Masking

Welcome to the community!

I'm so glad you're here and interested in discussing masking, it's something i find really interesting but don't understand all that well. Masking, or camouflaging autistic traits to fit in with neurotypical expectations, can be a complex and challenging experience for many individuals, especially for women and girls who may face unique societal pressures and expectations though it affects boys and men just as much. 

I mask pretty much all the time, more so when I'm out. If I'm talking to people, or in a shop, I know I'm masking to fit in and be accepted. By the time I get home I am absolutely wrecked! No energy, just need to rest in bed to recover.

Masking isn't a healthy thing to do but so many of us do it instinctively without even realising it at the time. I'm like this, the first I realise it is when I'm starting to feel the exhaustion like I've just run the London marathon. 

Welcome to the community!

I'm so glad you're here and interested in discussing masking, it's something i find really interesting but don't understand all that well. Masking, or camouflaging autistic traits to fit in with neurotypical expectations, can be a complex and challenging experience for many individuals, especially for women and girls who may face unique societal pressures and expectations though it affects boys and men just as much. 

I mask pretty much all the time, more so when I'm out. If I'm talking to people, or in a shop, I know I'm masking to fit in and be accepted. By the time I get home I am absolutely wrecked! No energy, just need to rest in bed to recover.

Masking isn't a healthy thing to do but so many of us do it instinctively without even realising it at the time. I'm like this, the first I realise it is when I'm starting to feel the exhaustion like I've just run the London marathon.