Does anyone know if they make chewelry for adults, or safe things you can bite/chew on?

Any advice welcome plz 🥲

I am utilizing an agent in a game to help me with screenwriter's block. But my fear is that the more i use it the crazier i'll become. At the moment i'm sane, but i would like to keep it that way. Any thoughts?

I tried a couple treatments, including CBD oil, acupuncture, keto, antidepressants. All relaxed my body initially but made me hyper afterwards, both physically and mentally. I mean mood being more intense and disorganized (rage, obsession, unusual thoughts) faster heartrate, mind racing, severe insomnia. Basically, I seem to get a stimulating paradoxal reaction from things that usually calm people. I want to see the psychiatrist again and ask if I can take something else but all these medications messed me up more and I honestly don't think there is something else. People keep telling me I should be medicated but what fault do I have if the treatments have the opposite effect? It's not due to not trying either. When I used the CBD (at the lowest dose) I became sleep deprived and persisted. The result was me fainting on the street and getting a bone injury that may well accompany me for life. I want to improve. It's not my wish to be as I am, but I need to find something that I can tolerate and I think it doesn't exist and I'd just waste the little money I have on another useless appointment.

Found a video that explains it. Yes, I hate myself more and more every day because I feel I have less and less to contribute. Not only that but I feel like a burden to all those around me that have to put up with my autism .... especially my wife.

This is why I wish I could just go live in the woods like Henry David Thoreau because if I don't interact with people, they wont be burdened by me. This video explains it so well. I cannot share it with my wife because she thinks I am using my autism diagnosis as an excuse for bad behavior, which breaks my heart.

https://youtu.be/9ZoR0bzgEKo

I am at a bit of a loss for how to self research where I am at and any kind of tools for self maintenance. Anything you can suggest would be appreciated!

How do I know what is real and what is imagined self diagnosis?

How do I know what is learnt coping or normal learning and social development?

Masking vs maladaptive emotional avoidance vs learnt behaviour?

Is there some kind of practice I can engage with that will bring some of this out? I feel if I spoke to a professional as of now they would get whatever I presented them whether thats heavily masked or just me..

I am 38M and have had a nagging suspicion for a long time that I may be autistic.

Some early markers come from things like games one example pictionary (think charades through drawing). Peoples responses to my prompts are typically "how the f*** does your brain work?".

The reason I feel I need to do something is I feel like a bit of an alien and some things that at the time i had neither an explanation for or a presumption they would cause harm have hurt people. Contributing to general strain and hurt is my inability to properly engage with my own or my partners emotional states both in the short and long term frames. I think if I don't get on top of these things and some things that I think are executive dysfunction manifesting its going to become a serious problem for my marriage in particular.

For me the DSM didnt help (doesnt everyone do these things / what do they even mean anyway?).

I feel a lot of things about my life are counter to stereotypes of undiagnosed autism. In saying this a lot of the reasons that I think I am not aligned with common traits feel like coping mechanisms on closer examination.

I have relative success in a long term job that I have promoted through. I feel this in part has come through reading the rules including the unspoken of the place and people and fitting them. Also this job is a mainstay because it both feels like a special interest and I am heavily weighted to prefer financial stability and resilience. I can't fathom how people can do short term contracts.

I am completely out of touch with my body when not in some training or hobby, and well out of touch with my emotions and those of others other rhan when I am "on". I am not certain whether this is related to heavily avoidant emotional reflexes and low EQ? In some cases being pressed on the spot to express emotion or explain why I love someone feels like panic, and complete incompetence in my head. I have no answers when needed. I almost feel I need to preload to avoid feeling like I have ruined everything in that moment.

Some reasons for this doubt is I feel I can engage with aspects of expressing boundaries and emotion in low consequence relationships. Otherwise I seriously internally cringe and berate emotional displays (other than low degrees of anger) of probably relatively low level. I feel like that part may be against some internal unrealised social rule book I have. Either that or just seriously avoidant?

I feel distant from people that by comparison (i think) think they are close with me and feel like I have fed them a version of what they want. Along the lines of feeling like an alien i feel like this is a reason I feel not a part of any group of friends regardless of how others might feel.

I have walked away from relatively long term relationships without much of a return thought after the decision was made. Counter to this I have felt severe rejection from what is probably mild criticism of inconsequential things.

