Hello; new to this aspie thing

[Nervous Rex]

13. Fnord

I can see the fnords!

 

[Nauti]

I was told of my autism when I was a teenager and I'm now pushing 50. That would mean I'd been living with such impairments all my adult life, but I don't see them. If anything I've found I'm far less disadvantaged than was originally suggested to me back when Asperger's was a new and revolutionary idea.
Your diagnosis doesn't change who you are or imply that you've previously hidden difficulties. What difficulties you already knew about just have an explanation now - nothing more, nothing less.
Some people react to their diagnosis as if it were a life sentence. It doesn't have to be. Diagnosis helps you identify which parts of your personality are AS related and which parts are just you. It doesn't change your capacity or motivation to work harder at those aspects to make life more liveable or just accept them as part of you.
The great thing about interacting here, and likely why it's so busy, is that people here are either on the spectrum or are close to someone who is, sometimes both. It means we can drop the masks, be ourselves and help eachother. That makes it a valuable refuge and resource
It lights the dark night of being the perpetual odd one out with a golden moon of hope

Thank you for the comforting response. I watched your just-got-your-diagnosis vid, too. I'm more relieved than ever, now. I just had to greive the "I'm going to get over feeling socially awkward" idea that I had.

Previous to realizing that I'm on the spectrum, I thought it was just PTSD and had this idea that I could work through and process all my trauma and enjoy being social, but, it feels more like you described, that I've reached a threshold, at least for the moment and I've been stretched to my limits and now I just have to accept those limitations and work within them. I'm mostly relieved that I have the right explanation for my lifetime of challenges and difficulties, though.

It allows me to validate my ways of coping and living that bring me more comfort. Luckily, I've found one person that gets me (my also-Aspie boyfriend), and my children, so far, have been good about it, at least one, maybe two, think they may be on the spectrum as well.

I have 5 sons and two daughters. I also have a moderate functioning Autistic son who already receives a lot of services.

Sorry for highjacking your thread @LunaAurum . It's good to get some of these processing thoughts out, though .

 

[LunaAurum]

Anyone who not only knows of the word "eldritch" but can use it appropriately in a structured sentence (as opposed to accusing the person who coined it of "making up words") is welcome in my book!

Haha but it is such a great word! I probably use it a tad too often to be honest, but life just gets so Lovecraftian at times

Sorry for highjacking your thread @LunaAurum . It's good to get some of these processing thoughts out, though

That's no problem. I find that writing down my thoughts as they happen can work magic. It looks like a random outburst at first but then it's like the brain feels cleaner and better sorted-out