Life as a Late-Identified Autistic Quotes

“if the only way of maintaining a friendship was to be someone I’m not, did I want to be friends with them at all? It’s not been easy, letting go of the guilt built of archaic beliefs, tied to my religious upbringing, that I must be “nice,” or “good.”
― Jackie Schuld, Life as a Late-Identified Autistic: A Collection of Essays Exploring Autism

“Most unidentified autistics spend the majority of their lives feeling broken and off — feeling other. They try their best to behave in ways that fit with the world around them, but they feel more and more distant from it. They sever their connection with themselves as they try to please other people so that they can belong. The unidentified autistic ends up feeling empty and lost.”
― Jackie Schuld, Life as a Late-Identified Autistic: A Collection of Essays Exploring Autism

“I’m not broken; my brain just functions differently. And the more I accept that I have a high flow of emotions and always will, the better I feel.”
― Jackie Schuld, Life as a Late-Identified Autistic: A Collection of Essays Exploring Autism

“That didn’t feel good — but I did the best I could, and it would probably look the same if it happened all over again.”
― Jackie Schuld, Life as a Late-Identified Autistic: A Collection of Essays Exploring Autism

“It’s often said too that autistics struggle to understand humor. In fact, we can be very funny. I’ve laughed until I’ve cried with fellow autistics. Admittedly, what I find funny can be very different from the things a neurotypical might find funny.”
― Jackie Schuld, Life as a Late-Identified Autistic: A Collection of Essays Exploring Autism

“Alexithymia isn’t “I don’t feel any emotion.” It’s feeling everything all at once. Alexithymia is an avalanche.”
― Jackie Schuld, Life as a Late-Identified Autistic: A Collection of Essays Exploring Autism

“I’d feel like there was no way out. That the too much was slowly crushing me. And I’d feel embarrassed for feeling this way yet again. I’d hate myself for getting so overwhelmed over such small things.”
― Jackie Schuld, Life as a Late-Identified Autistic: A Collection of Essays Exploring Autism

“So I want to remind myself that my experience is valid, and at the same time acknowledge that my brain’s perspective might not be accurate. The key — at least, for me — is not to force myself to process in the moment and risk making it all worse.”
― Jackie Schuld, Life as a Late-Identified Autistic: A Collection of Essays Exploring Autism

“Going through these books filled me with immense compassion for my old self. I want to hug her and say, “You tried so hard… “You tried and tried and tried to change — and now you can try just being you.”
― Jackie Schuld, Life as a Late-Identified Autistic: A Collection of Essays Exploring Autism

“it’s okay that my brain lights up like a Christmas tree all the time. I refer to it as “constellation thinking” — where one thought suddenly inspires 100 connected thoughts.”
― Jackie Schuld, Life as a Late-Identified Autistic: A Collection of Essays Exploring Autism

“it’s okay that my brain lights up like a Christmas tree all the time. I refer to it as “constellation thinking” — where one thought suddenly inspires 100 connected thoughts. There was admittedly some grief that came with my autism identification: grief that I’ll always experience some of the more challenging aspects of being autistic.”
― Jackie Schuld, Life as a Late-Identified Autistic: A Collection of Essays Exploring Autism

“when you don’t yet understand your own autistic identity well, it can be hard to know what applies to you and what doesn’t.”
― Jackie Schuld, Life as a Late-Identified Autistic: A Collection of Essays Exploring Autism

“I’m feeling more and more like a whole human. That’s all I wanted in the first place.”
― Jackie Schuld, Life as a Late-Identified Autistic: A Collection of Essays Exploring Autism