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Diagnosed a week ago…

Kim1025

Hey everyone

I’m new here and just received my official autism diagnosis last week. I'm a 51-year-old female, and while a big part of me feels incredibly relieved to finally have an answer, I’ve also found myself in a bit of a weird place over the last few days.

Instead of just celebrating, I've been feeling a bit down and quite blank. I think it’s hitting me just how much I've struggled my whole life without knowing why until now. It's a lot to process.

I’ve been offered three follow-up sessions with a psychiatrist, which I will take, but right now I’m just feeling a bit lost. For those of you who were diagnosed later in life, how did you navigate the first few weeks? What should I do now to help myself process all of this?

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  • Hi Kim

    I welcomed my diagnosis (about 2 years ago), and found that it helped very much to explain many things. What you have to watch is the negative stigma from seeping in ... Think of it not as a diagnosis, but as an explanation, as who you are will not be changing. I hate the expression 'think positive', but actually, NOT thinking negatively about it should help

  • in reply to Literal_Joe

    Thank you for advice. I really dislike the 'think positive' phrase too, so your suggestion to just focus on not thinking negatively feels much more realistic and doable for me right now. Treating it as an explanation for my struggles is a really comforting way to look at it. Thank you.

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