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Struggling with anxiety

ihoardjars

Hello everyone, I'm so glad I've found this community I've been desperately searching for an autistic support group for ages. I've been in mental health support groups, but I've noticed that neurotypical mental health is very different to neurodivergent mental health. I feel like I need a different community that actually understands autism and our particular needs. 

My anxiety has been flaring up a lot lately, I think it's because I'm dealing with a lot of change the last few months. Change has always been really difficult for me, but this year has been particularly hard. I don't know if it's because I have realised I am autistic or if I've just been overloaded this year. I am so worried that I'm going to have a bad meltdown or shutdown. I wish I could turn the anxiety off, it's just been too much right now. Does anyone have anything helpful they do when feeling anxious or overwhelmed?

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  • I'm really sorry you are struggling so bad with the anxiety. I haven't been to a mental health group before but I can imagine if it isn't done with autistic people in mind it probably won't be a lot of help sadly. Unfortunately support for autistic people still has a long way to go!

    I'm glad this community is here though! It's a really warm and friendly environment to be part of.

    I find distractions work best for me and also making sure I start to distract myself before the anxiety gets too bad (Not easy I know)! - but noticing my anxiety before it hits me for six is something I've been trying to work on. 

    Some things that work for me well is distracting myself by painting, listening to music, singing and lately going for walks. Walking is working really well for me - exercise is generally recommended as it calms you down and lowers anxiety levels. 

    Another tip I got from a professional is focusing on your immediate senses so what you can see, hear, touch and taste. You can write them down or just think about them or say them out loud. It's almost like a game in a way but it does work, for me at least. It helps ground you and distract you when anxiety comes around.

    I hope this helps you. Keep your chin up and try to stay positive, if you need to chat hit me up anytime Blush

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  • I'm really sorry you are struggling so bad with the anxiety. I haven't been to a mental health group before but I can imagine if it isn't done with autistic people in mind it probably won't be a lot of help sadly. Unfortunately support for autistic people still has a long way to go!

    I'm glad this community is here though! It's a really warm and friendly environment to be part of.

    I find distractions work best for me and also making sure I start to distract myself before the anxiety gets too bad (Not easy I know)! - but noticing my anxiety before it hits me for six is something I've been trying to work on. 

    Some things that work for me well is distracting myself by painting, listening to music, singing and lately going for walks. Walking is working really well for me - exercise is generally recommended as it calms you down and lowers anxiety levels. 

    Another tip I got from a professional is focusing on your immediate senses so what you can see, hear, touch and taste. You can write them down or just think about them or say them out loud. It's almost like a game in a way but it does work, for me at least. It helps ground you and distract you when anxiety comes around.

    I hope this helps you. Keep your chin up and try to stay positive, if you need to chat hit me up anytime Blush

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