The Step 1 questions ask, "Do I have any strong individual bonds with other people? How about bonds within a community?" That hit me, because until I learned I'm autistic, I thought I did. I'm worried about some of my close bonds now due to how my news is being taken by family and friends. With some of them, the vibe is different from how it was before I told them I'm autistic. Some of their reactions seem to signal that I've made a mistake... even though I know I haven't. 

I'm also worried that my own changing self-perceptions could disrupt out bonds.  If I unmask, will I be hurting or confusing someone who cares about me? 

These social questions are a lot to process alongside learning I'm autistic. I feel bad that I don't know how to make this a smoother process for my loved ones. 

Has anyone here been through this? I'd love to hear about what happened, or maybe it's still happening. In particular, I'm wondering...

•  Have any of your individual and group bonds have been disrupted or changed from what they were pre-identifiction? If so, has it affected your self-esteem? Sense of self? 
• Have you ever been you worried that loved ones might develop different ideas about you than they had before?
• Have you felt responsible for your loved ones' reactions to learning you are autistic? For example, thinking, "I must not have told them in the right way" if they are upset or confused?  .
• Has anything helped strengthen your self-esteem in the face of these challenges? 
• Any tools, strategies, or resources that have helped you? 
• Anything else to add?