Do you ever feel more high functioning some days than others

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Sometimes I feel really on top of life, getting my chores done, looking after myself and feeling happy. While other times I'm lethargic and unwilling to do anything and generally unhappy. The "big picture" of life fades away and I start living minute to minute.

Perhaps its more of a depression thing than an autism thing?

Definitely feel that way sometimes.

I don't think I ever feel on top of everything all day, but I have small victories. Yes some days are way better than others.

Yes I think the "high functioning" days are a lot rarer.

Most definitely. Before I thought I might have Aspergers I kept thinking I was failing at life. Now I'm just sort of worried about my executive function not bouncing back after low periods, although it's easier when you just let yourself have the off days if you can afford to, then your body/mind can re-set. I am almost there after a short but very low functioning period - my self care had gone out of the window, I have done no exercise, seen or spoken to no people (other than this forum) and keep stuffing my face with custard. However, I know I have to go back to work on Monday so it's time to start rallying. But it really helps to let myself just go when I need to.

Not only do I feel more functional some days than others, there are days when I can't summon the motivation to leave the house, even though I have errands that need running.

I also feel that the longer I go without any social contact whatsoever, the more awkward I am when I do get back out and encounter other people. It's like my social skills atrophy if I don't use them regularly.

It could be. I tend to get some slight manic / depression mood swinging sometimes, that I can't really attribute to external sources. I've studied psychology enough to recognize it as probably some slight manic-depressive disorder, though it's mild enough that it doesn't have a huge impact on my life, especially since I'm usually able to identify it when it's happening.

Another possibility is general over-stimulation though. It's normal for AS to feel lethargic or "down" if you have too much stimulation. This stimulation can sometimes take the form of just general stress or worrying or things like that, not necessarily always specifically external stimulus. I know that for me I tend to feel better (and even "less autistic") when my mind hasn't been being overstimulated by anything.

Oh, yes.

Some days everything seems to work and I can get a huge amount done, and have lots of brilliant ideas and am very productive. On other days just getting dressed and out of the house seems almost impossibly difficult.

People tend to think the second thing has something to do with depression, but I think there are times when my brain is just tired and needs some more recuperation before it will give me 100% power again. I try to acknowledge those bad days and try to lower my expectations for them. On the other hand, I try to make the most of the high performance days, because I can do so much more during those times.

I am very incapable of doing anything at the moment, the flu had something to do with it, but now at the moment it's a case of this forum and the odd burst of music and guitar. I can barely be bothered eating. Feels like I'm nowhere, and I don't want to be anywhere.

It's funny how I've managed to get a life which allows me to do this.

My boss just called me from out town and asked if the office is going to be open Monday. I knew perfectly well it was going to be open, but my mouth said No. Suspecting I was wrong, he said very patiently, please confirm it. So I put him on hold and start to yell out to my co worker (with whom I had JUST been discussing the office being open) - The office is closed Monday, right?

Then I realized I was saying closed when I meant open.

Why why why why why would I do that? This is one of those days.

I notice the idea of sleeping late and staying home comes across as repulsive to "well adjusted" NTs. I don't know what they would be doing instead, but I doubt its truly as fulfilling as it sounds in their boasts.

Yes. But most days are in-between.

Yes, some days I feel like I'm on top of things, I'm making conversations with people, I'm doing what I have to do. Then I have days where I don't get things done and I have a hard time.

And also days that I think I've been understanding something someone has said or done but then it gets very clear I haven't. That brings me down. It seems to take me forever sometimes to figure something out, then I sometimes realize I haven't. And that causes me to doubt everything I think I know about people and why they're acting the way they do.

Yeah and here's one I do; calling someone the wrong name even when I know their name, just because I called them the wrong name at some point in the past, it seems to come out again. I can see how I might not come off as the most socially adept person.

I do experience that, yes, and I seem to notice that my badly functioning days seem to be a direct consequence of a stressful event, experience, day or period of time, and not necessarily a negative one, although those will definitely send me there.

It can be as innocuous as just too much contact with people with whom there was pressure for me to be more sociable than I can stand. Or too much to be busy with, even though none of the things are horrible things. I get through what has to be done but I then can barely function for a period of time after that.

Conversely, when nothing unusual has been happening, nothing stressful either positive or negative for a while, I find myself more capable of what most people seem to be capable of, and can cope. From this I've figured out that to just live at a "normal" level of efficiency and coping skills, I have to live at a "not normal" level of taking great care of how much stuff I'm exposed to that I can't handle without some kind of stress consequence.

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The moar moar moar things I have to do, the moar moar moar high-functioning I am.

I am verry merry berry high-functioning when I have verry merry berry many things to do.