Am I an Aspie?

Post Reply New Topic

Hello WrongPlanet forumites! I'm Ameli, 23-year-old lass from the Midwest, trying to figure out if I qualify as an Aspie or not.

I'm certainly not NT. I was diagnosed with anxiety a years ago and struggle with bouts of depression too. And I feel I have a lot in common with many of the Aspies here. I'm the person who was always too shy to volunteer in class (even throughout college), who hates small talk and has no idea how to do it (every time I do it seems to make people uncomfortable, even when I pick harmless topics like the weather), I generally leave huge gaps in conversation that have to be explained later, etc. Using language I find amusing tends to confuse people.

The Social Rule Book thread is excellent. I didn't really realize I had a problem with making eye contact until I went through there. But I do! Every time I look a stranger in the eye I feel embarrassed, like they can see me naked or something. I don't instinctively smile when I'm happy and it makes people think I'm upset when I'm not. I hate it when people have conversations and the topics always change so quickly that I can't participate. I don't get people who like to go out all the time to bars and clubs and whatnot. And I have issues with crowds and overstim; too many people, or certain noises/textures will instinctively freak me out (matte surfaces, ugh!).

But I guess my biggest issue? Compartmentalization. I don't understand how people can just... NOT think about how others affect every aspect of their life. How can I look at a friend or family member I disagree with on an important issue, and not think about what says about his/her character, even as we talk about mundane things? How can I have small talk with my boss, knowing that anything non-work-related I say to them could offend them and make them think less of me, impacting my chances of getting better work or using them as a reference later?

I don't know if this sort of stuff counts as Aspie-esque behavior or not. I work an entry-level job in retail, have for years, and have yet to really piss anyone off (as far as I know). I have a mostly NT husband who really gets me. (But he also has some emotional quirks too, for example he has never felt jealousy before. I wish I could know what that's like!) I get along better with guys, and I hate the way hanging out with girls usually involves implications or translating what they say into what they really mean.

I guess in the end, even if they're not all the way into the "Aspie" part of the spectrum, lots of people feel like they're living on the Wrong Planet.

Welkome to WrongPlanet.

The WP Kink

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

Welcome Ameli - midwesterner to midwesterner. Your 4th paragraph reminds me of something I've thought about Facebook. With followers knowing a user from so many different contexts, almost nothing other than a very general mass post will be relatable to everyone ... unless all your followers are interested in the same, deep subject of course