Everyone suffers from anxiety, on a daily basis as it is part of human nature the fight /flight. reactions. Most people have ways of dealing & masking their anxietys, automaticaly for example smoking , drinking, recreational drugs, the gym, hobbies, computers ect , people on the spectrum do the same things but to an extream, as anxiety levels are much higher than the average person , & coping stratigies like tapping your leg, obbsessions & other behaviours will or may look strange to the average person, leading to isolation , poor self esteem / low self confidence & negative thinking, which usually becomes apparant to the person when they start high school, which then turns into a vicious circle of negative thoughts, ie feelings of rejection, self loafing, isolation, feeling they dont fit in therfore adding more fuel to their anxietys, magnifing there actions & behaviours to cope .Then given loads of different diagnoises, when given diagnoises , a person may or may not except it, or depending on age , & can isolate themselfs more & avoid stressful situations without feeling bad due to their dx. & will be happy to isolate themselfs from the real world, which may lead to further mental health problems in adult life.
What we need to do is change the way we think, & learn new stratgies to conceal / cope with the anxiety feelings we experience. Take one positive step day & the rest should follow it might take years/ weeks/ months, & remember dont be so hard on yourself, we are all the same, only difference is that we are more sensitive than the average person, dont be a victim .