Adult Asperger's

Woodyard

Hello.
My name is David. I am 50 years old and new to this site. I was born with a congenital heart defect and had corrective open heart surgery when I was about 18 months old. All of my life i have felt different to everybody else and never really understood why. Not just my body but my mind, my thoughts and my behaviour. I have spent all of my life living in fear (i don't know what of) because I have had a fantastic upbringing with my family, full of love and happiness. However I've always felt different and like the black sheep, not that i was treated differently, its just in my mind. 
When i was younger all i wanted to do was be like everyone else. As I've got older i have realised that it's my mental health that has always been the problem. I have spoke to my GP and she said she will recommend me for an asperger's assessment but it could take a while. 
All i am looking for is someone who understands and i can talk to Please.
Thank you,
Kind regards, 
David. 

Ross_Alumni

Hello @Woodyard

Welcome to the community and thank you for speaking so openly and honestly about how you feel, that takes a lot and I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate it.

I'm glad that your GP has been able to refer you for the assessment and hopefully you get it sooner than you think. In the meantime, has your GP been able to provide any other kind of support or advice? 

We have a category on the community dedicated to autism and neurodiversity, so I would definitely recommend having a browse of that and reading the stories from other members. I'm sure you'll be able to make friends and receive supportive comments here.

Woodyard

Thanks Ross. That's very kind of you. I'm not very good with all this online stuff but i will give it a go. 

Danip

Hi Woodyard, something that helped me accept my differences was to talk about them, as you have done here. I also had some CBT sessions that helped me see that I can be true to myself and that I don't need to follow someone's behaviour to be accepted. If you haven't tried before, I would suggest asking your GP to refer you for some CBT sessions while waiting for the assessment . Take care!

Woodyard

Thank you Danip. I have heard about CBT before but I don't really understand it. If I do more research then I maybe i can can get it right in my mind to try it. It may sound silly but new things like this make me more anxious. I suppose trying to get help is a step in the right direction Thank you. 

Ross_Alumni

Hi @Woodyard

If you are intending to do some research into CBT, this page from the NHS is a good place to start