Diary of an ASD Squirrel. Day 205 , Tuesday 21/05/2024
TL:DR Late up today , so was more or less ignored. Clues to whether I’m AuDHD & if I’m going thru a burnout period came to light from fellow ND Peeps.
I had a somewhat enforced lay in this morning, in that I was so exhausted that I simply slept thru all the noise that would usually wake me up.
I finally got up around 07:30. Life obviously went on without me, even though Mrs S. was working from home.
Me: I’m a total introvert & wish to be alone.
Also Me when wife zones me out because I was late to get up: I’m so lonely !!!
Is the mind of an ND bananas or what ! (Possibly some for of nut in my case 🤦♂️ )
I risked a ‘proper’ breakfast this morning - I seem to have survived it 😊
I would normally have cleaned the bathroom today, but because I’m not feeling so good that didn’t happen. I know from past experience it won’t get done until I feel well enough, be that days or even weeks 🙄🤦♂️
I wrote a little while back , when I got the results of my assessment thru , that the Consultant Psychiatrist had suggested that I be assessed for ADHD too. That is currently on hold.
But , & here’s the thing I read a toot ( linked below) from @ashleyspencer that totally spoke to me & I recognised EVERYTHING she was talking about !
Well call me a Squirrel & bounce a walnut off me ‘ed !
I number of other folk on here have suggested that I had ADHD symptoms , but I could never put the whole package together in my own head to the point that I ‘felt’ it!
Maybe I need to pull the whole ‘getting ADHD assessment’ off the back burner ?
I also realised ,based on a toot from @pathfinder (again see the link below) that I may well be experiencing a period of autistic burnout - it seems to be so similar , in key ways to where I am at the moment. No wonder I’m struggling!
Got back into the post-apocalyptic world of Fo4 this afternoon, I had forgotten how enjoyable this game is.
Final Thoughts.
I am struck once again how much I am coming to depend on the @actuallyautistic community to help me progress on my ASD journey and understand more about me!
Special thanks to Ashley & Kevin for pointing the way today. 🙏
Thank you to all those who are helping me on this journey, in a myriad different ways. I am thankful to each & every one of you! 🫂 🫶🐿️🖖
@Tim_McTuffty
Ello sweets!
First of all, don't stress getting the "labels" too much. While they can be helpful at times, nothing much will probably change once you have them...
In my experience, it helped me to get a better understanding of why I do things. I can explain my reasoning a bit better to friends and family.
But others won't treat you differently if they don't care to begin with... You'll still be who you are. There's no medical solution that can "fix" everything. Even without the official label, you can still be validated as being ND in more than one way. ITMS... 🤔
I did have some group therapy for the AuDHD and it didn't help me one bit... 😔 People even told me I used my diagnosis to have a reason to be an asshat 🤔 so it won't make that much of a difference to have the label, don't pressure yourself too much...
What helped me was to read about it, I read the easier books like the Dummy ones, as the more technical were harder for me. I tried to talk about it with people that supported me. My bestie even asked to read the dummy books so she could have a better understanding. 😊 But not all people are like that. Some will see the label as an excuse for your "bad behavior" towards them... 😔
Just wanna say, read, talk, explore and not stress about it.
Having an official label won't change who you are on the inside. And to many people on the outside, it probably won't make a big difference, unfortunately...
"Just" my experience since being diagnosed in early 2011. Things may have changed since then, maybe they're better in the UK than they are here... I went in for ADHD testing and came out with AuDHD in the end. But what helped me most was the self awareness. Why do I think and do differently and why that isn't bad or wrong, perse...
Sorry, long reply!!! Good luck 🍀 and I hope you'll find an inner peace with it all. Because that may help you to feel a bit more relaxed, perhaps. 🤗
@Tim_McTuffty
You don't need to read them, they just helped me so that's why I mentioned them. 😊 No worries!
Some meds can help, but the kind of help is different for everyone and some people struggle more with the side effects than with the actual adhd bits. So there is no "guarantee" you'll "be better" with something like adhd meds... It could help, but ask yourself what you need "help" with first... If that makes sense 🤔
I was very hesitant with the meds for many years due to earlier side effects. I notice some difference with the meds now, but I also still struggle with my adhd bits from day to day...
You're very welcome 🌸 we're all different but I'm glad to share my experience and views, if that could help in any way... 🤗