stuck living in the past

[scarfan125]

hello everyone 

I have server autism and i had a rough time in school since grade 2, I been bullied and mocked for my disability and it caused some psychological damage to my mental health. every time I walk into a tafe classroom I feel the need to escape as if something is about to happen to me and this causes me to miss out a lot of class time and now I'm falling behind a bit. last night I had a mental breakdown that my parents had to step in. I'm now at a point where I need to work out how to stop dwelling in the past and learn to move forward with life. what do i do to stop repeating the past in my head over and over again?

[Janine-RO]

Hey @scarfan125 , 

I'm so sorry to hear that you've been mocked and bullied in the past, that is awful to hear and I'm so sorry you went through that I can understand why you would be feeling pretty anxious at TAFE now, I'm wondering if you've ever talked to a psychologist or a counsellor about ways that you can manage those feelings? 

There's also some awesome resources on autistic-led spaces that I thought might be helpful so I've just linked those here - these are from I Can, who are an autistic led organisation with heaps of resources developed with young people

Managing Overwhelm

If you're interested in online support groups, I Can also offer online mentoring/ support for young people with autism aged up until 20. 

This is also another great resource with information about different support services for autistic students starting at TAFE or uni  

I'm also wondering if you've ever chatted to the disability support services at your TAFE? They may be able to help you with different strategies that could help you stay calm or de-stress, like sensory breaks, being able to leave the room if you need a bit of time out, or practical things like helping you get extensions for assignments. 

What are you studying at TAFE? 

[Lost_Space_Explorer5]

@scarfan125 I'm sorry to hear about your experiences growing up- I can't imagine how damaging being bullied for so long could be It makes sense that you would be reliving all that's happened when in similar scenarios such as tafe. Are your peers at tafe okay?

With not wanting to have those thoughts loop in your head and trying to move forward I'm not sure. Perhaps you could try processing what happened and trying to become at peace with it? And know that it's not your fault? What do you think would be helpful?

[ayrc_1904]

Hi @scarfan125 

I hope you are feeling a bit better. I'm sorry that you had to experience that - there isn't a valid reason for why they treated you that way, and for people to bully others. In terms of the situation, I wonder if there is anyone at your tafe or high school that you could talk to, maybe a counselor or the teacher? If this also makes you uncomfortable you could maybe reach out through email. Additionally, if there are any online classes maybe you could give those a try? 

You should be proud for pushing through this and fighting for your education and for yourself. I know it can be hard, but you're doing great!

[A_Friend]

Hey @scarfan125, this sounds was really tough on you. I can empathise with this when I was in primary and high school I was bullied a lot and this caused me to not want to go. Could it help to find some people to sit with and meet with before class?

[Macaria]

Hi @scarfan125, I'm really really sorry for your experiences, bully really hurts a lot . I can understand why you are anxious and worried about being at the classroom, it totally makes sense. I'm thinking whether it becomes your traumatic experiences, have you tried to seeing a psychologist or counsellor previously?

[Macaria]

Hi @scarfan125, just wanna pop out and check whether things are going better with you right now? please feel free to ask for help if you need it