Authenticity

JT said:

if you have done this and always found the real you is rejected how on earth are you meant to live in the world authentically?

I can spend a lot of time with just my dog for company, which helps to offset the outside world. That's how I cope with living authentically, although most of that is not in the 'real' world. 

I consider myself fortunate, in that I have space, now, and don't have to share it with anyone. I didn't expect to be in this position, and am grateful for it.

At work, I expect to have to mask, otherwise I will be rejected- and honestly, I probably will be anyway, because try as I might, NTs can always tell I'm not like them. Constant rejection used to upset me so much. At least now I understand why I'm not like them.

Having said that, in my new job I work with autistic students and also, it turns out, have colleagues who believe themselves to be ND - most likely true, since they're the people I get on with best! Neither is seeking diagnosis, for different reasons. It's amazing how much I seem to have in common with one of them. Perhaps I might even make a new friend, although it's early days.

So I'm in a good place in life, I think. 

But it hasn't ever been like this before. It's been very difficult in fact. 

It's easy to see that a lot of ignorance and misconception exists in the public view of autism - and unless this changes, we're likely to face social rejection unless we mask, I think. 

And it should change! Why should we not feel able to be our authentic selves - at least to the extent that NTs can? 

JT said:

if you have done this and always found the real you is rejected how on earth are you meant to live in the world authentically?

I can spend a lot of time with just my dog for company, which helps to offset the outside world. That's how I cope with living authentically, although most of that is not in the 'real' world. 

I consider myself fortunate, in that I have space, now, and don't have to share it with anyone. I didn't expect to be in this position, and am grateful for it.

At work, I expect to have to mask, otherwise I will be rejected- and honestly, I probably will be anyway, because try as I might, NTs can always tell I'm not like them. Constant rejection used to upset me so much. At least now I understand why I'm not like them.

Having said that, in my new job I work with autistic students and also, it turns out, have colleagues who believe themselves to be ND - most likely true, since they're the people I get on with best! Neither is seeking diagnosis, for different reasons. It's amazing how much I seem to have in common with one of them. Perhaps I might even make a new friend, although it's early days.

So I'm in a good place in life, I think. 

But it hasn't ever been like this before. It's been very difficult in fact. 

It's easy to see that a lot of ignorance and misconception exists in the public view of autism - and unless this changes, we're likely to face social rejection unless we mask, I think. 

And it should change! Why should we not feel able to be our authentic selves - at least to the extent that NTs can?