How much of a problem does nervousness cause for you?

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r2d2
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20 Jan 2015, 9:09 am

Although being nervous or anxious is technically not part of the Autism Spectrum diagnostic criteria it does seem to me to be the single biggest problem that compromises the quality of life for many of those on the Spectrum. For me personally being nervous and anxious is bit like having a constant chronic pain. I would say that when I have had difficulties at work or in social situations - being nervous and anxious is big part of what made the problems or at least made it a lot worse.


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jk1
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20 Jan 2015, 10:35 am

That's my reaction to most situations. It in turn causes more problems. I'd say it's a major problem for me, which is controlling and pretty much ruining my life. A "constant chronic pain" is a good analogy.



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20 Jan 2015, 11:01 am

it causes me no problems. i have always been reasonably relaxed with regard to my connection to the external world despite the concerns of others.

if one can consider hypochondria to be a type of "nervousness", then i may experience some of that. i do tend to notice small changes in my physiology, and i can get quite anxious until i reason to myself what is going on.

example: the other night, i was carrying about 6 plastic bags to the outside garbage bin, and i had a few hooked around my right wrist. after i dumped them in and came inside, i noticed a lack of feeling in my right hand and i i immediately went into a mode of hyper vigilance and started to scratch my fingers with my other hand to determine the extent of the numbness.
then i performed some finger manipulations on my right hand (playing a piano piece in the air) to determine if the efferent neurons were also involved (which would suggest a stroke or tia), and then i remembered that i had the plastic bags handles wrapped around my wrist and i was very relieved. however, i still was unsettled about the lack of feeling and wondered if i had a stroke at that minute, would the numbness caused by blood restriction from the bags mask the true sensation of a stroke?
i was unsettled until the feeling came back, but if i had not remembered or thought of the bags, i would have started freaking.

but as far as dealing with people in the public is concerned, i have no fear of their disapproval (although i do not invite it).
what can they do to me? nothing.



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20 Jan 2015, 11:22 am

To the point that it can be severely crippling and I just feel paralyzed.



kraftiekortie
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20 Jan 2015, 11:37 am

When I'm nervous, I make mistakes.

The impact of these mistakes vary; I always seek to correct them when they occur.

When I am unable to correct the mistakes, the impact has been variable. Nothing catastrophic, though.



Joe90
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20 Jan 2015, 12:15 pm

Being nervous and anxious is my biggest issue, and holds me back the most from socialising. I would love to work in a position where I am in authority, but I'm just too timid and nervous, and I can't seem to shake it off. If I wasn't like this, I think my life would be a lot easier. I wish I wasn't so sensitive to other people's presence, thoughts and emotions. There are times when you need to switch off empathy, but I cannot do that. I'm a cleaner at a care home, but I would rather be a carer, if it weren't for these anxieties. I think I will have good patience and understanding if I were a carer, but I don't think I would be ''bossy'' enough, and when you're working with vulnerable adults or children, you need to have that authoritative skill. It's no good standing there quietly like a mouse. OK some elderly residents at the nursing home may be easy for someone like me to look after, but others need more guidance, boundaries and support, and you can't care for them properly when you're timid. It makes me miserable sometimes, that I've only got to be in the background all the time, when it comes to employment.


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20 Jan 2015, 12:24 pm

For me, the more nervous and anxious I get, the more difficulty I have processing information. Things seem to just fly around me, and I feel like I'm getting out of sync with the real world.
I don't get nervous very often though, but it usually starts when I feel something is off (for example, when I get overwhelmed in a conversation, where multiple people talk to me at once, or say things that I should know how to respond to, but I don't).

b9 wrote:
if one can consider hypochondria to be a type of "nervousness", then i may experience some of that. i do tend to notice small changes in my physiology, and i can get quite anxious until i reason to myself what is going on.

example: the other night, i was carrying about 6 plastic bags to the outside garbage bin, and i had a few hooked around my right wrist. after i dumped them in and came inside, i noticed a lack of feeling in my right hand and i i immediately went into a mode of hyper vigilance and started to scratch my fingers with my other hand to determine the extent of the numbness.
then i performed some finger manipulations on my right hand (playing a piano piece in the air) to determine if the efferent neurons were also involved (which would suggest a stroke or tia), and then i remembered that i had the plastic bags handles wrapped around my wrist and i was very relieved. however, i still was unsettled about the lack of feeling and wondered if i had a stroke at that minute, would the numbness caused by blood restriction from the bags mask the true sensation of a stroke?
i was unsettled until the feeling came back, but if i had not remembered or thought of the bags, i would have started freaking.


