Happy Sunday everyone!

How was your week? What do you have going on in the week ahead? Anything you’re excited about or need support with? Let us know in the comments below. Share whatever you want.

In order to keep this community registered as “active” on Reddit, this check-in will be posted every Sunday :)

Happy Sunday everyone!

How was your week? What do you have going on in the week ahead? Anything you’re excited about or need support with? Let us know in the comments below. Share whatever you want.

In order to keep this community registered as “active” on Reddit, this check-in will be posted every Sunday :)

Happy Sunday everyone!

How was your week? What do you have going on in the week ahead? Anything you’re excited about or need support with? Let us know in the comments below. Share whatever you want.

In order to keep this community registered as “active” on Reddit, this check-in will be posted every Sunday :)

for context, i’m 22f! i’ve been unemployed for just over a year now, and im going back to the office as a recruiter tomorrow.

i’ll be working 8-4:30 monday through friday which is scaring me because previously i worked a 32 hour work week. i really struggled with the waking up early and harsh transition into my day. i don’t know how ill be able to keep up with 40 hours, but i am trying to remain optimistic.

i like recruiting, i think it’s genuinely nice to connect people to their next position (especially when the job market is like this). it makes me feel like i can actually make a difference, but i do really struggle with the social anxiety of being the first person a person talks to in a company.

i’m not really sure what i’m looking for out of this post, mostly i think kind words or advice from any of you that are currently working 40 hours or in corporate specifically. community always makes me feel better.

Happy Sunday everyone!

How was your week? What do you have going on in the week ahead? Anything you’re excited about or need support with? Let us know in the comments below. Share whatever you want.

In order to keep this community registered as “active” on Reddit, this check-in will be posted every Sunday :)

Want to check in on y'all to see how you're surviving the week.

Personally, I'm mid move and job searching at the same time. Life kind of sucks. But I have a dog that I love so hard and I'm living life on my terms. Hope y'all have something to love this week <3

Happy Sunday everyone!

How was your week? What do you have going on in the week ahead? Anything you’re excited about or need support with? Let us know in the comments below. Share whatever you want.

In order to keep this community registered as “active” on Reddit, this check-in will be posted every Sunday :)

Hellooo I am new here, I have been really struggling lately with not knowing what to do for work, and my future. I am 19 and I’m struggling a lot with my current job and I am wondering what you guys do for work? What have you found helps to cope with burnout from working? Lately I find myself going to work and then having little to no brain power left for anything else, which is causing a really exhausting issue. Currently I do custodial work full time. I clean multiple buildings a day with 1-2 other people. I like that I am able to kind of do my own thing, and I like that it keeps me on my feet and active. Really it should be the ideal situation but I’m really struggling with it. I also feel this pressure to work a more serious job, but I have no idea what I want to do, what I’m even good with and I’m scared to go into a career that I end up hating. I’ve done hard jobs before, so I feel like I should be able to just handle it, but me “handling” it is me in burnout and survival mode which leaves me with nothing. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated :)

Had someone who I admire call me a name that has negative connotations to it. There's no mistaking that this name is derogatory in nature.

What am I supposed to do now? How do I respond to that? Do I get vulnerable and say that hurt? Or do I point out how derogatory it was and distance myself?

I don't know how to handle the intricacies of social interactions like this. Would appreciate some advice <3

Happy Sunday everyone!

How was your week? What do you have going on in the week ahead? Anything you’re excited about or need support with? Let us know in the comments below. Share whatever you want.

In order to keep this community registered as “active” on Reddit, this check-in will be posted every Sunday :)

I constantly feel myself smiling at random strangers all the time. I don't know why I'm doing it or when it started. I don't care about these people's feelings about me, a stranger on the street. But every day I go out, I keep finding myself catching the eyes of strangers, and smiling, then moving on. I don't get it.

I feel like I only used to smile at babies and children, and now it's random men on the street...

I feel like it's happening more often, but it could also be the yellow car effect. Who knows, but it feels like the more aware I've become, the less I'm able to stop. Anyone else going through this?

Happy Sunday everyone!

How was your week? What do you have going on in the week ahead? Anything you’re excited about or need support with? Let us know in the comments below. Share whatever you want.

In order to keep this community registered as “active” on Reddit, this check-in will be posted every Sunday :)

Happy Sunday everyone!

How was your week? What do you have going on in the week ahead? Anything you’re excited about or need support with? Let us know in the comments below. Share whatever you want.

