Let's get one thing straight about being an Aspie

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I always used to feel perfectly normal and according to me it's people surrounding me who were really bizarre, veritable weirdos . I would like to get rid of some issues (I'd like to have better social skills because it would be very useful while now I get bored with people very fast) but I'd never change the very essence of me. I like my personality and my brain.

Brit,

That's a good point; you have good and bad days. But as an Aspie myself, I can say that my "bad" days are "REALLY" bad, and I sometimes wonder, what if my "good" days are simply an average day for an NT? And maybe a "bad" day for me (meltdown) is the equivalent of a day in hell for an NT?

I wouldn't know how to be NT. I'd be normal and then be like "now what? I guess I should just act the way I normally do" and then I'd probably become really confused over new found awareness in some aspects and loss of awareness in others. It sounds depressing to overturn ones whole personality.

I can state categorically that depression and anxiety are not part and parcel of being Aspie. They can occur in Aspies, but generally either because of another disorder/disorders (the famed "comorbidities"), or because one is trying to be what one is not - an NT.

On the other hand, I know a number of NTs who are seemingly constantly depressed or anxious because of how they believe they are being perceived by others - sometimes by people they don't even know. Trying to be social just seems to be such a huge stressor even for "normal" people, I have to wonder why they bother. Maybe someday, someone can come up with a cure for those poor, stressed NTs, with their social compulsions and their fear of being alone...

I think my depression and anxitey are more caused by my past then by Aspergers. I think that having Aspergers is both a blessing and a curse for me, and I can't label it one or the other. I have so many abilities academically and oddly enough socially (honesty and pure happiness) which I don't think I would have if I wasn't an Aspie. I sometimes feel left out of life though, which is extremely frustrating. I do believe that we are unique, and although we're rejected much of the time - what miniority isn't? As long as we keep on speaking up and showing that we are as stupid as a sloth winning the Animal Olympics, I don't think we should be ashamed of who we are.

Thing is, I hear NTs talking about things they want to change about themselves, too. If I was NT I'd have a new set of relationship problems replacing the old. I'm not perfect and the problems suck, but I've learned how to deal with them. I'll take who I am now.

Yes, I do.



No, I do not.



Yes, I like being an aspie. It is part of who I am.



I like being an aspie better than talking about being an aspie. If I had to choose between being an aspie but not talking about it and talking about it without being an aspie, I would choose the former.



I've dealt with depression and anxiety in the past, but it was not a direct result of being an aspie, in my case. For me, being an aspie is a good thing, not a bad thing.

one thing being an old f*rt is that you have a lifetime of regrets to look back on. Just wish I could do it over, knowing then what I do now..

Sure, I'd like to be confident and social, I'd probably be happier, and definately better off financially..

Until then, I can at least learn to deal with it.

i could do w/o the depression but other than that i cant imagine life being "normal"

For the most part, I like being who I am. But there's a small part of me that wishes I could be able to function as a normal, well-adjusted adult.

Do I LIKE being an Aspie?

Well I kinda like being alive, so yeah. Coming close to NOT being alive recently brings that into perspective for me... Yes I like it, and I like that my wife is one and that my sons are too. No I would not like to be a "normal" because I can't imagine doing without being "ME", and I wouldn't be anymore. Actually, I'm terrified I'd start listening to country music, watching sports on tv like they actually MATTER, chasing flirty skirts around the office, and voting Republican. GAH, I might even go to CHURCH....

I could do without the mood disorder, I hate the black pit of depression and I've learned to be wary of the manic part... when my blood feels like it's fizzing and I'm ecstatic, I know it's trouble....

I don't like it, because I can't make friends.

I can't change myself in that way, so the question is arbitrary. But anyway, I would remain the same despite the social awkwardness. I have introspective insights and a unique intellect that I find a gift. Family even tell me I understand more about non-autistics than they understand about me (an autistic)!


Depression and Anxiety are secondary issues. They come not from Autism - they come from inadequate services and support (parent's not knowing what to do, peers allowed to bully / manipulate you, no education for teachers or employers, etc). It is easy to respond to such a lack of support by blaming ourselves and the "differences" we have - hence the sense that Autism is to blame.

My sentiments exactly. I often wonder what my life would have been like if I had been a confident and social person. How much easier would my life have been?

Wouldn't it be nice to not have a problem with making eye contact?
Wouldn't it be nice to be able to read people and get vibes from them?

I love it, now that I understand it. Before I was Dx'ed, I hated myself and didn't know why, but now I'm very happy with my life.
Also, I think it would be boring to be an NT.

I have a hard time wishing to be someone else. For all the grief that comes with thinking differently, I can't help but see all the problems in the world that would be so easy to fix if people could think outside of their box a little more. If being NT means that I stop analyzing and questioning things in life then I'll pass. I'm guessing society needs some different people. If no one goes against the grain then there is no progress.