Is it strange that I don't desire total isolation?

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It seems to be a major stereotype that aspies always want to be left alone and never desire social interaction. The thing is, in my case I find that while I often have days where I want people to screw off and leave me alone, I also have days where I actively crave social interaction. As well, I've noticed that if I spend too much time around any one person, I tend to get sick of being around them, and I have to distance myself from them to feel better.

Like many other aspies, I do have a tendency to isolate myself from other people, but I find that if I do it for too long, it's just like constantly being pestered by another person, only that person is myself.

Not all aspies are the same. Some prefer to be totally alone for a long time in order to recharge, while others don't. You aren't weird.

I don't think so, I don't crave complete isolation....sure I do need to have time to myself, but if I'm alone too long then its only a matter of time before the depressive/anxious thoughts start taking over. One reason I really hate that stereotype is because the reason a lot of aspies end up isolated isn't because they want to...its because people reject them this stereotype is potentially dangerous since it can lead to ignoring the issue of social factors contributing to isolation. If there's an aspie child at school who's alone it might be assumed they just like it that way...when they may be facing ostracism instead for instance.

I think the problem here is we have let so called professionals define us rater then speaking for ourselves.


I spend a lot of time alone and when I do mix I make a lot of social mistakes and I feel odd and weird.

However I would like a social life but I retreat away from my social disasters.

I feel safe and a lack of pressure when I hide from the world that is not to say I like it.

It really isn't that weird.

I am kind of the same way. Sometimes I need personal time and other times I just want to be around others.

I spend most of my time by myself because I like it. But I make sure to atleast talk to someone a little bit every day so that I don't really feel lonely even if the only interaction I have is saying hi and the most interaction I get is a couple of hours (Spending too much time with the same people upsets me)

Though if I was better at making friends I would probably try and spend a little less time by myself lol.

I don't desire total isolation.

A stereotype is just that: an exaggeration treated as if it were truth. I like being around people, but we're on different wavelengths so we often misunderstand each other or fail to form a meaningful connection.

I don't think aspies like to be alone exactly. For many of us it's simply tasking to be social but we would like people there when we want them to be. I guess this comes off sounding selfish to some, but for me this is how it is.

I am lonely when I have no one to talk to, when I have people to talk to I tend to talk to them for a few moments and then I end up not wanting to talk to them anymore. The only person I can talk to for any stretch of time is my friend who I play games with and we tend to talk about games. My other friend is NT and she is very much a pain to talk to for a long time. I love her but after a while it's just too much to talk and I end up wandering and missing everything she is saying as I delve into my own mind to think about stuff.

In summary, my opinion is that being social is a pain for many of us, but we like to have the option of being social when we feel like it. Even when we aren't actively being social, we like that there are people that we "could" be social with if we feel like it.

I don't want to be alone ALL the time. I used to enjoy being alone more than I do now but it has gotten tiresome. It's not so much that I WANT to be alone as it is that I NEED to be alone. I need lots of quiet time where I just can space out and I don't have to talk or listen to someone else talk. It feels like a friction on my brain when other people want to interact with me constantly and it makes me irritable. I like being around people who just let me be quiet but most people don't do that. Being alone too much is not good for me either because I just stay in la-la land and get nothing done.

If I really enjoy being around someone I can spend lots of time with them and never really feel tired of them but those people are very rare. Otherwise I do get tired of people. Like in a job if I work with the same people every day I get a claustrophobic feeling like I'm in a fishbowl. There is a time limit for how long I can be around different people and with most people it is very short.

Not at all. I don't desire complete isolation either. I need time to myself, but I also love my friends and would be sad if I didn't talk to them.

I'd rather not be alone but it just so happens that I am. Constantly. No friends, no family members nearby. It sucks. I'll be one of those people who drops dead in their living room and no one will know for weeks or months.

Almost nobody ever desires "Total" anything