30 May 2008, 10:09 am
kerryt84 wrote:
Hey, I only found out just over a year ago that I have AS (I'm 24). I don't have an official diagnosis, though it describes me perfectly. I always knew I was different from other people I knew but didn't know how till I read about AS. I used to just try and pretend to be like other people, sometimes I would pretend I was in a movie and had to act like everyone else. People still mentioned I was a bit odd but not much. But since I have found I have got AS, and particularly in the past 6 months, it seems to have got 100 times worse. I don't know if it is just because I have read a lot about it and so am noticing all the things I do that could be classified under AS, or if it can actually get worse. I have been through a rough year so that could have triggered it. I'm finding it a lot more difficult to hide it now and people are starting to really notice. It's really getting me down that my friends, colleagues and family tell me how wierd I am and to act normal all the time. My family in particular, who don't know I have AS, have made me really hate myself by always pointing out my faults and telling me I'm really strange and saying what did they do for me to turn out like this. I'm just feeling really down and don't know what to do. I feel like I have no one to turn to and am going to go crazy having to deal with all this 
What did the diagnosis mean for you? It's not a limitation..it should be a tool to make you understand yourself better and taylor your own life to better suit your needs. Whatever you were doing before you were officialy diagnosed..do you fell it was working? It's just your own understanding and realization that have changed...you can still be like you were before and much more! You were mentioning a rough year, well rough things can definitely make anyone feel bad, down, stressed and prone to mistakes. Cheer up and don't let stuff get to you. Also, if you yourself focus on this too much (on the AS diagnosis) and analyze your every move, thought and action though it like though a magnifying glass, I think that you are stressing yourself. If you catch yourself doing something that makes you feel embarassed...laugh it out and give yourself a break! Be cool about it, most people won't even notice or care and even if they do, so what? They are not perfect either:) Don't be your biggest critic!:) Relax! Enjoy summer, go out, take it easy! Pamper yourself,
take care, sweetie!
30 May 2008, 10:41 am
30 May 2008, 11:02 am
