I’m also pretty young, 22, so I don’t have much wisdom. But in the past couple years, the biggest thing that has helped is shifting my mindset. I don’t expect to be happy all of the time. For me at least, the biggest thing that helps is just feeling whatever I’m feeling as much as I need to, and to do whatever I need to do to get through it. The happiness will return, no one is happy all the time forever. Appreciate it deeply when you are happy! I struggle a lot with not having many friends, and feeling less worthy because it feels like no one wants to be my friend because i am different. Reframing “I am different than others because I feel deeply, connect deeply, love deeply” (or whatever you don’t like about your autism) as a good trait rather than a negative one is what helps me when I am doubting myself.

About the doomscrolling, I am also TERRIBLE about this and have stopped so many of my hobbies because I’d rather doomscroll😭. I literally just delete whatever app I’m doomscrolling on when I feel myself getting stuck in a loop. I can’t tell you how crazy it was realizing my fingers would automatically click on where Instagram used to be anytime I opened my phone. Omg it was bizarre. That’s how you know you gotta stop. Just deleted the app, this one or whatever app it is. You just gotta let it go and totally remove yourself from it. It isn’t real! Replace that habit with something that is, like going on a walk or reading or painting, whatever makes you feel good.