Hi im new here

Gamertom said:

being on my own and forced to engage with online tho I want to be outside so if u have if tips and advice for me let me know 

As promised, here's my second reply!

Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for us to feel lonely or isolated. Alongside enjoying chatting with others here (where friendships can also develop naturally over time), you might find some of the advice in these articles helpful:

NAS - Loneliness - includes links to other examples of autistic people's experiences of loneliness and how they cope.

NAS - Making friends - a guide for autistic adults

You might like to consider asking your GP for a referral to your local social prescriber - a service that I've used myself. Or just ask the GP’s admin team, who might be able to tell you how to self refer. A social prescriber’s (non-medical) role is to develop a personalised care and support plan that meets your social, practical, and emotional needs.

That could include helping you to find local groups or socialising activities that fit with your interests - perhaps like local walking groups, for example. The article below explains more (it relates to England, but the same model operates throughout the UK):

NHS England - Social prescribing

You might also be able to find some socialising opportunities via the the NAS's directory, or through a local or online NAS branch:

NAS - Autism Services Directory

NAS - Branches

As a final couple of suggestions, you could:

• Search on Facebook and/or Google for any local groups that might fit with your interests and hobbies.
  
• Perhaps find some online games you enjoy that also include a social element (eg an associated chat group, or a built-in ways to socialise - like chatting in the game itself).

Hi Tom and welcome to the community! 

Having frequent meltdowns can be a sign of autistic fatigue or burnout. 

I suggest seeking support from your GP. Alongside doing that, you might find the advice and suggested strategies in these NAS resources helpful. I'll also share some suggestions in a separate post about perhaps getting out more and meeting some new people.

There are a lot of links, which can look overwhelming - but there's no rush. You could perhaps bookmark this page and work your way through them whenever best suits you, alongside reading the replies from others.

NAS - Meltdowns

NAS - Autistic fatigue and burnout

There's also some great (free) advice here from Dr Megan Neff - a neurodivergent author, clinician and advocate:

Autistic Burnout Recovery: How to Build a Recovery Plan

I bought this book of hers. It's very user-friendly, including lots of diagrams and worksheets:

The Autistic Burnout Workbook: Your Guide to Your Personal Recovery Plan

I hope that some of the information here is helpful.