Hi I'm not exactly new, I joined around 2007 for week or two then left to tackle some of my more difficult issues! Anyway I'm back now so I'll reintroduce myself.
I'm Daniel, dcforeman on the forums. I have Asperger Syndrome was diagnosed in 2004, after I developed a crippling Agoraphobia due to increasingly freqent panic attacks, depression and massive general anxiety. Frankly the only way I could regain even a resemblance of control was to refuse to leave the walls of my home at all. (I don't recommend it, it's turned out to be hard habit to break!)
It's 2011 and while my outlook, depression and negative thought cycles are under control and I'm a reasonably happy person. I'm still agoraphobic. But I've made a fair amount of progress on a lot of my issues. Yet this one remains.
Defeatism was a massive problem! I'd never finish any personal projects or attempt to go for anything because once you get into the habit of being knocked down it's easier to stay down then get back up and fight. But I eventually grew up a little, and I've managed to publish my first novel! As well as a set of tutorial DVD's which are selling quite well. Furthermore I've managed to secure a job which I've managed to hold down since 2008, working from home providing technical support services online. While I'm not making loads I'm in stable work and lifting my own weight, as well as paying my own taxes! All positive steps.
I managed to fight my way through the system and get a OT to help with my issues. However, the guy completely mishandled my case from the beginning failing to take into account that I don't react in the same was NT's do to stress. Long story short, he was too aggressive to begin with, and sought to fix his mistake by only turning up once every 2 months. So I ended up telling him not to bother any more. As he's the only OT in the area, and the alternative is throwing drugs down my throat as if I've got a disease, I'm likely better off moving forward on my own.
But despite that, I'm moving forward, writing a squeal to my first novel, and continuing to improve every day. My biggest hurdle is that I don't see people more than once a week, which makes going from a home where I've got absolutely no company at all, into a busy street filled with people and traffic a transition that's hard to adapt too.
Anyway that's me, judge me as you please.
19 Mar 2011, 1:54 pm
To WrongPlanet!! !
