Richard Haard
New Member
Life has been good. After university I struggled to find a career that fit and after 3 'failures' stumbled into a magic job that allowed me to thrive and totally occupy myself for about 30 years. I can keep working if I want but my mind and body are slowing down and I just cannot do it. In this world I made for myself I have become isolated socially and need to find a way to adapt to retirement. With my lady of 55 years.
I think this transition will go well for me. There will be depression but is never severe for me. I am concerned my autism spectrum will ?evolve as I grow older. I'm wondering how to raise this concern with my GP in an upcoming annual physical and to not raise a flag subjecting me to testing and analysis I do not want or need.
For me learning to adapt often takes very long time. Relief from stuttering as a youth through my Ph.D prelims was accomplished by finally meeting a therapist who also stuttered and showed my how to relieve my tension about speaking. Inside me there is anger that I was not 'recognized' and given council to help me find a better path for myself as when my professor advised me to seek help after my disastrous oral prelim.
I'm thinking I need a similar tool to the help me to adapt. It was a simple, 'hang on I'm having trouble getting this out' that relieved my tension. However when I'm frozen up in a social situation, I'm reluctant to say something about my poor social skills.... or mention autism because I am undiagnosed.
Admitting this to myself, I'm autism spectrum, has taken a long time.
I think this transition will go well for me. There will be depression but is never severe for me. I am concerned my autism spectrum will ?evolve as I grow older. I'm wondering how to raise this concern with my GP in an upcoming annual physical and to not raise a flag subjecting me to testing and analysis I do not want or need.
For me learning to adapt often takes very long time. Relief from stuttering as a youth through my Ph.D prelims was accomplished by finally meeting a therapist who also stuttered and showed my how to relieve my tension about speaking. Inside me there is anger that I was not 'recognized' and given council to help me find a better path for myself as when my professor advised me to seek help after my disastrous oral prelim.
I'm thinking I need a similar tool to the help me to adapt. It was a simple, 'hang on I'm having trouble getting this out' that relieved my tension. However when I'm frozen up in a social situation, I'm reluctant to say something about my poor social skills.... or mention autism because I am undiagnosed.
Admitting this to myself, I'm autism spectrum, has taken a long time.
