Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello,
I got diagnosed 7months ago, just before my 28th birthday. Ever since people have been telling me that all my social issues will be solved by going on forums and finding people who share my interests, but the problem is I don't really have any. I like things but not so intently that a person's negative opinion about them wouldn't make me consider dropping that interest. And I don't know lots about stuff I like. I like movies but like I've never seen most of the big ones people seem to always want to talk about. I remember when I heard my friends watched Community I was like "Oooh I've seen that!!" And then they made all these references I didn't get and I started to wonder if I'd missed half the show.
So yeah, here's me trying to join a community forum when I don't even know what I want to talk about with you
Whilst I have many areas of interest, I would argue that I’m not hugely knowledgeable in the areas and therefore I question if they are special interests. My memory doesn’t allow me to retain any factual information. Well it’s probably not retention that is the issue, but rather I just can’t access the information when it’s needed e.g. when having a conversation about my interest. I like rocks and minerals, small objects, and wood. It’s quite hard to explain to people why, as it’s not really the information or facts linked to these things that I like, it’s just that each of these things are interesting to look at and experience. I have collected examples of these things since childhood. Sometimes when speaking to someone about an interest I feel a bit like an imposter if I can’t recall information and I start to question how into the thing I actually am. I begin to question whether it is an interest at all. Without revision I can’t talk at length about factual information and so doubts start to creep in. But then I remember a comment I overheard once along the lines of ‘hobbies and interests are supposed to be fun, not a test’. I think of this and then reflect on the enjoyment I get out of my interests in the way that I personally enjoy them and how I can lose huge lengths of time to them and my worries start to ease. Just because I cannot recall information as an expert would does not mean that I don’t enjoy those things. The time I spend on them is for me and therefore it is time well spent. But as to having special interests as such, I don’t know if I do. I think I’ve potentially rambled and also maybe missed the point of this thread, so apologies if that is the case, but this series of thoughts just occurred to me and I ended up typing them.
Oakling said:but this series of thoughts just occurred to me and I ended up typing them
that;s how my stories happen, it is just a bit problematic to focus on them only for long enough :D
exactly
freedom of thought
freedom of speech
freedom of looks, moves and futures
that is what we need
Haha! It’s funny, I probably would have stayed quiet and just had that thought to myself whilst others were socialising, but I’m finding this a great place to ‘vocalise’ the thoughts.