Been assessing where my selective mutism begins and ends. I've come to the conclusion that it's a self defense mechanism that protects either my point of view or my energy levels, and comes most often when I haven't had any space to myself for some time. So I shutdown and prioritise my internal thought processes over my external communications.
Was wondering where yours appears?
Mine appears when I do not have the words to express what I believe to be right or just, in the face of surprised-or-imbalanced confrontation is where it appears most, but it also appears when I am hyper-focusing or overloading.
It had meant that I was looked-past at school, because I was made of wood, and because I was the squeaky-wheel only when trapped. My lived-experience has allowed to learn how to physically and rhetorically avoid stress, it doesn’t surprise me that workplaces and schools, are where mutism is most prevalent.
My parents and teachers used to be very contradictory at meetings, because the contrast in my behaviour was so drastic, I shutdown at school and blew up when I got home..
