It's far more stress inducing and hard to cope with than being part of the severe mental illness and the high IQ communities.
It's far more stress inducing and hard to cope with than being part of the severe mental illness and the high IQ communities.
Hard for me to comment on any of these three communities that you mention, because I am not part of any of them.
I am merely a part of this particular forum community here - and frustration is the main emotion that it induces within me these days.
The first 12-18 months of me becoming accepted and integrated into this forum community felt connective and reassuring - I discovered that "me" was not as "otherly" as I had once thought - because other people kindly shared their personal thoughts and experiences of the world around them, as autistic people. I discovered overwhelming criss-crosses of common ground.....and this made me happy.
I was eventually able to connect directly with some people who valued the mutual ability to discuss ANYTHING without fear or favour, safe in the knowledge of our shared autistic challenges, although the precise colour, volume and tone of those challenges are often very different.
Personally, I feel that being autistic makes membership of any "shared community" VERY hard, whether that be an "autistic community" or any other type of community that you care to mention.
It is interesting to see that you feel the "autistic community" is harder for you than the other two that you mention. Thanks for sharing that. I love to learn.
It's more psychologically demanding. Some people are at their best in such an environment/situation I'm the complete opposite. I constantly worry about saying something that will result in the disapproval of those self appointed gatekeepers of how an autistic person should be.
It's more psychologically demanding. Some people are at their best in such an environment/situation I'm the complete opposite. I constantly worry about saying something that will result in the disapproval of those self appointed gatekeepers of how an autistic person should be.
Hi Firemonkey. This sounds like it could be imposter syndrome?
You might be right. I've only really thought about imposter syndrome from a cognitive ability angle. The one that has me thinking most people could do well at x, but I'm stupid if I can't do well at y. My daughter regards my ASD as primary and the schizophrenia/schizoaffective as secondary..It occurring due to the pressure and stress of having been an undiagnosed autistic child and teenager.
Hi Firemonkey. This sounds like it could be imposter syndrome? I had that when I first joined this forum, I didn't think I would be "autistic enough" to fit in. But I soon realised that I am what I am - people will either accept me or not, there is no point worrying about it.
I enjoy communicating with a diverse mix of people in here. Everyone is interesting to me, including you. We don't have to all be the same to have empathy with each other.
I don't use any other forums or social media so I cannot make comparisons. But I believe that all of us here have had mental health issues, and we may not all be geniuses but we all have the capacity to think things through, often in a creative or "out of the box" way. We are all valid and valuable.
As Iain says.....I get you too regarding this statement;
I constantly worry about saying something that will result in the disapproval of those self appointed gatekeepers of how an autistic person should be.
.....but with me, compared to you and your statement, I can substitute the word "worry" for "feel frustration."
Iain states that his approach is to "push back"....whereas with me, I tend just to hold back and say nowt because I get even MORE frustrated becoming embroiled in a fruitless tit-for-tat of opinion......often where EVIDENCE is demanded of me for whatever my opinion or understanding is.
I don't understand the concept of "irrefutable" in the same way that so many others appear to do. Talk of the "current zeitgeist" as the new irrefutable "truth" seems a bit ridiculous to me......because it changes so very much over such very short periods of time these days.
I constantly worry about saying something that will result in the disapproval of those self appointed gatekeepers of how an autistic person should be.
I get this.
My approach is to push back and ask them what their credentials are to be such gatekeepers - most are just overbearing bullies and turn out to be paper tigers.
I wouldn't worry about others opinions so much - so long as you point out that it is your opinion and not a statement of fact on the subject then they can just put a sock in it.
Hi Firemonkey,
I’m new here so I don’t know much but I hope it’s ok to say that I’d see your experience of autism as valid and true and real and important as anybody else’s because it’s yours just as mine is mine. I’d like to think I could respect your experience as yours and also respect you for sharing how things are for you.
not sure if that makes any sense.