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Is Isolation easier due to our Autism?

Kit McDaydream

Don't know about anyone else but I always enjoyed my own company even as a child. Don't know if that's cos I never understood other kids or they usually ended up bullying me so playing with others was not enjoyable.

Did manage to have friends and go to college and work and stuff in my twenties but by thirties was suffering from severe burnout and really wanted my own space again, no social pressures to comply with 'normal' and just do my own thing so feel I'm really thriving in this 'pandemic' situation....  Had 2 months to myself don't have to be visited by people i really don't want to see but feel I have to  to comply with being seen as 'normal', cos now its more important that I'm not in contact with anyone who could give me covid19  (am in vulnerable group due to other medical issues thankfully!)

Glad I live rurally so I can slip out at 5am and have the fields/etc to myself t walk my dog and suddenly its perfectly acceptable to go out of your way to avoid someone coming the other way (not that I see anyone at that time) or to avoid going out at a time where more people would be about. Spend rest of day drawing, painting, playing video games and sitting in garden with the dog. Perfectly happy and no need for other humans.

Only problem I have is sunny weather bringing the neighbours and the noisy brats out so can't enjoy my garden at 'peak times' (when usually they'd be at school/work during the week) but finally decided on some noise cancelling headphones to solve that issue.

Dreading things going back to normal and 'social expectations' going back to normal so hoping this 'bubble' idea govt has takes off where you're limited to one or two households of close family which enables me to conveniently still avoid some social expectations whilst still been able to see close family for our birthdays over summer.

NT's are complaining of loneliness and boredom but I'm happiest I've been for a long while. Just wondered if other autistic's felt the same?  Obviously there's going to be some people who need other people as carers for physical/daily living tasks, but if you're autistic and live alone (and have done for years) do you find you're NOT experiencing self-isolation the same as NT's? 

or are you an autistic person who feels they need constant reassurance from NT's that what you're doing is acceptable and seen to be 'fitting in'?   ..and finding it difficult not having other people around you to give that constant reassurance? (ie through being at work daily).

Kit

Parents

  • I'm a bit of a hermit so this lockdown (house arrest) is not really a problem.     Most of my friends are miles away so we speak via e-mail normally anyway.     I'm hating the whole shopping ordeal - it's utter madness with no scientific basis in their abstract rules.

    The only thing that bothers me is not being able to just get the things I need when I want because the shop is closed - or having to click & collect when it's actually something I want to select myself.

  • in reply to Plastic

    Can you get stuff delivered?  you'd just need to be prepared for them substituting stuff though you can add on delivery notes if you don't want any substitutions. Usually most of the order comes and if a few things are missing I get my bro to get them from his village stores if he can and drop them off when he comes to cut my lawn. (rules say you're allowed out to help a vulnerable or disabled person)

    I'm glad I had some stuff stocked up anyway incase of a bad brexit and I always get extra tinned stuff in for winter incase i get snowed in (though haven't had any snow here this year) so being a bit of 'prepper' before this happened has helped. I'm settling into a new 'pandemic routine' now.

    I also have dissociation and multiple alters which actually really helps if one alter is feeling they can't cope and close to having a meltdown. I can 'disconnect' from them and virtually carry on as 'someone else'  - like an actor playing a different role.

  • in reply to Kit McDaydream

    Hi - It's not the food shopping ordeal that's the problem - I can cope with that - I'm doing some work on the house and I prefer to choose my own wood from the store - not the split, knot-ridden, warped, twisted stuff on the top of the pile that they want shot of.     

    I had two more steel purlin beams delivered yesterday and a whole load of rafters came last week.     Unfortunately, Selco is closed, Wickes & Screwfix are click & collect and my local builder's merchant is online or telephone orders for delivery only.    I really need to go into the shop to pick out a whole load of drain pipes - 110mm, 50mm and 40mm - but the endless combinations and permutations of fittings available mean I need to stand in front of them and choose different bits to get the best selection to rebuild the stack.

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  • in reply to Kit McDaydream

    Hi - It's not the food shopping ordeal that's the problem - I can cope with that - I'm doing some work on the house and I prefer to choose my own wood from the store - not the split, knot-ridden, warped, twisted stuff on the top of the pile that they want shot of.     

    I had two more steel purlin beams delivered yesterday and a whole load of rafters came last week.     Unfortunately, Selco is closed, Wickes & Screwfix are click & collect and my local builder's merchant is online or telephone orders for delivery only.    I really need to go into the shop to pick out a whole load of drain pipes - 110mm, 50mm and 40mm - but the endless combinations and permutations of fittings available mean I need to stand in front of them and choose different bits to get the best selection to rebuild the stack.

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