I understand what you're saying. This happens to me a lot. Sometimes I feel like I can't hear from one of my ears, and then remember that I'd recently washed my head and there's still water in my ear. Or I'd wake up with no lights around and freak out, thinking I'd gone blind, until I find my cell phone and turn it on. But the worst of all is when I have a dream where my teeth fall out. My teeth falling dreams are so realistic that I wake up unsure of whether I dreamed it or it actually happened, and I really freak and check my teeth immediately, only to find them all still there.


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eggheadjr
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20 Jan 2015, 1:14 pm

Nervousness and anxiety is a chronic pain in the butt for me and has caused some problems over the years.

I've never been medicated for autism specifically but I've been medicated more than once for anxiety. In my teens I had to take really strong tranquillizers for it for six months - it was that bad.


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downbutnotout
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20 Jan 2015, 3:00 pm

kraftiekortie wrote:
When I'm nervous, I make mistakes.

The impact of these mistakes vary; I always seek to correct them when they occur.

When I am unable to correct the mistakes, the impact has been variable. Nothing catastrophic, though.


Oh, yes, I get this too... it was especially embarrassing during exams where I'd have everything laid out correctly except for the fact that the equipment wasn't on.



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20 Jan 2015, 4:26 pm

It can make life hard to live at times.

As if I am only existing.


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andrethemoogle
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20 Jan 2015, 6:22 pm

I feel sick to my stomach, have mild to severe panic attacks and sweat a lot when I'm nervous (depending on how nervous I am).



goldfish21
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20 Jan 2015, 6:31 pm

When I'm nervous/anxious it interferes with my life and work, but I'm able to keep it very well under control via diet & mass amounts of probiotics so I don't have to feel nervous. I'm much happier for it and much better at work - which is an extremely social atmosphere.


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nick007
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20 Jan 2015, 11:19 pm

It was a major problem for me with some things including contributing to me being too needy & clingy in my 1st two relationships. My anxiety is alot better sense I started taking Buspar.


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ImAnAspie
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21 Jan 2015, 6:01 am

Well, I would say that I'm a reasonably relaxed kind of guy but my fingers may have something different to say:

Image

I'm a wolf biter (dermatophagia) and finger picker (dermatillomania) from way back (before I can remember) and both are supposed to be signs of nervousness/anxiety.

So, guilty as charged! Anxious!

Does it cause me a problem? No! I avoid situations that cause me great stress and nervousness.


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Amity
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21 Jan 2015, 6:17 am

Nervousness has always been there for me, some of my earliest memories are of anxiety laden situations.
One thing I’ve learned is that anxiety amplifies my sensitivity to sound, a year ago I was so anxious, I think I disconnected from my physical self as a coping method. Loud sudden noises were like an electric shock exploding in my brain and dissipating through my body, now that I am taking medication, certain noises are generally uncomfortable, and irritating.

My executive functioning abilities were also impaired by anxiety, and why I struggled academically makes more sense.
Growing up as a nervous person, I know (now) my perception of the world was different, it shaped my coping mechanisms, and I think I’ve lived a large portion of my life in ‘survival mode’; which I think trapped me in lower order thinking patterns, with faulty higher order thinking because my perception did not sync with reality. (or something to that effect)

For me, the symptoms of anxiety were a regular part of my life, normal even. When I left home, I started to get full blown anxiety attacks with all associated symptoms, and it became debilitating. That is when I learned that not everyone had a similar relationship with nervousness.



ImAnAspie
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21 Jan 2015, 6:49 am

Amity wrote:
Loud sudden noises were like an electric shock exploding in my brain and dissipating through my body


EXACTLY!! ! Sudden sharp, loud noises can cripple me to my knees! I hate the train whistles whilst I'm walking down the station.


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