solidennis wrote:
As a man of almost 30 with what I suspect (and may soon to be confirmed) is a mild-to-moderate autism/anxiety disorder, I've been struggling to understand how people have found the courage and appeal to do so many things that I still find frightening. For instance, I insisted on staying close to home when going to college. How do other people find the courage to move to another city/state/country to go to college without being paralyzed by helpless fear at the idea? Or, how do they bring themselves to study and travel abroad on their own, especially to countries that don't speak English as a first language, without similar feelings?
What's particularly frustrating is that I've always liked to keep to myself, and this has hurt me in terms of networking and discovering new opportunities. How do people grow comfortable with social and professional networking without it feeling like a relentless, burdensome chore? How do they find the energy and motivation to leave their house, step out of their comfort zone and try new things, even on a quasi-regular basis? How do they balance multiple responsibilities (jobs, families, hobbies, personal projects, etc.) without being overwhelmed by fatigue and frustration?
I'd love to hear what thoughts and insights others on this forum have into these questions.
As far as traveling, I have no desire to do any of it now. But growing up, I attended fifteen different schools in twelve years. Then I joined the Navy to see the world. It was a matter of doing what I had to and trying to make the best of it, though, again, I'm much happier being rooted in one place.
As far as networking, it's something I avoid. I've got my niche cut out; I do my thing and let the rest of the world to its thing.
17 Jan 2012, 11:37 am
