What the heck is going on?

Soup, I believe you are one of the most level-headed and helpful people on this forum and your advice is usually spot-on. I have noticed also there is currently a cluster of crises in progress among the members. I suspect this is a pendulum swinging from most members being in a generally more comfortable place toward the other side where crisis is more frequent among us.

Being aspie is not easy and our situations fluctuate and crisis mode is part of being an aspie. Some of us will live on the edge most of our lives, some will swing back and forth, some will age gracefully and learn and grow more secure over their lifetimes, and some few will crash and burn.

Considering that we all live with hyper-active amygdalas constantly pumping cortisol (the stress hormone) through our veins we are by definition a population who in spite of our quietude will not live boring lives. How could it be otherwise?

there really is only so much one person can do, you are offering sound and helpful advice when people on the forum need help with their life issues or emotional issues.

try not to get yourself down thinking you should be doing more, atleast your willing to try and help

I agree with Loomis. When you are constantly under stress it is hard to think straight--there are biochemical reasons for this. Plus I suspect that most of the people here are rather young and haven't had the benefit of experience and maturity. When I think back to my 20's and 30's I made a lot of bad decisions. I won't say my life was crisis to crisis but I did not know how to get the help I sought and I also pushed away people who were trying to help me because I did not like what they had to say. People who were older and wiser and could see the bigger picture. But I was not ready to listen to them. I wanted the world to run my way. Now that I am older it is hard for me to keep my mouth shut when I see people making big mistakes with their lives and I tend to be rather blunt about it. Not because I am mean but because I don't want to see them wasting precious time on crisis after crisis when it doesn't have to be that way. I forget that these people are like I was back then and not willing to listen.