Published on 12, July, 2020
Is it just me or do others get upset / triggered / frustrated/ uncomfortable when someone says or writes one of the following or similar…
I have no doubt that their intentions are good and mean no harm. BUT the problem is that it kind of winds me up. I mean, it’s not like having a cold or virus that you probably would feel much better after a week or so. I find this particularly irksome in the work environment - eg when you contact work to say that you’re struggling and will not be working today.
Am I being overly sensitive? Am I interpreting their good intended words TOO literally? Is there a suitable response to better inform them? Is this really an autistic thing or maybe just me?
I don't mind it if I've been 'normie sick'; I had covid recently and felt okay about people saying "get well soon" because it was something I hoped to recover from (and I did, luckily). But I find it extremely irritating to hear "get well soon" when I'm talking to someone about chronic illness, because it feels like they've either ignored or misunderstood me.
I think I would be really cross if someone said this kind of thing about me being autistic- it's not a disease to recover from, it's a normal variation on the human brain. It can be difficult to live with at times but it's literally part of what makes me 'me'.
It's a matter of context, as you say. "Get well soon" is an inappropriate thing to say about something that isn't actually an illness (e.g. autism) or something which isn't something that can be easily treated (chronic illness). Even with something like cancer I feel it can trivialise it.