As an autistic how do YOU deal with rejection

Rejection has played a major role in my life since childhood. I've never really been able to satisfactorily cope with it.  I know it is partly due to my own social inabilities. As a true outsider when first settling here, I had experienced past rejection from two government organisations (NHS, and the Dept. Of Employment) the former almost costed me the loss of my wife and unborn child, while the latter had to be taken to court for discrimination (I won with compensation). As a child I was always the kid on the outside looking in which emotionally kind of prepared me for rejection, but not at governmental scale whilst married to an English pregnant wife.  I didn't realise my location -- I later came to learn --- was probably the most conservatively rigid locations in the UK. Over many following years I experienced total strangers who snubbed me owing to my New York accent!

I have developed many masks over many years in my pointless attempts at trying to fit in.  I have no social life.  Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining.  I have been conditioned over many years to accept my lot and find some comfort being able to express myself here as compensation for my social inabilities to a degree. I'm curious to know how other autistics cope with rejection.

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  • I coped by dying my hair and joining in with a bunch of other rejects also known as goths. ;)

    I'm kind of kidding, but not completely.  I still get upset about not fitting in sometimes, but for the most part I'm just, whatever.  If those people don't like me, I will keep looking for the people who do.

    I kissed a lot of frogs before I found my princess.

  • My next-door neighbour is a bachelor and a satanist/Goth.  He had been married twice.  He is very helpful and neighbourly. We get along great because I am not judgemental towards him in any way. In my opening statement I wrote I was friendless. I just reminded myself that I have one friend --- my neighbour.

  • I'm of the opinion that nearly all goths are neurodivergent- autistic, ADHD, depression, gender or romantically divergent, and whatever else it may be.  

    But for whatever reasons, he's probably experienced plenty of rejection himself.  He's probably got some very interesting stories to tell.

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