Published on 12, July, 2020
My wonderful brother, who I love so much, really struggles with his self-esteem. He got his Autism diagnosis from a really young age, and growing up, knowing that he was different, but it not being discussed or celebrated, has really damaged his self-esteem. He refuses the help he needs with his daily living tasks, because he doesn’t want to be “different”. He constantly expresses feelings of shame, and as an adult has began turning to alcohol as a coping mechanism. This has also led to him loosing his PIP payments, as he attended an assessment without a guardian and said that he was able to do the things that he absolutely can’t do independently.
I really want to help him, especially in terms of self esteem and self acceptance, as I can see how this conflict with who he is and who he wants to be, is so painful for him. I just want him to see how wonderful he is.
Do you have any suggestions on what could help? I don’t have lived experience of neurodivergence, so I want to be as sensitive as I can, but I know that I’ll never fully understand. Suggestions of resources, things to help build his self esteem etc would be really appreciated.
I also want to add, that growing up, there wasn’t an emphasis of celebrating who he is. He was very much under the pressure to mask, which is why I say that it has affected his self-esteem.