My diagnosis has made me lose my confidence

Hi omg this is awkward tbh....I could write a essay but will try to keep it short....ive always struggled through life and was referred for a assessment age 48 and thought I would feel free and relieved at a diagnosis but im not. I now question anything I do and don't trust my own judgement and choices. Im a single mum of 3 children who have also been diagnosed but I suddenly feel like im not strong any more. Ive always been so independent and been happy but now I feel maybe it was a automatic act ive now lost. Im struggling at work as i feel like everything has changed and I don't know how to deal with the diagnosis...I actually wish I hadn't had the assessment and just gone on with life being quirky and happy....so there's my introduction and probably overshared sorry lol x

Parents
  • First off - don't panic! Many of us find ourselves readjusting our view of our life after diagnosis. Suddenly, a whole lot of things fall into place. Another common reaction is to realise you're pushed yourself to do things 'the normal way' without counting the extra cost to autistic people. 

    Things will settle, eventually. Maybe not in quite the same pattern, but you might find the changes make life easier for you by recognising why some things are more difficult and what you can do to ease that. This immediate post-disgnosis disturbance is a stage. We all go through many stages in our lives and have to make adjustments. This one is a matter of realising what adjustments might suit you better to cope, rather than a complete collapse of who you are. It just feels difficult while you go through it. It's a pain but try not to freak out because you're still the same person you were; you just found out that some of your assumptions about yourself weren't true. That can be a positive thing, even if it doesn't feel that way right now  people hugging

Reply
  • First off - don't panic! Many of us find ourselves readjusting our view of our life after diagnosis. Suddenly, a whole lot of things fall into place. Another common reaction is to realise you're pushed yourself to do things 'the normal way' without counting the extra cost to autistic people. 

    Things will settle, eventually. Maybe not in quite the same pattern, but you might find the changes make life easier for you by recognising why some things are more difficult and what you can do to ease that. This immediate post-disgnosis disturbance is a stage. We all go through many stages in our lives and have to make adjustments. This one is a matter of realising what adjustments might suit you better to cope, rather than a complete collapse of who you are. It just feels difficult while you go through it. It's a pain but try not to freak out because you're still the same person you were; you just found out that some of your assumptions about yourself weren't true. That can be a positive thing, even if it doesn't feel that way right now  people hugging

Children
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