In order to keep this community registered as “active” on Reddit, this check-in will be posted every Sunday :)

I won’t say much about this situation because there is barely much to say. Me and my partner and both autistic but when we call I barely speak and when I do it’s limited to a few words, this isn’t just with my partner but I barely talk in general, I used to be kinda nonverbal as a child but I sound completely normal when I do talk so it gets looked over and seen as being shy but I genuinely struggle with it and I don’t want them to leave or get bored of me.

Does anyone know what this is and how I can learn more about it and try and fix it?

Happy Sunday everyone!

How was your week? What do you have going on in the week ahead? Anything you’re excited about or need support with? Let us know in the comments below. Share whatever you want.

In order to keep this community registered as “active” on Reddit, this check-in will be posted every Sunday :)

I’m skinny fat and so uncomfortable with my body, it gives me such horrible sensory nightmares, I need help with how I can lose weight to make my body feel better

Hello,

I've been researching autism in women, reflecting on my experiences, and compiling a list of traits that seem to fit. My brother is autistic, and I'm 99% sure my grandfather was too, so I've grown up around autism. Growing up, I always knew I was different and I’m starting to wonder if I’m autistic. Here is why.

I’ve always had very intense interests. Reading and writing are the biggest one—I have an MFA in Creative Writing, and it's always felt like the easiest way for me to express myself because communicating in person has often been difficult. Books, music, and animals have been lifelong passions. As a preteen, I was obsessed with horses, filling notebooks with horse facts, reading every horse book I could find, and covering my room with horse pictures. Over the years I've also become deeply interested in ballet, yoga, astronomy, Christianity and its history, astrology, and spirituality. While my interests rotate, writing, books, music, and animals have remained constant.

As a kid, I had sensory issues that stand out now. I cried and fought when my hair was brushed because my scalp was so sensitive. I needed my hair in a ponytail though because wearing it down was sensory hell. I removed clothing tags, hated wearing jeans or shoes, and changed into pajamas as soon as I got home. I recently found family videos showing me rocking, making repetitive hand movements, and repeating what others said. I also constantly picked at my nails, played with my hair, and spun in circles. I took a long time to learn to tie my shoes, ride a bike, and swim.

As a teenager, I rehearsed conversations in my head before having them and replayed them afterward in my journal and before bed. I always felt like I didn't quite fit in, and being around people all day was exhausting. I needed my own room growing up because I desperately needed quiet and alone time after school.

I also struggled with severe social anxiety. I frequently threw up at school from anxiety, which my mom took me to the doctor for thinking it was something more. the doctor said it was anxiety. Even asking a teacher for a drink of water felt overwhelming, and I was dehydrated a lot.

I also had frequent meltdowns where I'd cry, thrash, and scream over things that seemed minor to everyone else.

Now I'm working my first long-term full-time office job after graduate school, and I feel the same exhaustion I remember from childhood. Constant social interaction, small talk, navigating workplace expectations, and reading between the lines leave me completely burnedout. I'd really like to pursue an adult autism evaluation to get accommodations.

For those diagnosed as adults, how did you get started? Did you go through your GP or a psychiatrist? How difficult and expensive was the process? Also does anyone have advice for managing autistic burnout while working a full-time office job? I'm really struggling. I want to quit every day. Any advice would help.

TL;DR: I think I may be autistic and want to pursue an adult diagnosis. How did you get diagnosed, and what steps would you recommend to get diagnosed? also, how do you cope with autistic burnout while working full time?

Hello,

This is the first time that I am admitting this to a wider audience, but I think that I may be on the spectrum. I have been ruminating on this and watching videos about autism in women and compiling a list of things that I think fit the criteria in my head. I also have a brother on the spectrum, and I am about 99% sure my grandfather was autistic, so I grew up around people with autism and I have had a niggling thought before that I may also be autistic. Here are a few of the reasons that I think I may be on the spectrum.

