Loving change and hating routine??

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I've come to think of it as, change is a routine.

There hasn't been enough of it in my life lately, and I tend to get into trouble when things stay the same.

I crave new experiences, new places, new everything. I like my home base but that's as far as it goes. But I have heard that people with ASD prefer routine, and I think it boils down to this: lower-functioning people need it or they become confused, but higher-functioning people are likely to get bored by it. I know I do, my mind is always churning and is always looking for something new.

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^ I disagree with that. I know a few high functioning people who are extremely routine oriented. I know of aspies who like change and adventure. The routine thing is what many aspies have but some do not have it. I dont have it, I like some routines but can get really bored without variety.I like constant surprises and changes, but not stressful ones, such as realising a much anticipated outing is cancelled, or something like that.

I have been wondering about this a lot because I strongly suspect I have Asperger's (no diagnosis yet), but I am not attached to my routine. I have always been very go-with-the flow. I like to try new things. Whenever I take the Myers Briggs test, I always end up on the borderline between Judging and Perceiving, because I like to make plans to the best of my ability, but if I can't make a plan or I am feeling too lazy to plan ahead, I will wing it as best I can. And if I do have a plan, I don't mind if it doesn't work out.

I love both change and routine.

I would get really tired of eating the same food meal after meal, day after day.

On the other hand, I could easily get used to eating the same food for the same meal of the same day of the week or month as long as the food is good and there is some judicious choice of foods.

I looove change probably why i'm so interested in computer science and the future

I've found that when I do something like sleep in a different room, or miss at least one of my several daily rituals (making tea, reading a book with a bowl of popcorn, cooking dinner, being with my dog, etc) I'll often end up severely anxious and/or depressed for at least a week. it took me years to realize it was going on but if my routine is changed, even in a GOOD way, I have to plan for a strong negative reaction that can potentially spiral out of control, especially if my soothing behaviors (showering multiple times a day, being alone, playing computer games, any of the above daily rituals) are disrupted at the same time.

it's really frustrating, because something like going on a trip to a nice hotel in Chicago and then seeing family I love and like, who I haven't seen in years, can just by itself lead to me needing to lock myself in a room alone for at least 8 hours a day while on the trip, and that's if everything goes as well as it possibly could.

For me, there's a time and place for predictability and change. At home, I like stability and predictability. When I'm out and about I like certain types of change like seeing different people from different cultures, seeing different landscapes and buildings. I get bored easily if I'm seeing the same things day in and day out.

I have certain routines which I like, or maybe they are necessary to me, and I don't like these being broken. However, in regards to other things, I like change. Basically, there are 2 different sets of routines: my own routines, which I do because I like them, or they comfort me, or whatever......and then there are the routines that society imposes upon me (job, various schedules, etc.)- these are the things that I would often like to change. I wish I had more freedom over certain areas of my life.

I like predictability. Change makes me anxious. I get upset and need time for my brain to adjust when things in my life that I am accustomed to and comfortable with change. I resist any kind of change and like to keep things the way they are. But I also like new and novel experiences within a predictable world. The two are not mutually exclusive.

I very much prefer routine. I only like change when it is my idea, and it's not changed at the last minute.

I don't get bored of routine. I pretty much live in it, honestly. And prefer it. Though there were some changes that I think this house needed....badly. And the house had some good changes, but my routine is still going to be the same.

I know it's an old thread but routine is something I struggle with. I don't have one at home, because it drives me insane if I decide I am going to do something on a particular day and then something happens to screw it up like making an appointment or running an errand. I will usually only do one thing on a particular day, say for example, deal with the finances or study, I can get annoyed if I then have to do something else, like go to the shop or make dinner. I have tried all sorts of things to help me with this, diary, alarms etc, it's very frustrating.

Furthermore, when I worked full-time in accounts I worked to a very rigid routine. Open post, enter cash, print off invoices, print off aged debtors, customer queries, lunchtime, chase debt. Always seem to be able to follow some sort of routine at work.