Published on 12, July, 2020
One thing I find ironic is how neurotypicals always say that we have no empathy, when in fact the opposite is true... I have hyper empathy, which is common in autistic people, apparently.
I can pick up people's mood straight away, and I have a particular soft spot for animals. The other day I started watching the documentary "Blackfish" on Netflix about killer whales in captivity, and it caused me immense distress because of how the animals are treated. It took me a while to calm down after that and I still feel a bit sad about it at the moment.
Does anyone else get distressed when watching something sad on TV?
It's odd, I seem to have a detached compassion. People might occasionally complain I should have noticed how they feel and I didn't, but it doesn't mean I don't care. TELL me explicitly how you feel and I will listen all day and help if I can. But I don't ever take that on board as though it were my own pain...quite handy in some jobs I've done, actually. I'd be no practical use if I got overly involved.
Emotionally, I seem to be more personally affected by the pain of communities or peoples than individuals, even the individuals I love. Is that odd?
I'd like to think I have empathy.
I can get confused sometimes, I am bad at picking up hints and offend people with my bluntness. I can tell if something is off, but if they don't tell me then I can't help! I have offended people many times by not picking up on their weird hints.