1. I have always had very specific interests that I feel very strongly about researching and telling people about. The most consistent ones have been music and musicians that I like, horses, books, and generally writing. I have an MFA in Creative Writing, and I absolutely love writing. It feels like the thing that makes me me, and a huge part of why I love it so much is because I feel like in writing I can truly be myself and communicate in ways that in-person communicating is hard. I have always loved books as well, and I read a lot and spend a lot of time researching books. I also love to know as much as I can about the musicians that I like and always have since I got into music around 13- I like to know about their personal lives, what inspired the songs, write down the lyrics to my favorite songs, etc. I have always had a special interest in animals generally, which was probably one of my first intense interests as a child. When I was in my horse girl phase (which I still occasionally dip into) I was really intensely into horses. I kept notebooks full of notes on horse breeds, terms, riding styles, etc. I covered my room in pictures from horse magazines. I read every book and magazine on horses I could get, both fiction and nonfiction. Some other interests that I have gotten into with a lot of fervor have been ballet, yoga, astrology and spirituality, Christianity and its history, and astronomy. I cycle between special interests every few months, but writing, music, books, and animals stay pretty consistent.

2. As a child, I had some sensory issues that I am remembering now. For example, I would scream and cry when my mom brushed my hair because my scalp felt so sensitive. I could only wear my hair in pigtails or ponytails because it felt like sensory hell to have it down, but the process of actually putting it up was terrible. I also liked to take the tags out of my clothes. I also recently found some old family videos where I can be seen rocking, moving my hands in a way that indicates stimming, and repeating things that others say. I also picked at my nails and played with my hair a lot throughout school, and I loved to spin in circles at home. I hated wearing jeans and had to change into pajamas as soon as I got home, and I often moved my body in odd ways that my mom told me were not appropriate to feel comfortable in public. I also hated wearing shoes, and I took a very long time to learn how to tie my shoes (not 100% convinced I ever learned the right way) and to swim and ride a bike. 

3. As a preteen/teenager, I often obsessed over trying to fit in in school, and I would rehearse conversations in my head before speaking to people, and then go over them at night in my journal or in my head. I always felt a bit like I didn’t fit in, not that I was severely bullied, but it took a TON of energy for me to be at school and around people and I came home exhausted and snapped at my family a lot. I grew up in a poor family, but I needed to have my own room for most of my childhood because I could not handle my space not looking the way that I wanted it to look and not having alone time after school. 

4. I had a lot of social anxiety and had regular throwing up spells at school, to the point that my mom took me to a doctor thinking something was medically wrong. They said I just had bad anxiety. I would get so overwhelmed just thinking of asking a teacher to let me go get a drink of water, resulting in dehydration several times since I grew up in hot places. I felt so anxious being around people that I didn’t know, and my mom had to pick me up from my first sleepover. 

5. I would have very big meltdowns over things, during which I would cry and thrash and repeatedly scream, “You’re killing me.” These were often over minor things, and led me to have a reputation as a “drama queen” in my family. 

There are probably more things besides what I’m thinking of. Anyway, if  you made it this far, I am wondering how I can look into pursuing an adult diagnosis or any resources that you have? I haven’t brought it up to my GP yet, but I want to. I’m feeling so burnout and overwhelmed working my first long-term full-time job post graduate school, and it is reminding me of the exhaustion that I felt throughout my childhood and adolescence just trying to cope with school. I find it so hard to talk to people all day, deal with small talk and constant interaction, navigate what is and is not appropriate to say to coworkers, and understand the subtleties of people’s passive communication. I think that college was a break from that, since my hours were less structured and I did shift work at a job that I loved and taught evening/afternoon classes throughout my program. I would love to be able to get some accommodations, or at least know that this is what is wrong with me. I am also sure that I have PTSD due to some recent events and general childhood trauma, but if autism is in fact a piece of the puzzle, I’d like to know. So how did y’all pursue a diagnosis? How hard was it to get? Does it cost a lot? I’ve researched some of these questions a bit, but am going through quite a lot right now and could use some help. 

TLDR: I think that I may have autism, and I would like to get an adult diagnosis. How did you get diagnosed with autism and what are the steps that I should do to pursue a diagnosis?     

I don't know if this is the right place to post this but I'll give it a shot. I (23) am moving to my mom's (temporarily) for a month before starting my Master's in September. The problem is I have nothing to do in August and it's making me anxious. Does a lack of structure affect other women on the spectrum? (I am not formally diagnosed but am on a three-year waitlist as my province is underfunded.) The other problem is that I have no friends where my mom lives as she moved there during a pandemic and I will be moving again later that month. I am trying to find some hobbies to try for August, but it seems like it will be a long month. Does anyone have any suggestions for some hobbies to try? I have already reached out to a few places in regards to volunteering for August.

