Neurotic behaviour- getting over it

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Hey fellow aspies,

I have a question concerning neurotic behaviour and how you deal with it. I've had Aspergers since I was diagnosed as a kid, and thanks to meds, sessions with psychologists and the aid of teaching assistants through secondary school, I am more or less at a comfortable level with my Aspergers. That said, I've noticed a trend which is beginning to disturb me. In my last two years of undergrad and current year of Graduate studies, I've noticed that I've become more prone to neurotic behaviour. Whenever I get a major assignment coming up, I find that I fly into anxieties over even the slightest thing about the assignment that I find difficult in any way. I suspect that this neuroticism is in part an overcompensatory reaction to my poor ability to focus on work-- an Aspergers-related problem that hasnt really gone away. As such, my work routine usually alternates between slacking off and worrying over the assignment in question. I will devote entire weekends and unnecessarily long amounts of time to even the simplest of assignments, just so that I can be a hundred percent certain that I've done it perfectly.

If my neuroticism was confined only to school-related stuff, then that might be understandable, given how stress-inducing school can be. But I've noticed that its spilled into my daily life as well. Over the last three years, I've noticed that I'm becoming increasingly finicky over all sorts of little things. I'll delay heading out the door to the bus stop, for example, after I triple check that I've locked all doors and left nothing on that could pose a safety/fire/pet hazard. I've started worrying over the slightest of headaches or cases of heartburn. In some cases I've gone flying into outright panic until finding, on closer examination, that my worries were ill-founded (ie, being convinced that I'm late for certain events that are days away until finally bothering to re-examine the schedule).

What I want to know is, is this a normal thing for Aspies, especially those in their early twenties? Or is this unique? What I am wondering is why it is only now that I'm beginning to act like a neurotic nitwit after I've been more or less okay for most of my adolescent and young adult years.

(And no, the irony of worrying over my increasing neuroticism isn't lost on me. )

the longest i managed to not pick my nails was one whole week.

that was my one and only attempt at controlling my "neurotics"

nowadays ill only make sure not to bleed (too much), out of a worry of receeding my nails untill theres nothing left :I

OP... You have summed up a large part of the last few months of my life now. Heh. Don't you hate that? It drives me nuts and I cannot seem to stop it. I have thought that my wacked out behavior lately is stress related. I have had too much going on and my coping mechanisms where stress is concerned... they eh... leave much to be desired. Were I in graduate school instead of where I am now in my education, I would likely be much worse... I would like to be able to offer words of wisdom where coping mechanisms are concerned, but I do not have much to offer in that way. All I have to offer is to say that no, it is not just you.

Hello KevLibraryGuy!

I was diagnosed as having AS few weeks ago. I am 24 and currently studying at a university. And your behavior resemble mine so much. I feel like you are describing my life. I feel extremely anxious about every little assignment I have to complete. I have problems to begin because I doubt whether I will be able to make it 100 % perfect. And when I force myself to begin I can´t finish it and keep correcting every little mistake and keep looking for more proper words and so on. I was always a bit of a perfectionist, but has worsened over last 2 or 3 years. I think in my case it´s due to some personal issues I couldn´t (and still can´t) cope with.

I also felt I am alone in my neuroticism. Well, I guess there are more neurotic aspies around here. That´s a bit comforting, ain´t it?