Should I be feeling this as well??

New here & reading through many of the posts, I see that a lot of people are

- worried about not fitting in
- worried how people see them
- feeling not good enough
- worried about being accepted by others
And so much more

Should I be worried that I don't feel any of these things? I see a lot of emotional heartache & sadness caused by these concerns. There are so many posts that I am beginning to think, should I have picked up on the fact that I do not feel these things myself sooner?
It doesn't upset me that I have missed this. I feel more curious as to why, & why I don't feel this way & wondering if I should be. 
I won't be addressing it as I don't see it as a problem to be solved, or something I should try to alter. This is who I am & I accept it. It also doesn't mean that I don't feel concerned for the hurt these things are causing others or feel empathy.

Does anyone else feel the same way?

Parents
  • If some of the things that worry others don't worry you then don't worry about not worrying. I'm sure there are plenty of things that worry you, but wouldn't worry me or some others. It's OK to be different, even and especially when ones autistic.

  • Thank you TheCatWomen

    Worry isn't really something I have to deal with much. I tend to see it as a waste of time when I could be putting my mind to better use.
    But I feel that is a failing of mine & I don't mean that as an insult or disrespect to others either. I understand those feeling are genuine & that is how others deal with events in their lives. I guess my mind just doesn't work in that way. 
    Much worry is cause by fear which I don't own a lot of.

    I am more like a fly on the wall watching someone (myself) as they journey through life. Quite dethatched at times. I doubt this is a good thing!
    But this is who I am.

     And like you say, it is okay to be different Slight smile

  • As Autiscian said a lot of for me started at secondary school, although the upper years of primary school wern't good either. I think that often fitting in socially is more of a femle thing than a male one, although I'm not saying males don't have their own social fitting in problems, just that being female I don't know what they are or how they manifest. I think female society is much more tightly knit and important when you're a teenager, you're expected to conform to certain things, how to dress, what make up, music and stuff I dont' really understand. I think theres always a sort of push-pull thing in female friendships, that I've not experienced in friendships with men. If you can not worry about such things then I think its great, it's something I still battle with, years of beatings, bullyings and general nastiness have made me aware that I don't do things "properly " without knowing what "properly " is, most of the time now I just do without people as they're to much hard work.

    I have been through stages of life where I've felt like my own ghost, watching my life happening as if to someone else, for me that was a sign of depression and the need to reengage and sort out what was stopping me.

Reply
  • As Autiscian said a lot of for me started at secondary school, although the upper years of primary school wern't good either. I think that often fitting in socially is more of a femle thing than a male one, although I'm not saying males don't have their own social fitting in problems, just that being female I don't know what they are or how they manifest. I think female society is much more tightly knit and important when you're a teenager, you're expected to conform to certain things, how to dress, what make up, music and stuff I dont' really understand. I think theres always a sort of push-pull thing in female friendships, that I've not experienced in friendships with men. If you can not worry about such things then I think its great, it's something I still battle with, years of beatings, bullyings and general nastiness have made me aware that I don't do things "properly " without knowing what "properly " is, most of the time now I just do without people as they're to much hard work.

    I have been through stages of life where I've felt like my own ghost, watching my life happening as if to someone else, for me that was a sign of depression and the need to reengage and sort out what was stopping me.

Children
  • I never went to nursery, I only ever played with one other child before I went to school, so you can imagine my shock, it was so loud and they all knew how to do things I didn't, like sharing. I wasn't selfish, being an only child I'd never had to share before. I think I started speaking at about the "right" time.

    I think women do mask more, because female society is more about interactions than about things. You can see this if you watch even small children play, boys play together with an object and everyything is about that object, girls its about how they relate to eachother around the object. I think with girls it's more about "we" and less about "I", older children and teenagers itbecomes more extreme, boys seem to know via a few grunts and osmosis whats happening, where and when, whereas girls spend ages talking about arrangements, who's meeting who, where, when and what every bodies going to wear etc. I think some of this is about physical safety, lone women are seen as vulnerable in a way that lone men arn't. But I have this theory that humans are like many other herd mamals where you get single sex groups that stay together often for generations and lone males who will either turn up when a female is ready to breed and then disapear again like elephants, or will stick around to protect his offspring, like lions.

  • Interesting you say that about the difference between men & women. I have read that women seem to be able to mask more easily in social situations.

    I was sent to nursery at the age of 4 because I wasn't talking. I do remember some yrs before I hit my teens my mothers crying saying " why don't you talk to me". I felt confused about her emotional outburst & as to why I needed to speak. I did not see the problem. I would talk at that stage if I had something to say but I found it so tiring & arduous, even confusing. I couldn't see the point of replying to "how was your day" etc. I had obviously made it to the end of it! (Sorry if this comes across as arrogant or rude. But at that stage in my life I just didn't "get it"!)

    In my teens being sociable wasn't of interest so I people watched. I found this very enjoyable. I philosophised as to why people reacted as they did. Why they asked certain questions. Why they chose that colour to wear. What influenced their choices. Etc. Etc. My head never stops thinking about these things all the time.
    I then became more aware of the social aspect of peoples lives & the fact that I could also influence, make someone happy or even make them smile or laugh by something I had said or done. I caused a positive reaction/outcome. This then became a project of mine. To, as I call it "play the game"! And I love games! Smiley I guess this can be interpreted as Masking to a certain degree when I play, but I think it encompasses much more than that.