Hello, I'm 24 and my new psychiatrist told me he thinks autism could be likely (first time im hearing of this fellas) and I just had a quick question, to be formally diagnosed with autism you have to be tested as in....go to a place and get tested for it? I'm not....diagnosed yet just cause he said that, right? Or is this definitely something I should ask my guy next time I go in? I feel so stupid for asking this 😩😭 but I also have a pretty complicated history so I know that's just my anxiety (I hope 🖐️)

I also wanna clarify I did actually sort of think I could be autistic for a bit but never....really? if that makes any sense. I really truly did just think I wasnt as good as everyone else at being a person or trying as hard (on various things) so hearing a psych tell me that is different...I think you'd all understand (maybe presumptuous but 🤷‍♀️)

Hi everyone, first time poster, female 30yrs. I was late diagnosed autistic and adhd and so still learning about myself. I applied to access to work back in January but feeling apprehensive because I feel like I'm just going to be asked how I want to be helped, and truthfully I don't know. I find it really hard to just come up with ideas of support when I've never had them in place before. For reference, I have a full-on job organising programmes with primary schools, and WFH.

If you are autistic and have received Access to Work, what support were you offered and was it worthwhile?

Thanks :):)

I know this topic is a perennial for us but I'm at the GP's office because I can barely keep my eyes open. I'm in a lot of discomfort. Majority of us in here are keeping our voices low, if we're talking, or we're got headphones or or something. So we're not upsetting the other people in the wait room. I''ve not even been sat down waiting for 5 minutes when some entitled - and visibly inebriated - dude comes in and sits down across from me. Everything's fine until he starts blaring music on his phone (the Hungry Jack's theme song, iykyk).

There's an empty seat between us. I'm *not* at my best, my tolerance limit right now is in hell. The office is *uncomfortably*. But I wait. Because *maybe* it's an alarm. *Maybe* he is being reminded of something and he needs it loud because his hearing is shit. But it keeps *going* at full bore. So I turn to him and I say 'turn your music *down*.'

Him: "WHAT? I'M AUTISTIC, I CAN'T HEAR, IT'S MY ALARM." (yes, in a paddock voice, no volume control.)

Me: "You're not the only autistic in the room. I've got a migraine. Turn your music *down*."

Him: "I'M AUTISTIC."

Me: "So am *I*. Turn it down or turn it *off*."

This goes on, back and forth, my expression has gone from neutral to angry. I keep telling him to turn it *down*. He decides to cross the room but it's a small enclosed space. Just because he's now 4 metres away doesn't lower the volume of his music. He sits next to a woman and I think maybe she's his support worker as he's telling her what a b*tch I'm being and he's autistic and I should let him do what he wants. She gets up and comes to sit beside *me*, saying he reeks like a brewery. A Spanish (I think, she's talking softly on her phone to someone) woman starts filming him because I'm *still* telling him to turn his music down or off. I'm not asking for much. Just some fricking quiet in this stinking hot GP waiting room.

Now, because Spanish is filming him and I'm not letting him get away with being an entitled ash-hole, he decides to try and physically threaten her. It's at this point the receptionist *finally* says if he doesn't leave she'll call the cops on his ass. 5 minutes of him stinking up the room and playing his music at max and the receptionist only *now* tells him to get out.

Thankfully, he does. But not even a minute later some uninvolved guy looks over at me and says 'he's autistic, he doesn't know what he's doing is wrong.' Dude is now the next subject of my ire. I look at him and I say, 'I'm fricking autistic, he *knows* what he's doing.' And the dude then tries to excuse him by saying his drunk and he can't control himself to which I just become more agitated. '*I'M* autistic. When I'm drunk*, I can control myself!' Dude finally shuts the frak up as his friend comes out from her appointment.

I am so *sick* of autistic boys and men getting away with behaviour that autistic girls, women and *anyone* perceived as femme would never get away with. We're *constantly* hounded to behave, to appear well put together and have manners while they're constantly coddled by everyone around them and other men will leap to defend their bad behaviour.

Autistic boys and men know what the frak they're doing.

*I don't drink but the few times I have I have never lost controlof myself.

My sensory issues are pretty mild, but there are some days that I have zero tolerance for thick seams (like on jeans), stiff/thick bra straps, or sports bras that are too compressive. Haven't worn a bra with wires in over a decade. Do y'all have recs for comfy wireless bras? I'm a b cup and don't need a lot of support. Mostly just need something to not nip out.

P.s. fairly new to reddit, especially because I ended up with 2 accounts when I had trouble logging in. Hoping this post doesn't get rejected for lack of karma...