Hi, so I've been registered for some time but not got round to posting anything. I'm a twenty-something Brit, without an official diagnosis, but very confident I have Asperger's. I hope this post isn't too long!
As a child, I was considered by family and school just to be a bit odd, anti-social and a brainbox (to quote one of my teacher's on a school report). When at infant school, I'd be more interested in reading or working out how something worked, instead of going outside to play with the other children. I never really wanted to interact with anyone at this age. A bit later, I gained a good group of geeky friends who I was friendly with until leaving school. I had some odd "hobbies": collecting bus tickets, noting down train numbers, etc etc.
Fast forward to being an adult. I struggled through university, both academically and socially. I had a small group of good friends on my course. Anything like giving a presentation or even asking a question in a lecture proved difficult.
I didn't get a very good degree, but another university saw something in me and offered me a place on a postgraduate degree. I ended up excelling at this and winning various prizes, which massively boosted my confidence.
And fast forward a bit further to now and I'm working in science. I really enjoy what I do. It allows me to use my "odd" brain to logically solve problems and doesn't involve massive amounts of social interaction. Over time, I've managed to overcome some other issues and am able to speak reasonably confidently in front of an audience (recently gave a talk to about 100 people at a conference which I couldn't have done a few years ago).
But social aspects are still a huge problem for me. I live alone (my preference) and have lived in my current city for two years. I didn't really know many people here before I moved and still don't really know anyone. I joined a few Meetup groups, but haven't mustered the confidence to go to any events. I can't really do small talk and can't engage in a conversation with someone unless I know we have something in common that I can talk about to start the conversation. People say things like "just go to a bar and talk to people" like this is a really simple thing to do (maybe it is?) but definitely not for me as I just end up sitting there drinking my drink as quickly as possible! Weekends get somewhat boring, so I often end up visiting nearby towns/cities/attractions on my own, cooking and gardening to pass the time. I enjoy travelling and spend lots of time away in Europe (live very close to a major airport and get a good annual leave allowance) but always go on my own.
Thanks for reading this.
15 May 2016, 11:34 am
