Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello! I’m new to this site & reaching out to try to find answers & shared experiences. I’m 51 years old & struggling with perimenopause. I attend a fabulous seminar by the university of Bournemouth & Henpicked about menopause & neurodiversity 3 months ago & it’s like someone has thrown a bomb into my life (apologies for the violent reference). I realised I was neurodiverse. I was euphoric at first - what an epiphany- as it explained so much - why I struggled as a child & now. But now I’m thinking where do I go from here? I currently have 2 jobs - one with a lot of responsibility which I feel I am failing at. My anxiety is through the roof & I struggle hourly to contain it. I live alone & so have to work at this level in order to support myself but all I’d like to do is give up work or find something with much less responsibility & that I can do independently (I currently manage a team of 7). But that isn’t possible unless I go back to a house share situation. I have pets so this isn’t possible & I like my space too much - & need it to avoid burnout. My question is this - is there support for those coming out as neurodivergent late in life particularly women & where? And is there support for highly functioning neurodivergents in high level roles. Help! Any suggestions, experiences, thoughts, gratefully received …
Just a quick reply as I need to cook dinner - but just to say that I think a lot of women find that the menopause ‘pushes them’ into recognising their neurodiversity. This happened with me (although I’d long had my suspicions as both my sons were diagnosed as autistic). I’ve noticed so many women on this forum who were diagnosed in their early to mid fifties. My feeling is that it’s never too late to have a better understanding of who we are - so that we can try to live our lives in a way that actually makes us happy.
true indeed.