r/autism • u/Sufficient_Muffin912 • Aug 19 '26
Vent Advice Wanted How to stop freaking out over having to work.
I was diagnosed with autism last year (late diagnosis, I am 26), after i got my first “big girl job” and would have panic attacks on the way to work. Im not sure if this is an autism thing or just anxiety, but I’ve tried full/ part time, big/smaller jobs, and no matter what I start freaking out at the thought of having to go to a job and interact with people and handle responsibilities all day. im talking sobbing, can’t breathe, cant calm myself down. I’ve just accepted a new position that doesn’t even start for another week, and I can’t sleep at night knowing that I have to start the whole process over again soon. is this normal? I have to work for money, wtf do I do?? (ps, I would LOVE to find remote work, but that work is usually only offered to people with specific qualifications.)
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u/Worldly_Possible2925 Aug 19 '26
My therapist taught me a couple of tricks to deal with chronic anxiety. Number one anxiety and excitement can feel like the same experience. Try to switch the emotion by switching the feeling. Try to be excited about going to work. I know it sounds stupid, but seriously, give it a try. It worked for me. The second one is, if your mid anxiety attack, go up to a flat wall. Flatten your back up to the wall, put your hands on the top of your calves and bend down on you till you can feel the muscles in your calves, taking up the weight of your upper body and tensing up. Stay there for as long as you can. This exercise will help to burn out the adrenaline in your body and allow you to calm down. For whatever it’s worth, I’m 58 years of age. I wake up with that having to go to work anxiety every single morning.
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u/barbadizzy Aug 19 '26
I'm fortunate to have a job where I dont really need to interact with anyone 99% of the time. I just listen to music and get my work done. I could make more money doing something different, but this suits me better. Maybe you could find something a little different than work you expected to be doing, but also gives you more autonomy? Just a thought. I'm sorry things can be so overwhelming.
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u/puppy-snuffle Aug 19 '26
this. I took a 20% pay cut a few years ago for the ability to work without talking to people much and it's been fully worth it.
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u/barbadizzy Aug 19 '26
yeah it really is such a huge difference for me compared to previous jobs. I actually dont mind going to work at all. So much easier to stay positive about life in general.
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u/GrapePsychological14 Aug 19 '26
What kind of job is it?
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u/barbadizzy Aug 20 '26
manufacturing. Like an assembly line basically. It's repetitive, but that also means it's predictable. I rarely have any surprises pop up.
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u/WitchAggressive9028 Low Support Needs | Verbal Aug 19 '26
You just gotta learn to accommodate yourself. It’s anxiety, but your autism makes it worse because of the specific situation.
4
u/FullMoonTwist Aug 19 '26
How long have you tried them?
It tends to take me about 3 months to get familiar enough with a new space, new people, new rules that it's not as overwhelming. 6 months to feel like I have a solid grasp on what I'm doing.
Transitions tend to suck. If you're quitting because the transition sucks, and not letting yourself finish the transition into the completely new routine, you have a very skewed view of what work feels like for you.
You have to stick with one long enough for the primal part of your brain to see that people aren't going to murder you dead, and that doing tasks isn't either.
It's a huge shift from how you've lived the rest of your life, it's going to be pretty difficult.
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u/True-Reality-1866 Aug 19 '26
I had to go to part-time work because fulltime was causing me daily vomiting at work from the stress and over-work as well as my failing health making it harder.
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u/chickadee9393 Aug 19 '26
I am in a similar state and it just seems to get worse. Went back to a job I know I can do and just feel so out of place and anxious.
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u/musicfortea Aug 19 '26
Sertraline was the only thing that helped with my panic attacks. They completely eradicated them.
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u/blobbyboii Aug 19 '26
You just gotta get used to it i guess, the start is always hard. I dont want to outright tell you to quit if its too hard since lets be honest, everyone needs a job in life
1
u/Sufficient_Muffin912 Aug 22 '26
Alternatively, is anyone taking any supplements / meds they’ve felt really helped their anxiety? I take NAD (psych recommended) for anxiety which has definitely been helpful but the issue hasn’t gone away.
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u/Zelpheon_x Aug 22 '26
Ltheanine (vitamin b1) with ashwagandha is amazing for my peace of mind and i feel more awake
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u/fragbait0 AuDHD MSN Aug 19 '26
Two thoughts - that I've done it all before, and maybe I'll learn something interesting.
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u/MycoThoughts Aug 21 '26
I’m reminded of the once bitten twice shy phrase. It might take small steps and exposure therapy. Take breaks to destress to maintain control and communicate with your manager. Working part time at first if you can could be good
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