TL;DR my life is rapidly crumbling all around me, and i have no hope for a future.
I’ve been working in retail for almost a decade now, 7 years total, and i’ve finally hit a wall. Though this wall i’ve hit isn’t what i was expecting. for context i’m 26 and i was recently diagnosed late in life with Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). And on top of that, i was also diagnosed with PTSD.
This wall i’ve hit is no joke, i’ve been experiencing autistic work burnout for almost a year now. It started at my last job, and now it’s carried to my current job. Along with that i’ve been having intense panic attacks about work, attacks so paralyzing that i’ve been missing large chunks of work. My current job, i enjoy it but my managers haven’t been the most helpful while i’ve been seeking diagnosis and care, and now i’ve missed so much work i’m afraid i’ll be fired. I understand i need a job in some capacity otherwise i’ll lose most of what i have but…
I just can’t. I can’t work like i used too, i can’t maintain my absurd ethic and ability like i used too. I’ve been working with my doctors to make sure my work has the proper documents on what’s going on with me, but it’s the US so care is kinda slow. it’s been over a month since my diagnosis and i still don’t have the documents to prove it to my managers. I’ll more than likely be fired, probably going to lose everything, and i’m not sure what to do. or what job i could even work after this if i do work.
I’m not sure if i should cry or start laughing hysterically. Living in the US is so screwed it’s not even funny.