Reflecting on my NEET days, post escape

Hi guys :) about 10 months ago I posted here sharing that I'd finally got a job and escaped what felt like a never ending cycle of quickly quitting jobs due to burn out, then remaining unemployed and reclusive for countless stints of 6 months to a year, the longest of which being the last time at about 15 months of isolation and nothingness. Just wanted to share a quick update on how things have been since then; I'm kinda hoping it might be able to inspire someone else and convince them that maybe things Can actually get better if they take a few steps.

Material updates first since it really feels like I've done more shit this year alone than the past few years combined.
- I've already got a promotion and a raise at work. My boss and all my coworkers actually seem to really like me, even in spite of how fucking awkward and incompetent I still feel on a daily basis. I am a mere cubicle slave but I still actually feel like I'm needed and appreciated there. I know this one sounds like some sort of capitalist myth that people tell themselves to get through the day but I genuinely feel satisfied with it for the time being.

- At the beginning of this year I actually had a brief romantic fling (or situationship or whatever the hell you wanna call it) of a few months, after over 4 years of complete celibacy before that. During that 4 years I maybe went on like 2 first dates that never went anywhere, and that was the extent of non-platonic intimacy with anybody. Actively trying to date again now. Idk we'll see how it goes I guess.

- I've reconnected with old friends that I'd drifted apart from, spent time trying new things and rediscovering old hobbies. Finally played a few games I've been meaning to play for years, started a few shows. Went to concerts, traveled out of town, went to parties. There have been some pretty life changing experiences sprinkled throughout this time, and I feel way closer to all the people around me than before.

Most importantly, I got on an antidepressant and actually feel like my life has some sense of meaning again. Shocker. This one is actually a fairly recent development though, I've only been taking it around 2 months or so, meaning I did most of the shit detailed above when I was still actively dreading my existence every moment of every single day. In my teen years I went through maybe about 10 different combos of antidepressant/anxiety meds, and this one is still the only one I've ever taken that actually did what they're supposedly prescribed for. Now that I've found one that actually works, it's pretty fucking baffling to me that it does. I literally wake up every morning and take a not-wanting to splatter my brains on cement pill with some oatmeal or something and now suddenly existing feels manageable again. Even in spite of the fact that I'm a giant autist that's about to turn 25 and still living with my parents. Also kinda chopped. Even still, life feels okay right now. Shit could be way worse.

I think my heart breaks for the version of myself from back then. I hated myself so fucking much and felt like no more than a completely inept waste of air who was only able to pretend to be a functioning member of society for a few months at a time before regressing back to cave dwelling and drowning in my own self pity. More recently I've finally started to realize that I'm just a person trying my best. Even with my super fucked up brain chemistry, it's not completely doomed.

Gonna restate my advice from last time because I still feels like it genuinely applies, even more-so now.

i don’t know each of your individual circumstances but the one piece of advice i can give you that does apply to every single person who wants to get out of this shit is let go of the doomer shit. seriously. if you want to do it, then you’ve gotta fucking believe in yourself and stop acting like the entire world is out to get you. maybe sometimes it is. a lot of the times it is. but if you hate your situation and have absolutely zero hope for things to get better, then just realize you need to get comfortable with this being the rest of your life. half-assing things is going to get you nowhere.

TLDR: You are not so special that you're the one singular person on earth incapable of making any kind of positive change or improvement. I promise things might actually get better. No guarantees, but it's possible. Happened for me and now I'm kinda almost just an average person. Crazy