Confidence and ASD

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First of all I have mild case of ASD, which is 50-50 to NT. Though I still have social and relationship skills issues because of my hearing loss.

More recently I just became so busy with my postgraduate work, volunteer/passionate interest involvements and chores - my thoughts on being negative has disappeared. So I seen the trend of doing something for myself and for the others make me happier and more confidence on life. Only negative things come when I become too lonely (I still do enjoy being alone, but not too often) because it is too much for yourself without significant interaction with other people within your university/employers and interest groups, families and friends etc.

So it looks like I am enjoying life better now than what is like during my UG course. I used to be too lonely because I am not an alcoholic party animal that what everyone does before. Now I live in different place where active environmental groups and potential employers interact with me. I find this is better for me because it something I enjoy and also gives me confidence of myself and learn new skills from the others including NT's perspective.

It is verry merry berry nice that you are gaining confidence, learning new skills, pursuing your interests.
I find that it is good for me to interact with people even if I mostly enjoy being alone.

Exactly. It also helps me to manage stress and anxiety as well. The more I learn the NT side is the less I become stubborn because it not all of my thoughts they hate me. It just that they become confused or they have familiar personal issues. In same scenario, when I meet people who are not so-too friendly I tend to turn away quicker each time. This never happened to me before.

I think it's important to just interact or try to connect with any person as a human being, regardless if autistic or neurotypical, they are all humans. It seems like many autistic people try to build a wall between themselves and NTs, but that is not useful in my eggsperience for interacting with people or working with people. Definitely bad for any kind of deeper connection.

I used to be like that. I find many Aspies I met come to the wall and be an activist for their own awareness to NTs. I find that unfair for the NTs because most of the times they didn't know you are an Aspie or doing something that may offend.

This also applies to the nature of treating as 'human being'. I only see the differences in people is the attitude; the good versus the bad attitudes etc. Nothing else in my way. I seconded this as the way I being treated by everyone else is got nothing to do with my disabilities. Everyone are not intending to discriminate.

Congratulations! It sounds like really positive things are happening in your life and this is making positive changes in you.

This whole thread is really good to read--because of my experiences in life, I completely agree with what btbnnyr said here, particularly:

It has always been good for me, as an adult, to push myself to interact, even when it's been very uncomfortable or terrifying. And even though the effort is often exhausting, there are huge benefits to those interactions.

Thanks both for posting this and for having the courage to live it.

Thanks for your compliments and it is good to see you are feeling achieveous here too.

I feel sad for many other Aspies are carrying on their lives. Despite this may reflect that this thread does not attract many posters because of their negative attitudes.

Only challenges I face most days is my hearing loss. Living in large city and at a large popular university I meet diverse population. Thus various range of speech accents, which influences my understanding. I am not complaining about that because it would be racist or discriminative for them because it highlights the awareness of my hearing loss.

So this is a same of what I have learnt for being an Aspie. After several years of counselling, workshops and seminars I learnt so much about the NT side and it works for me. I am still an Aspie and I love myself with it (also hearing loss too!). So judging yourself with disabilities to other people's judgements is very sensitive and reflective.