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Are you self sufficient?
Yes 63%  63%  [ 168 ]
No 37%  37%  [ 100 ]
Total votes : 268

idlewild
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27 Mar 2013, 11:46 am

I have struggled with this for years. I cannot seem to maintain self-sufficiency. I was doing well a few years ago when I had a well-paying job, but lost it due to my AS traits. I am currently at my least sufficient since my teens. I am literally living on charity. I am overwhelmed by what it would take to get a diagnosis, get help, and dig myself out of this hole when even NTs can't find work. I abhor the idea of going on disability, but given my track record, I may not have a choice.


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Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 159 of 200
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You are very likely neurodiverse (Aspie)


Darshan
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27 Mar 2013, 12:20 pm

I am physically self-sufficient but mostly because I'm obsessed with not being enslaved by debt and I'm most comfortable living simply without a lot of clutter or possessions. But emotionally, I rely heavily on my family to function. They are supportive, help keep me on an even keel and run social interference for me. They are my safety net. Otherwise I think it is probable my quality of life would be pretty dismal.



FIVEWSWHOWHATETC
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03 Apr 2013, 6:25 pm

There is a similar thread 'How Many of You Live on Your Own?' -- that is many on the Autism Spectrum need some supports; hence the 'self-sufficient" can be a misnomer.

http://www.wrongplanet.net/posts194355- ... b691e9ac89



8bitKnight
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28 Apr 2013, 1:19 pm

I would like to be but money is always a problem in a society where we need money to live.


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stardraigh
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02 Jun 2013, 2:23 pm

I've lived by myself off and on(had room mates for three out of the last 5.5 years). I feel as only through luck I am self-sufficient. I work for the fed gov, and only because of that, I think I still have my job. If I was in pub sec, I'd have been fired several times over for things that have happened, but they can't touch me on my AS. I hate my job. I only got this job through luck. I only keep it and haven't quit because I have no where else to go. Should I lose the job tomorrow I'm screwed. Hopefully, I could go back to one of my parents. As it is right now, stress has almost killed me several times over the last few years from being self-sufficient. I don't like being so alone.



auntblabby
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02 Jun 2013, 5:32 pm

stardraigh wrote:
I've lived by myself off and on(had room mates for three out of the last 5.5 years). I feel as only through luck I am self-sufficient. I work for the fed gov, and only because of that, I think I still have my job. If I was in pub sec, I'd have been fired several times over for things that have happened, but they can't touch me on my AS. I hate my job. I only got this job through luck. I only keep it and haven't quit because I have no where else to go. Should I lose the job tomorrow I'm screwed. Hopefully, I could go back to one of my parents. As it is right now, stress has almost killed me several times over the last few years from being self-sufficient. I don't like being so alone.

hiya stardraigh :) welcome to our cool club 8) I was civil service also, laid off in 2006, unemployed bum since then. can you tell me what type of work you do for uncle sam?



stardraigh
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03 Jun 2013, 8:15 am

auntblabby wrote:
stardraigh wrote:
I've lived by myself off and on(had room mates for three out of the last 5.5 years). I feel as only through luck I am self-sufficient. I work for the fed gov, and only because of that, I think I still have my job. If I was in pub sec, I'd have been fired several times over for things that have happened, but they can't touch me on my AS. I hate my job. I only got this job through luck. I only keep it and haven't quit because I have no where else to go. Should I lose the job tomorrow I'm screwed. Hopefully, I could go back to one of my parents. As it is right now, stress has almost killed me several times over the last few years from being self-sufficient. I don't like being so alone.

hiya stardraigh :) welcome to our cool club 8) I was civil service also, laid off in 2006, unemployed bum since then. can you tell me what type of work you do for uncle sam?


I do IT work for the Army.



Scubasgirl
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03 Jun 2013, 12:43 pm

I voted yes, but I think that that is mostly if you define being self-sufficient as paying my own way with jobs.

Emotionally, I am a bobble head. When I lived without a roommate, I found that I quit caring about whether the housework got done: it was too much for me to handle emotionally after being at work. I would bounce between optimism and depression. I would just not eat anything that didn't come from a package some days because I didn't want to cook and no one would notice if I didn't.

My husband keeps me centered. He reminds me that we HAVE to do the dishes and mow the lawn and eat more variety than ramen and its better since we do it together. I'm not so sure I'm "sufficient" without him, but I do have a job and keep track of my bills and expenses to a T. (Money sucks.)



stardraigh
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03 Jun 2013, 12:49 pm

Scubasgirl wrote:
My husband keeps me centered. He reminds me that we HAVE to do the dishes and mow the lawn and eat more variety than ramen and its better since we do it together.


There are many things that I either never do alone or get overwhelmed with but given another person being there and I do them without problem.



auntblabby
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03 Jun 2013, 3:35 pm

stardraigh wrote:
I do IT work for the Army.

I wish I had your brainpower.



kalabalik
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03 Jun 2013, 3:53 pm

Think I am self sufficient as mutch as possible. After I retired from work, I have lost all kinds off confidence for others, as I have been bullied to much.

So now I am working on begin a urban hermit. Works rather well, probably my neighbours do not like having a hermit in their souroundings. But I am rather used not being accepted so I think I just carry on.



auntblabby
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03 Jun 2013, 4:16 pm

^^^
being an urban hermit is more practical than being a hick hermit.



EsotericResearch
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29 Sep 2013, 7:54 pm

I am financially self sufficient, but cannot live alone. My friend is kind of my aide, takes care of me and reminds me to do stuff like bathe and get up. (He works part time.) If I did not have him I would have to hire an aide or live in some sort of assisted home even though I make a normal type of salary.


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Opi
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29 Sep 2013, 8:55 pm

sort of but not really well. i mean, i've lived on my own for probably thirty years. well, sometimes with boyfriends or roommates, but probably 15-20 years alone exclusively.

i've supported myself financially. even when living with an SO i've supported myself. but, right now, just these last two years, i'm on disability, which i don't really regard as self-supporting. i did okay until the last 5 years or so. i think i hit aspie-middle-age-burnout among other things (huge escalation in PTSD symptoms for one).

and there's no question i function better when i live with someone, even though i can manage (at least i have so far) alone, i simply get more accomplished having another presence in my life. otherwise i tend to get depressed and decompensate.


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Kateplus6
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05 Oct 2013, 8:41 pm

On the outside I look self-sufficient but on the inside I struggle to hold it all together. I worry about having to talk to people at work, having to make conversation, being assertive when I need to be, meeting new people, going into new situations, having to use the telephone. I hate using the phone. Once I get to know people and feel comfortable I ease up but at first its so nerve-racking for me. I have definitely developed more confidence over the last year but sometimes these feelings and fears become pronounced.

For me, I worry the most about the social aspect of my aspergers. Other than that I'm pretty self-sufficient.



Thatmew
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11 Oct 2013, 6:38 pm

I'd like to be, but I'm not sure how to signal to my parents that I'm ready to start looking for a new place to call home, of my own. They're quite protective of me. I'm often having to support them financially because my dad is currently out of work, and I'd be willing to lend a hand. I just feel my life would be incomplete without the experience of having even tried to live alone for 30 days.


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