I'm NOT CRAZY! (I'm Autistic)

Undiagnosed autism can feel like a lifetime of invalidating experiences, gaslighting us into 'feeling' like we must be going crazy. Our everyday reality seems unbelievable, and so we are forever misunderstood by a world that cannot comprehend any other way of being. Discovering the Autistic Community feels like 'coming home' to a place where suddenly our experiences are 'normal' and we can be accepted for who we are.

Looking to meet other autistic adults?

CHANNEL LINKS:
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// WELCOME TO ASPERGERS FROM THE INSIDE!!

My name is Paul and I discovered I have Aspergers at age 30.

Yes, I know, I don't look autistic. That's exactly why I started this blog, because if I didn't show you, you would never know.

As the name suggests, this channel is devoted to giving you insight into the world of Aspergers.
This blog started off being just my story, but I've learned SO MUCH about my own condition
from meeting others on the Autism Spectrum that now I make sure to feature their stories as well.

I've come a long way in my own personal journey.
Now I'm sharing what I've found so you don't have to learn it the hard way too.

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// WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THIS BLOG

You can expect me to get to the point with concise useful information.
I focus on what is most important and don't shy away from difficult topics.

The best way to learn about Autism is to see it in real life ( i.e. via the stories of many, many people on the spectrum).

In this channel I endeavour to show you what Autism and Aspergers look like in real people and to also give you some insight as to what's happening on the inside.
I upload a new video every weekend with some bonus content thrown in mid-week too.
There's always new stuff coming through so be sure to check back and see what you've missed. (Is this where I'm supposed to tell you to hit that subscribe button?)

Topics Include:
- What is Aspergers/Autism?
- Aspie Tips, coping strategies, and advice on common issues
- Learning Emotional Intelligence (this is my special interest!)
- Autism in real life: stories from special guests

Everything I do is and endeavour to go deeper and take you 'behind the scenes' to understand what may, at first glance, seem 'odd'.
oh, and I love busting stereotypes and turning preconceptions upsidedown :)

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// ABOUT ME

I discovered I have aspergers at the age of thrity.
It has been my life's mission to understand these funny creatures we call humans.
My special interest is a combination of emotional intelligence, psychology, neuroscience, thinking styles, behaviour, and motivation. (I.e. what makes people tick)
My background is in engineering and I see the world in systems to be analysed.
My passion is for taking the incredibly complex, deciphering the pattern, and explaining it very simply.
My philosophy is that blogging is an adventure best shared.

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// EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TRAINING

I also run autism friendly online emotional intelligence training. So if you like my direct, systematic style, and would like to improve your own emotional intelligence skills, check it out here:

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// CONTACT

Blogging is an adventure best shared which means I'd love to hear from you!
Feel free to leave me a comment or send me and email at any time and I'll do my best to respond promptly.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this channel!
I look forward to hearing from you!

Peace,

~Paul

[Cat]

I'm 40 and was diagnosed at 38. I told my mother she laughed and said oh don't be silly. Your not autistic. I told my sister and her response was do you really want to have autism, though? Growing up whenever I was "difficult" my family would say Carmen's just being Carmen. Translated Carmen is being an asshole let's ignore her. So naturally my relationship with my family is not great. Thankfully now I have a fantastic husband who is my greatest advocate.

[TDubsKid]

It's like being tuned to a completly different frequency than everyone else.

[ModernDoofus]

I cannot adequately express how grateful I am for you, your channel, and for the good fortune that you came across my radar.

[Miollvynir]

Suddenly finding myself isolated from the group and not understanding why ... Damn. I've always been so confused why.

[Yours_sincerely_thedreamer]

Another insight of mine: I am not lazy, I am autistic.

Well, of course sometimes I am lazy, but sensory overload is no laziness! I really struggled accepting and understanding this because I am quite ambitious and always have big plans for the day. And than sometimes they don’t work out because I am in sensory overload.

