Hello!

I am probably one of the younger listeners on here... I am 24. If you are looking for someone who is younger, I am probably a good fit for you!

I am a nursing student. I started off wanting to be a therapist. I love listening to others keenly.  I realized I liked nursing because you can eventually become a NP and also focus on a more medical side of things too. But I have have never been 100% in a specified area.

I have had a ton of misdiagnosis' because people did not understand me as a kid. I communicate, I can make eye contact, I can do things independently. But I also have autism. I was misdiagnosed with bipolar and some providers thought I could possibly have BPD. I am very interested in psychology and I knew I did not have bipolar and I knew I did not have BPD. I went with it in the beginning because I did not know what to think anymore because I was questioning myself a lot.

I always felt alienated and I always felt like nobody understood me. I can speak a lot because I have ADHD. (Which is a very common comorbidity for autism.) And I am a girl. I mask heavily. I would be so tired every single day when I return from school and I would sleep for so long because I was depressed. 

I was having breakdowns at school, but I would go through them alone.

A very big turning point in my life is when a provider laughed at me for inquiring about autism. He had diagnosed me with ADHD. And he had removed the bipolar diagnosis. But also diagnosed me with depression and GAD. He laughed at me because he said I talk, I make friends, and I have empathy. Autism does not mean you do not talk, do not have friends, or do not have empathy. He told me that he is a psychologist and he can practically never be incorrect. He told me if you mask then it means you know social cues. Completely dissed the idea.

I reached for a second opinion, which he told me he doesn't urge me to do. I spoke with this incredible person who has been into diagnosing people for so many years. She is very intelligent and very caring and understanding. She works on capital cases in forensics... so I said to myself, "I guess she has to know what she is doing I would assume..." When I met with her, and she diagnosed me it made me know this is something I want to do. She inspired me tremendously. She was so encouraging to me, very respectful of how I felt. Very genuine. I would like to provide that experience to someone else who is struggling to understand the world around them too.

According to the poor provider I met, you can't have empathy. Actually that is not valid. Some people with ASD, are overly empathetic. Which, I am. I am still on this journey but through it, I have learned that I want to specialize in ASD. I want to help those who do mask heavily be able to find their true selves. To find clarity in who you are as a person so you can get along with others better. Feeling alienated is not a good feeling to have. It can cause a lot of barriers to success. I want to see others neurodivergent people be successful.

I will be a nurse next year. I want to be the best provider I can be. Everyone deserves to be heard and not dissed.

I want to become a DDNP (Develpmental Disabilities Nurse Practioner). I will most likely do this by becoming a PMHNP and getting the ASD certification.

This is very dear to my heart, very important to me.

If you believe you could have autism and need someone to listen to you, I will be more than glad while I am on this journey with myself.

I will empathize with you. Because I really do care about you. I know a lot of people think its not possible to care about everyone. But I truly do care about everyone. I think everyone deserves to be heard, acknowledged, and understood. The world can be very uncomfortable if you do not have this.

I speak to everyone. But the topics that I extensive understanding the most of are:

- Autism 

- ADHD 

- Bipolar

- BPD

- Anxiety

- Sensory Issues

- Depression

- GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder)

- Marriage effects on children

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.

Always advocate for yourself. Even if its difficult. Because there is someone out there that will advocate for you as well.