I'm sorry if I don't even give out my first name, it's a rare one for the United States as I was born in South America.
I was diagnosed with autism when I was a toddler. With early intervention, loving parents, and some tough choices during my childhood like attending public schools, it helped lead to better things.
I do have a share of eccentricities, sometimes I feel self-conscious, thinking that I'm quite awkward as a person. The feeling of being away from the norm.
_I am unusually sensitive to cold water, I also used to be hypersensitive to pain but it seemed to have faded over time.
_Whenever I have a lot of tension due to stress, a crying fit in private seems to be the best way to let out steam and get myself back up. It's like purging inner demons, but I find it odd and sometimes shameful.
_I have obsessive tendencies and above average anxiety, including social anxiety and hypochondriac tendencies
_I have a very powerful mind that can work against me physically. It is not unusual for me to get stomachaches or illness after a heavy period of stress.
_I have a very transparent demeanor in tone and facial expression and I tend to veer towards the 'brutally honest' personality type.
_While rare, I can have panic attacks if under heavy stress.
_I can have random 'off days' (or depression days), probably a residual of clinical depression earlier in life.
_I have some 'triggers' involving mostly sad childhood memories that can really bring me down for a while when talked about.
_A handful of other quirks, some I'm comfortable with such as an analytic mind that can be put to good use on a Statistics career, atheism (not the norm in The U.S !) ... and some I may not find positive but it's still part of who I am.
Nevertheless, I can argue that I grew up to live a good life so far. I'm a 25 years old man at the date of this posting, I graduated magna cum laude with a Statistics degree and Actuarial Science certificate, I moved out on my own from Florida to New Hampshire. I am a statistician in good standing. I am married to a very sweet wife who understands and fully accepts me and has quirks of her own (not on the spectrum) and deals with obstacles associated with anxiety. Sometimes I feel I'm not strong, but I went through a lot of major life experiences and changing events and I keep going. I'm for the better of it.
Whenever I feel awkward and self-conscious as a person, I'm hoping that being involved in this website can cheer me up. Autism may be part of who I am, but it's not sometimes that defines me as a label. Positive or negative aspects of me come together and I'm loved and appreciated.
25 Jun 2012, 7:26 pm
