I am just looking for advice really from anyone else who has been diagnosed or think they may be on the spectrum. I'm 38 but deep down ever since I was a child, I kinda knew I may have been autistic. I went to a psychologist as a teenager who said that I was just socially anxious and that it's something I may come out of in time. In some social situations, I can be very functional and I have huge empathy for people, but I have always found friendships difficult along with relationships
Due to chronic fatigue and arthritis I am also unable to work so was never able to get a career going
I think the diagnosis has somewhat helped me a little bit. I no longer beat myself up and label myself a failure because I find a lot of things difficult and i have stopped putting myself into situations that make me feel uncomfortable, whereas before I would have turned myself inside out just to fit in with others
Long post sorry but my main question is how did you learn to navigate the world with autism and what are your coping mechanisms?