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Recently diagnosed - No idea who I am any more

Camille

Hey - new here and hoping to get some friendly advice on how to cope with being diagnosed recently. I’m 34 and i was 95% convinced I was autistic for about 4 years before I actually got officially diagnosed, so when I finally got the confirmation that all my suspicions were right, I felt a huge sense of relief and validation. Now, about a fortnight on, my euphoric relief has turned into a deep dark dissociative space. I’m depressive, vacant and don’t want to talk to anyone or do anything social. I am aware of how down I am, but can’t do anything about it. I feel like I’ve now been given the green light to know who I really am… and now I’m completely overwhelmed. I feel like I have to get to know a new person. And that person is me.. who I thought I already knew… help !

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  • Camille said:
    Now, about a fortnight on, my euphoric relief has turned into a deep dark dissociative space. I’m depressive, vacant and don’t want to talk to anyone or do anything social. I am aware of how down I am, but can’t do anything about it

    Have you had these feelings before?

    Camille said:
    I feel like I have to get to know a new person. And that person is me.. who I thought I already knew…

    You may seem new to yourself, but there are parts of you that you know. At the moment, with the confirmation of your diagnosis, those parts are currently obscured by the new focus. They will reappear.

    Camille said:
    I feel like I have to get to know a new person.

    Rephrasing may help here. It might appear less overwhelming if you think you will get to know new aspects of yourself.

  • in reply to James

    That’s a very pragmatic answer - thank you for replying to me. You are right - I have had these feelings before

    rephrasing is definitely something I will have to be doing at the moment so thank you for that tip, too.

    I really appreciate your replying

  • in reply to Camille
    Camille said:
    You are right - I have had these feelings before

    What was/were your method(s) of coping with these feelings previously?

    Thinking about your previous reactions to these feelings, before you had the diagnosis, might a) make you acknowledge that the 'new' you was there previously, just not isolated and observable with a category, and b) might importantly help you identify which responses you had to such feelings which were helpful (and which were counterproductive). This self-knowledge can help you deal with such emotions in the future.

    (Apologies for the very convoluted prose!)

  • in reply to James

    Well coping mechanisms aren’t really present apart from detaching from everything - detaching from people, unable to mask etc. one thing that really helps me is cleaning my house and getting on top of life admin, so I’ve been doing that over the weekend and it does help me. Thanks for talking with me

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  • in reply to James

    Well coping mechanisms aren’t really present apart from detaching from everything - detaching from people, unable to mask etc. one thing that really helps me is cleaning my house and getting on top of life admin, so I’ve been doing that over the weekend and it does help me. Thanks for talking with me

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