Demands of interelating with too many people stressful?

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Yes. I actually have very little need for friends, because I have my husband, his parents, and our kids. I have *more* than enough social interaction from that. The socializing we do outside of family is generally driven by my husband, and I'm fine with it, because I know it's important to him. (But then, it isn't too frequent; if it were too frequent, I'd no longer be fine with it.)

If I lived alone, I'd want friends, but I would be perfectly content with seeing someone once a week or so (unless they became an obsession for me; then I'd want to see them all the time -- for a while). I would be content with one or maybe two good, close friends who understood me, with whom I could talk about anything, and wouldn't want any "buddies" -- people to just hang out with.


Yes. But I have created a fairly ideal situation, so I don't come into intense contact with people very often. My husband tends to act as my "shield" at parties, etc. Otherwise, I'm home all day except for when I pick up the kids at school. I buy everything online that can be bought that way (groceries included). My interactions are generally limited to brief "chitchat" in the schoolyard and when other moms come pick up their kids after a playdate. I like it this way .

I've had friendships in the past that were exceedingly draining, because the friend wanted more intense contact than I could bear. I detest the telephone and can only enjoy talking with someone if I'm obsessed with them. So when I've had a friend that wanted more than I could give socially, I have definitely wanted to pull back. Of course, back then I didn't realize I was AS, so I thought I was just "shy" or whatever, and that I needed to "buck up" and get over it so I could be a complete person.