Published on 12, July, 2020
Like many autistic individuals, I have a very sharp eye for detail and often notice errors that others may miss.Recently, someone in HR gave me the "I think it's a superpower" when I raised a concern about something HR related that had errors in it.
What I am finding is that my attention to detail can become all consuming and overwhelming. If an "i" isn't dotted or a "t" isn't crossed, I notice it and this leads me to question the competence and care of the person responsible. My colleagues often advise me not to get bogged down by the details and to focus on the bigger picture instead. One colleague asked if the error I pointed out really mattered and if it affected me. My response was a resounding “Yes.” It does affect my autistic mind, which seeks perfection and is highly sensitive to mistakes. I get that his NT mind would struggle to comprehend the how our ND brains and the challenges that we face.
What I would like to ask my fellow NAS members is
I am feeling quite desperate as this is becoming a daily occurrence which I don't know if I have the energy to deal with.It's not just a work thing, it seems like so many things are not thought through, not executed particularly well, or are just plain broken.
I don't struggle in the same way you describe. But in more general terms I do struggle with living in an imperfect world. Perfection means different things to different people though. Your perfection might be somebody else's hell.Mellowjian