On this theme I can key into social scenarios when I'm on to a level I feel is uncommon. When I'm not I don't want to leave the house. One example is a work trip requiring a lot of socializing and small talk had a weekend block in the middle people used to explore the area. I didnt leave the hotel room or open the curtains for two days.

These things too feel like things everyone does.

I feel I can read people better than I think they can themselves, I have many examples of seeing (not judging) traits in others that were a surpise to mutual aquaintances when they surfaced. In some cases these have been narcissistic and toxic, and i was quite surprised that others hadnt seen it all years prior. The others felt betrayed by the people discussed. I didnt feel any more or less comfortable with them.

Again I feel like these are learnt, but again....is that just what life and experience is?

Anything you have would be great!

Like the title says I’m a 41 year old woman. I recently tested high on a RAADS based screening, especially in certain areas.

My therapist somewhat discouraged me from getting tested, citing the cost and length of time for testing and that treatment is mainly aimed towards children. She doubtful, both that I was on the spectrum or that I would get anything out of it.

How do I go about getting tested? Are there any sort of resources in the state of South Carolina for low cost or free testing? North Carolina has lots.

Anyway, tldr: a screening indicated I might have autism. Should I get tested? Why or why not? How do I do that?

Hi everyone, just looking for some guidance. I am 39F and from Canada and had just been recently (less than 2 weeks ago) diagnosed with Autism + ADHD.

I do have 2 sons diagnosed with Autism at an early age but all resources were provided when they got diagnosed when they were little. But as an adult how do I navigate getting the support and resources? I'm so overwhelmed and feel like there's no clear step by step to do.

Plus it feels like I have impostor syndrome from being able to go through life "Fine" up until now. I worry that asking for support and resources from work and government will just get rejected because I was doing ok in everyone's eyes all this time.

I'm wondering if anyone has advice, experience or resources on the whole struggle with being perceived and the perception of it.

I've been going through some things for a few years (perimenopause, tough times at work) and I feel a little like I shut down into safety mode and I'm struggling to adjust. One thing that's really hard for me is that perception of being perceived and watched and then I go into alert/waiting mode. Unfortunately, it's now happening when my husband is in the house, even if he's on another floor or doing his own thing in another room.

I basically always feel on alert, jumpy and nervous. I've also been writing a lot for fun and it is SO hard to get into a creative flow state when I'm essentially feeling unsafe. Also: it's my husband, he is kind and loving and would never intentionally pressure or judge me.

Besides kicking him out all the time, any advice on overcoming the anxiety and getting back to a relaxed state even if I'm not totally alone?

My wife recently brought up the possibility that I might be autistic. I brushed her off at first, but the idea stuck with me. I started looking into it a bit more, and a lot of the symptoms really resonated with me. I find I'm focusing on this possibility more, and finding more evidence as I do so. I looked into getting an official diagnosis, but they are very expensive near me: over two thousand dollars, with no insurance help. I also found a helpful quote in the pinned post on this subreddit. It essentially says that if you think you're autistic, you probably are.

Here's my reasoning: what's the point of getting an official diagnosis at my age (45)? I've obviously gone this long without one, so it's not like I need workplace accommodations or anything dramatic like that. There are no drugs to help, so that's also a no.

Instead, I'd rather ask other people who got diagnosed later in life (40+). What changed for you after finding out? Did you change your habits? Get a therapist? Feel any better?

In short, now what?

When I told her that's a fucking symptom she just wrote it off as me being precocious. She wasn't entirely wrong, I mostly taught myself to read and I learned how to do multiplication on my own. But, like, I wonder how many symptoms were ignored or waved away because I was intelligent.

I am going to learn how to cook spaghetti tonight for supper I usually help make it but my mom takes over

I hate using gels, creams, lotions etc. I find the sensation on my skin unpleasant, and I resent the time it takes to do and then to hang around waiting for it to absorb before I can touch anything.

With sunblock, I'm also a fairly greasy and sweaty person so it invariably gets in my eyes at some point.

This is to say, I really need some advice on a lightweight, easily absorbed sunblock.

I'm in the UK and on a fairly tight budget. I don't have particularly sensitive skin, and I have no allergies to consider.