Declining at 41

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I am 41, as I am getting older I am getting less interested in building computers and I my concentration span has declined to about 2 hours.

Is this normal for us aspies?

I want to build computers, but I just dont have the enthusiasm anymore.

I want to say that as you get older you have less stamina, and can't do stuff you used to. It could be that, but I still think you should see a doctor, especially if you haven't for a while, just to make sure.

i'm 56. i have plenty of attention span. see your doc.

I am 41 years old.
41 is not old, you should not feel tired now or the next many years. If it it not due to stress or other circumstances in your life, I agree with OP - go see a doc.

Thanks for the replies, the problem is that I can never make my mind up of changing direction or keep to doing what I love most, computers.

I feel less enthusiastic playing my xbox and I building computers is now not important to me and I feel I am changing, is this normal for people of our age. Maybe I am maturing and want to do real life things, but the mind is still niggling over tech.

I cannot cope with stress and my wife thinks I should chill out more.

I just seen my diabetic nurse recently so keeping an eye on that.

Ahaaa.. male and around 40 years old!

Age of Midlife crises for men http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midlife_crisis

Seems common, also common to be divorced at that age (or find a lover). My ex. did that (that is why he is my ex!) One of my friends is there now. I think it is worst for men who have never had any adversity in life. Suddenly they get these feelings and do not know how to deal with them, then it seems easier just to let go of obligations and family and find a jounger lover (#just a touch of bitterness here#).

Think about it

The 40's may be the age for many people where they develop health issues that sap energy. I was just diagnosed with really bad endometriosis and had surgery and that can cause chronic fatigue. There are other health issues that have fatigue as a side effect too.

That line makes me wonder if it's depression, albeit maybe a mild one (so that it's not obvious that that's the problem). For me, the first sign of a depressive episode coming on is losing interest in things, and that reduces that intense concentration that keeps me going for 18 hours on a project without a break.

Anyway, just my 2 cents, there. I agree with those who said to see a doctor, because it could also be your thyroid or who-knows-what.

Pretty much this. There are many things which could cause you fatigue and loss of concentration many of which are pretty benign but some of which could be pretty nasty if left untreated. The losing interest in stuff accompanied by being fatigued and feeling a decreased ability to concentrate is absolutely consistent with depression - these are some of the classic symptoms of depression. If I had to guess what was causing it then I would go for some kind of depressive illness. However, like everyone else said, you should go see the doctor imo; none of us are qualified to give medical advice (and certainly not in a forum). If these experiences turn out to have a pathological cause then it could well be something which is easily treatable so you could have a significant increase in your quality of life in a fairly short time. On the other hand it could be something more menacing SO either way it's well worth the visit to your GP.

Many men go through a mid-life crisis and as a general rule tend to seek refuge from the greatest source of stress in their life. For me, it was my high-demand career. For others, it is their spouse.

It is funny that there is such a negative connotation associated with the mid-life crisis for men and that some women like to spin any expression of individuality by men as a selfish, ego-driven act. It is as if men lose any rights over our own lives the minute we get married, have kids and start a career. The message is clear: "You don't matter anymore. You exist only for others." So when some of us finally realize that we've been duped and seek a little daylight, the hating begins.

I am very fortunate to have such a cool wife who appreciates everything I've done in my life and stuck by my my side while I worked through my two-year malaise. I feel our marriage is stronger as a result.

Yeah i guess i am going through a midlife crisis others thought that too.

I love computers and at the moment i have no interest in building them.

Its either society changing or me

2 hours and you're crying, at, what?! 42? My god, someone give me a break here. But see, I don't expect anyone to give me a break anymore, I still take notes so I can remember 15 minutes from now. My god!!

Occassionally I still feel like crying about my age (started when I was 40, I'm 44 now). <shrug> Some change can be more unpleasant for some than others. But part of that upset is realizing that things don't stay the same like I assumed when I was younger. My mom is now 67, my grandmother is 93 and not very healthy. My dogs died and I had to put them to sleep (not recently). And I didn't stay the 120lbs I thought I'd always be.

Things do change. And some don't, pay attention to the ones that don't and why. Not only that, cause chances are you won't change them much anyway, what effect do they have on the you, now!..Understand it and then go on

Going to the doctor is a good idea but I recall beginning to have trouble around my mid-40's. It's not that I was suddenly way low in energy, but that it already took so much to maneuver through my work day that losing even a little of the already small amount I had left over for my private life had quite an impact. I'm 57 now and seriously wondering how much longer I'll be able to work full-time as the energy to compensate is increasingly coming straight out of my hide.

If I were to try to offer any insight here, it would be on the side of having to deal with so many sensory issues for so long without knowing I had AS. I feel as if I became dragged down daily just trying to navigate the ways of the world. It was exhausting and sometimes left me depressed, especially due to the anxiety of never being sure about what I was supposed to do.

Since my diagnosis, I'm less stressed and a bit more able to deal with the dailies of mass amounts of input from the world. This has been helped a bit by therapy, though I still can't figure out the purpose of group therapy.