What I Wish People Understood About Autistic Women

Your Sensitivity is Not a Weakness.

Autistic women often move through the world carrying invisible weights: misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and deeply exhausted from the effort of simply existing in spaces not built for them. Many autistic women were the "good girls" growing up, quiet, high-achieving, perfectionistic. Those traits often hid the signs of both neurodivergence and early emotional wounds. As a result, their pain was missed. Their needs were ignored. Their differences were pathologised or punished. They learned to mask, to shrink, and to self-abandon just to stay connected.

And so, by the time they reached adulthood, they feel anxious, disconnected, burned out, or stuck in patterns of people-pleasing and self-doubt. They may struggle in relationships, in the workplace, or simply in knowing who they truly are beneath all the coping.

What I wish people knew is that their sensitivity is not weakness.

And, therapy isn't about “fixing” them. It's about untangling what’s theirs from what was forced upon them. It’s about reconnecting with their body, their needs, and their voice — gently, at their own pace. Autistic women are not broken. They are resilient, insightful, and deeply capable of healing, once given the safety and space to do so without judgement.

If this resonates with you, please know: you’re not alone, and you don’t have to keep carrying this silently.

#QuercusCounselling #Autism #Burnout