Does stress bring out the worst in your symptoms?

Post Reply New Topic

Does stress make you worse, or have little effect other than depression, anxiety, etc?

You'd need to define "worse", I'm afraid.

YES. Worse.

yes.

More...autistic. Less responsive to others, even less social, more stimming, more need to be alone, more lost in your own world, etc etc etc.

Yeah.

Ah, ok.

Well, there are two elements there. I would say that being allowed to retreat into my own world is something of a self-perpetuating cycle. The more I'm left to my own devices, the more I shut people out and retreat further. The more time I spend on my obsessions, the more I want to spend. I don't find these things negative, although they are addictive. Sometimes I have to be dragged back into the "real" world.

On the other hand, stress does have an effect on things like panic attacks, anxiety, depression and possibly it makes me stim more. I don't know that it makes me "more autistic" though. I probably come across as more autistic when I'm relaxed (eg at home with the girlfriend rather than meeting people for the first time), because I'm not trying to be something I'm not.

cant cope with stress one bit. i avoid it at all costs. depending on how i have become stressed.
feels like i have drank to much coffee and makes me angry agitated, anziety, edgy type feeling
or me head just goes all mush like, dizzy an blury no chance of comunication.
or i will just have to go to sleep feels like my hole bodys full of lead. depressed feeling
or some times all of them one after the other depends if i have managed to recognise the begining or not
and attempt to controll it .
last time i got stressed i was driving and me dad was giving me directions, he made a mistake and tried to make out he hadnt
and started saying why have you come this way an stuff, i depend on people close to me to be honest, so i dont get confused
wooooo it realy confused me, big melt down slamed the brakes on an nuted the steering wheel a few times got out and ran off. i had to get away form his naging an blaging his words were bouncing aroung in my head like hot nails. luckily there was no other trafic. it realy worried me and me dad no doubt.

Yes. I try and avoid conflict and stress. Just tend to stay in my own little world.

What he said.

And I've had so much stress, I've been going gray since 15

Yes, indeed, stress does make my AS worse. Not to mention my depression, anxiety and anger as well...



I am already clinically depressed but when something in everyday life is harder for me to cope with than normal, I start shaking and rocking about on my bed.. and I KNOW I'm going to get stressed. Stress, for me, is pretty much serious anger.. I yell at everybody!

Definately. I am so border line that when I am happy I am pretty normal, but when I get depressed or anxious I retreat into my own world, my social skills disappear and I stim a lot more. I am fine as long as things go the way I have planned them, but if something goes wrong in my plans I find I cant cope with it and end up crying and becoming very frustrated, even if it is just a minor problem.

Yes when I get stressed I find that I get worse in my symptoms of AS.

Stress is definitely a bad, bad thing for me. I am mildly affected and can pass for normal most of the time, but a high level of stress can totally shut me down.

Does stress bring out the worst in your symptoms?

It makes my OCD a lot worse. I mean A LOT. Things I'd be almost okay with normally may trigger severe OCD spikes when I'm stressed out... It is UGLY. It may sound strange, but it's rare that I really suffer for my AS traits. It's easier for me to avoid situations I'm not happy with due to my AS. But this damn OCD? I can't reason with it. There is no logic. It may strike at any time, at any place...

I normally have fairly low levels of stress but when I am highly stressed, I need more time to myself, become more irritable and feel depressed more often. I also have less energy and require more sleep, but these have nothing to do with my AS.