[andrayellowpenguin]

Lol! My psychiatrist literally told me she felt she needs to point out that it's her professional opinion that not only I'm not crazy but that there's practically no chance I'll ever be crazy. She was like "stop saying you're crazy, you're just different, and you just need to find your tribe". Because i think in 7 years of seeing her the phrase "I'm crazy" came out of my mind so much, even after my diagnosis, that she just felt she had to shake it out of me.

[Karineriksson]

"I really need to stick to the script. Maybe I should start by having a script". 😂😂😂 Love it!
Thank you for another interesting video :)

[Neongoddess]

I was diagnosed 4 years ago at 40 and all my life I felt like I was crazy and always been made feel crazy and treated like crap all my life. I'm so thankful for our community x

[jamesguitarist]

Recently realised over the last few months that I have Aspergers and ADHD. I was suspicious of something all my life and I literally felt like an alien.
You inspired me to do a video talking about it on my personal Facebook and the response I got was overwhelmingly positive with people thanking me for speaking about it.

So thankyou for inspiring me.

[graemeoliver]

There's a recent study that proved that autistic people can communicate with each other with the same effectiveness of 2 neurotypicals communicating. My theory is that it has something to do with the cadence of conversation.

[DaveDoingDaveThings]

I got my diagnosis a few months back and at first people had some interest and wanted to learn but when the novelty wears off and I'm displaying more autistic traits because I've learned to unmask and be less stressed it becomes more a case of "oh, still doing the autism thing huh"

There's a Marilyn Manson song I keep listening to and a verse goes
"sometimes I feel so worthless, sometimes I feel discarded, I wish that I was good enough, then I'd know that I am not alone"

This is too relateable

[newarks_yt]

My ex-best friend once told me I was "being insane" for having trouble with social situations, even after I explained everything I possibly could at the time. That hurt, a lot, and was the cherry on top of the many other ways she had treated me like I was weird. But discovering I was autistic as well as avoidant helped reassure me she was wrong, she just wasn't doing what she should have done to try to understand me. Luckily I've since then invested my social energy into someone who actually accepts me, and would (hopefully) never tell me I'm crazy. Thank you for this video.

[kid]

"I've been looking for a community where I belong."
*flash back to me crying in middle school and high school listening to "I Will Go the Distance" from Hercules*

[gardnert]

I always felt most at home with people at the local game shop, playing Warhammer 40k and the like. Nerds in general have always been a safe bet for me.

[feliciab]

My son has just been diagnosed with Asbergers. What a relief. Now we are doing a deep dive into understanding how to help him thrive. Your videos are great for my learning. Thank you!

[fancynancylucille]

I love that ice cream analogy! And it sure would be fun going to the pub with a bunch of autistic people, and we could have some great conversations about the weirdness of the world.

[JarkkoKokkonen]

When I was in school, around 11-12 years old, the boys in my class decided to hold these polls during recess. “Who is the prettiest girl in our class, who is the nicest girl, who is the smartest...” everyone else (around 20 boys) answered the same and I was the outlier who answered every question differently. It was a weird experience but makes sense just like your example of chocolate vs vanilla example. I’m not sure if they had a similar concept of what’s pretty, or if they just followed the opinion of the first guy who said a name in each case. But it has baffled me. For nearly 30 years. I also got in “trouble” since the herd went on to tell the girls their opinion on class. “We think the prettiest girl in class is whoever, but Kokkonen said it’s this other girl”. So my opinions were shared verbatim which was kind of embarrassing. I hope the girls I singled out felt good about it. At least someone thought they were the prettiest, nicest, smartest...

[aspektx]

"I'm not crazy my mother had me tested."

[d.c.monday]

I am 77 and was diagnosed with Asperger's at 70.
I, along with everyone else, knew there was something different about me, we just didn't know what it was or have a name for it. It is such a relief to know that I am not mad.

[raven]

This was really good! In my old age, I've started saying to people, "How can people NOT be bothered by that?!" It makes people think, and some give me some understanding back. That's what we need.