General

First of all, you can vent all you need. It's so important to get these things off your chest that slowly build up over time. I can't really offer much advice besides make your mental health a priority and try to intentionally slow down when you have a feeling that things get too much. As a chronic overthinker myself I know it's easier said than done but overthinking about all the 'what ifs' ("What if I get laid off/ What if I can't find something else/ What if I can't support my family financially anymore...) will only make you spiral even more. It's important to listen to the early signs of your body when you start to feel overwhelmed and concentrate on grounding yourself. Panic attacks are the worst. In the moment it feels like a life or death situation but the overwhelming anxiety will fade again. It's exhausting and frightening and I don't wish that on anybody. I'm aware that a lot of people don't have access to a therapist but I would highly advise to seek professional help if you have the opportunity. If that's not possible for you please look into mindfulness, breathing and grounding techniques. That alone can go a long way. Be kind to yourself.

Hey Friend, go ahead fill out the form and or reach out to friends. But your on here so please stop being negative to yourself, we all do it, do something that makes you smile instead. Open as embarrassing as this is I make fart sounds or donkey brays sometimes just to laugh. Do it I just exposed myself. But anyways the jackass boss we all have one of those in life. One job I had the general manager asked me if I respected him and he knew damn well I didn't, I worked in auto shop and I told him your right I don't
respect you bc you treat the service department like shit and we keep you afloat. I didn't get fired but at some point you have to stand up for yourself and know YOU MATTER!!!

That's some strength

I didn't want to bump this thread since I was previously embarrassed by it. But I thought I could turn lemons into lemonade by sharing my optimistic outlook on future plans.

I have been watching videos on tips on how to do well in interviews while being on the spectrum. I used to stutter a lot back then but my speech has slightly improved while having meetings. So I think my future interview would be better than my one interview at Fredmeyer when I was a teenager.

I asked my brother if he could help me out and maybe I can ask my sister too for a mock interview. I am wanting to be a janitor but unfortunately I barely have any experience except for picking up and sweeping fruit. My one relative who drives the bus was a janitor so maybe I can ask him but I rarely talk to him so I am a bit shy.

You got this!

Practicing your interview technique is an excellent idea!

Also a good idea to ask your relative. Nothing bad can happen from asking. If he says yes, fantastic. If he says no...ok that's rejection, but the more times you experience rejection, the less you're bothered by it. Either way you get something good from it!

💪😁

Hey there,

Just wanted to reach out and offer a bit of compassion. Please don’t feel embarrassed by the thread you posted. Everyone needs kindness and it’s often hard to find in a world that is frequently unkind to people.

I’m also on the spectrum and have anxiety, so I understand and have empathy for how you’ve been feeling. When something bad happens, it can be scary if you’re in your own head worried about a potential disaster in the making.

But from your posts, you sound really resilient and that’s something to be proud of. Having the thought to “turn lemons into lemonade” is a good outlook.

Practicing interview skills is a good idea. I would also encourage you not to discount your existing experience while you’re looking for a new job. You might have more valuable experience than you currently think.

Look back on everything you’ve done at your last job and think about what skills and knowledge you needed to have to do that work. It’s probably more than what you might think just from the job description on a resume.

As a personal example, I was accepted to a political science program by writing about my experience as a grocery store cashier in a low-income community. I wrote in my application that working in that community showed me the real-world impact of government policy and I wanted to use that experience to help people after graduation.

Best of luck in your job search and I hope your next update to this thread will be to share your success so that we can celebrate with you.