I thought I'd start a general chat thread but I wasn't sure where to put it. I hope this is the right place.

How is everyone finding this year so far? It hasn't been the best for my country for a certain reason, but in my personal life I've been much more social with people than I was this time last year. I've not been feeling that good recently because of various issues but I am trying to get help with it.

If you're not currently part of the group, you're welcome to join.

I sure hope jinxing isn't a thing, because I'm having a pretty good year. :D There's hurdles every month, but they keep me on my feet and I'm fighting for what I need and want more than ever before. I don't always succeed, but just trying is a win compared to previous efforts.

This year I got some diagnoses and subsequently support resources, a new significant other, a gym membership, a surgery date, and am investing money in important things to improve my quality of life (instead of impulse-buys and "oooh, I really, really want that and have for a while even though it does nothing for me other than offer a pleasant distraction"-type purchases).

It's great to know that you're also making improvements, pointycatears ! I hope you get the help you need. :s

That's good to hear.

I have a support worker who's trying to help me get what I need, but it's often hard to get hold of her and sometimes she cancels my meetings with her at the last minute. I know she doesn't have anything against me and it's because of things she can't help, but it does make me feel let down a lot. Yesterday I had to get my Mum to come to an appointment with me cause it was at a place I really didn't want to go to alone and my support worker had to cancel coming with me at the last minute. That was stressful.

I feel upset again today cause tomorrow I was supposed to be going on a trip with a social group I go to, we were going for a walk in a place I went to a few years ago and liked and wanted to go to again, but they had to cancel it cause apparently the weather is too much or something. I was really looking forward to it and I still want to do something meaningful tomorrow but my Mum is at work so she can't take me and my siblings anywhere.

I just feel like everyone's letting me down at the moment.

I'm not autistic, but schizophrenic.

My residual symptoms can still get in my way, and sometimes the best thing to do is resort to a more brutal therapy. So I picked up an axe and sledgehammer, then chopped firewood for months on end. I lost weight along the way, but its effectiveness has limits.

Where some things get in the way, the same can help me. My obsessive nature can allow me to make change happen, like returning to college or getting my driver's license paperwork made and sent.

Like others, this game can provide some outlet to socialize, outside of the seemingly indifferent people IRL. Frankly this has always been a distraction, something to do after the sun sets. I only take this as seriously as I want.

You might see me rant about being southpaw'd, my MO sometimes.

The mornings seem much nicer now, but I'm still taking ages to get up unless I have somewhere I need to be early. I also don't trust it just yet because I heard there's supposed to be snow soon. I hope not. Not like 2 years ago when we had snow in March. That wasn't nice.

I have college and self imposed chores to make use of my time. Being restless also factors in this...to the point of losing weight. This helped my overall health, sure but that has it's negative side.

It did snow here a month ago, which melted by midday.

Don't you just hate it when someone rejects you without giving you a chance? Without deciding to get to know you a bit more first? Without letting you explain why you can seem so annoying?

I don't like to use my disability as an excuse, but I really feel like unless I go around wearing a big lable that says "I AM AUTISTIC, PLEASE CONSIDER THIS IF YOU FIND ME ANNOYING," they'll never tolerate me.

Does anyone else feel this way? Has anyone else been rejected and/or blocked by people who don't understand you, and didn't take the time to try to understand?

My mom suggests that I am high-functioning, but still autistic. I honestly wonder because there are some things I am EXTREMELY good at and some things I am EXTREMELY bad at. I am great with reading...my reading speed is way off the charts. But when it comes to navigation, I have a lot of hiccups. It took me a long time to learn how to properly navigate in a town of 25000 people (more or less) in order to drive myself around. It also took me a long time to get used to the building I have been cleaning as a job. I may or may not lose that job depending upon if I go in tomorrow or not. The thing is, my hubby is ill and I don't want to spread anything. Does that mean I shouldn't go to work? I don't know.

Here's what I don't understand. Last Friday, I went to work despite being sick. I got sent home by my co-worker and told to call my boss. She scolded me for trying to get out of work when I was legitimately sick. I hope I don't lose my job but if it happens, I have to be okay somehow.

I also have mental illness issues. I have Schizoaffective disorder, which basically is if Bipolar and Schizophrenia had a child. It's terrible. I have other ones, but that's the one that is the worst. Currently, my meds are managing my situation okay. I am having some anxiety due to being stuck in my apartment. My hubby helps though. If he weren't with me, I don't know what I would do. Probably call a bunch of people and tick them off. People get mad at me sometimes because I do tend to go a little overboard.

I feel that way. But then again I know there are few if any southpaw'd ladies out there. It's like trying to find a specific grain of sand from all the deserts of the world.

So I just don't try. I've said, "I don't need friends, one is enough." And to this day live by it, I can still count them with one hand.

There lies the basis of my UN, an entire race of solitaires. No society, no real interaction, hell no language. They are basically nations of one.

How's everyone doing at the moment? There's so many changes in the world right now and it's more than I could ever anticipate.

I have Asperger's and it is exactly like said - I feel like I should paste a label on my self or get a shirt printed with I HAVE AUTISM PLEASE BE PATIENT WITH ME. It is very difficult to make friends and my people skills are nonexistent which makes it even harder to read social cues and respond properly.

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I also feel like people don't always take me seriously and are just dismissive of my questions because they don't understand how important knowledge and communication is to me, and they might think I'm just being bratty about it. I believe that if people truly understood me, they wouldn't treat me this way.

I'm doing okay! It's been a little rough but we're fine here with the whole isolation thing. How about anyone else?

I'm just really scared at the moment. People keep dying, and I'm sure some of those people are young and healthy. If I end up being one of them, none of my online friends will know what happened to me =(

I just got done being sick for three days. I literally slept through Thursday and Friday. I'm a super introvert, but I still need some social interaction, and now I can't even go visit my family, because my dad is immunocompromised. It kind stinks. But my autistic friend who is like me and not super verbal called me yesterday, and we talked (mostly he talked) for four hours. We acted like we were in the same room. I hate being on the phone, but this phone call was necessary.

Is anyone else doing things they would not normally do in the name of not going completely bonkers?

Mongoose

I got a flu over the week. But rather than sit it out or lie in bed, I burn it out. I let my restlessness take over, often cleaning in mad bouts or chopping firewood for hours. The result is I recover in less time and justify a bucket wash.

The downside is I lose weight, and I feel like I'm becoming a stick figure. Good thing I'm unattractive, and any good qualities of mine are invisible.

I have been doing quite well. I'm very blessed to work in a job that is 100% remote to begin with, so there is not much change for me. I am thankful for that!

One thing that I find very helpful is to focus on gratitude. There is always something to be grateful for, and focusing on the positive, rather than the negative, can have a huge impact on your wellbeing and even your immune system. Meditation is also a great tool. I highly recommend the app Insight Timer for free guided meditations.

May all of you be healthy, happy, and peaceful and may you live your life with ease!

I love your avatar! It's so fresh and spring-y!

For example, I don't usually talk on the forums, but I am choosing to do so now. I hope that in some small way, this helps someone! :)

I understand that! I seem super social online, because I can take my time to respond and I don't trip over my words like when I speak verbally. People I meet online are often quite surprised if we meet in person that I am not as verbose.

Mongoose

thank you! I really love the citrus theme! Also the new hair was just so cute I had to figure out how to use it

It's a very hard time at the moment, I thought that I should revisit this thread so we can talk about it and give each other emotional support.