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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Camel" data-source="post: 12721" data-attributes="member: 5378">Hi Bluelyn,Please be kind to yourself. This is a huge. Going through the diagnostic process is draining.The realisation that you are different takes time to understand. Give yourself time to come to terms with this massive change in your life.For many of us there are incredibly mixed feelings that we struggle to appreciate and process. Leading up to my assessment I could not have been more anxious. It felt like all the exams I’ve ever taken rolled into one. The waiting for the results and report was worse than doing my finals. What helped me was having a partner and friends who knew me and accepted me for who I am. The result made no difference to them and how they saw me.I was happy and relieved to get my diagnosis. I then felt angry that I’d been undiagnosed and misdiagnosed for so long. I felt angry at the delay in getting an assessment. I felt a deep sense of grief for the life I could have had. I felt frustrated there was no post diagnosis support. I could get these feelings all at once or separately. It could be emotionally overwhelming and confusing. They could come at anytime. None of this is unusual……but then you only know this when you start to talk to other late diagnosed Autistics.The best support I found was meeting and talking with other neurodivergent folks. Just knowing you are not alone is so comforting. Being able to be open and unmasked is such a relief. Having your experiences and feelings validated was, for me, the most positive and affirming experience. It is worth looking for adult Autistic support groups. NDSA have a number of in person meet ups in the Derbyshire area and also a number of online meetings. I don’t know how you feel about joining meetings. For me it was very difficult at first. You don’t have to have cameras or mics on in zoom meetings. You can just listen. It takes time to build confidence. Once you do become more confident and are able to engage, you will get the benefit and support of our community.Managing burnout is one of the most challenging aspects of being Autistic. You have to give yourself time….lots of time. You have to find the things that bring you joy and restore your energy levels. This is different for each one of us. Regaining balance in your life is imperative. Start with the basics….sleep, nutrition and exercise. For me, walking and getting into nature always helped. Don’t push yourself beyond your capacity. It won’t help. Be patient and kind with yourself. If you keep pushing yourself back into the situations that precipitated you into to burnout, the result will be the same…burnout. You will need to identify the changes that you need to make in order to thrive. Recovery and being well will allow you to contribute. That is why right now you must prioritise yourself and being well.Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.Best wishes, WadePS I love your avatar <img class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" alt="😁" title="Beaming face with smiling eyes    :grin:" src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f601.png" data-shortname=":grin:" /></blockquote>

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