As I am writing this I am probably having one of the worst day of my life. I went to my first party as a teenager; a teenager with autism and anxiety. This party is the reason I am writing this post.

I try to push myself to the best of my ability most of the time, I try to challenge myself. Today's experience has taught me that that is perhaps not the best thing to do. Sometimes you need to be realistic.

I hate loud noises and music, I hate crowds, I hate things that are unpredictable and I hate the thought of having lost control of my own self. Of course, I avoided alcohol and most other major anxiety triggers for these reasons, but I still find the party scene difficult. There are some things I can't do, at least not yet. That's okay, I can't be expected to be good at everything as much as I would like that to be the case.

My advice to anybody and everybody who comes accross something they cannot do is to take it step by step. If you know something is a too big challenge, it is okay to try something smaller first. I believe this is a realistic route to success.
Trust your instincts; they know you better than anyone else.