities that bring you joy and a sense of purpose, while also learning to let go of negativity and trust your own resilience."

All the best!