My five year autism diagnosis anniversary!

This post will be a short one, but I am sticking to my Friday schedule no matter what! This summer marks my five year anniversary of my autism diagnosis, and it is an anniversary worth celebrating! Why? Because it truly changed my life. 

For most of my life (well, all of it minus the last five years ?), I knew I was different, but didn’t know why. I struggled with things that seemed to come easily to most people, like getting things done, being social, and not rambling on longer than most people want to hear about topics that interest you. Oh, and FYI, most of my blog posts are on the longer side because autism is something I am super passionate about, so I like to talk about it a lot!

Pre- & Post-Autism Diagnosis

Anyway, before that diagnosis, I had met with a therapist (spoiler alert: sometimes your brain needs a doctor too!) for social anxiety and other “diagnoses” that just never seemed to quite fit. I had characteristics of that to an extent, but there were things that I was told I should struggle with that came easily, like major, kind of deal-breaker things that told me there was no way I had classic social anxiety. I knew it was something more.

When I took some of the online tests and had that inkling that autism was the missing piece (no relation to a certain charity intended!) in the explanation of my life, I sought a professional diagnosis to confirm what I thought I knew. Note: I don’t think there is anything wrong with never getting that professional diagnosis; self-diagnosis is just as valid to me (more on that soon!). 

When the therapist confirmed my suspicions, the weight of the world was lifted off me – I finally had an answer! I really was different and now I knew why!

Celebrating My Autism Anniversary

So now, every summer, I celebrate my autism anniversary! Why? Because that diagnosis allowed me to change the course of my life by finally learning who I really am. I know that sounds kind of corny, but it’s true.

I have always truly been autistic, but now I proudly share that with the world, in my own awkward, weird, and truly unique way!

Thanks for reading, for visiting the blog, and for any comments or questions below! I hope you enjoy your time here!

-Steph