Getting some alone time/constantly being dismissed
Two different things here, but they are related.
I'll start with the "alone time" thingy.
My friend knows that I am on holidays from university. She has been using this as an excuse to spend what seems like every moment when she's not working at my house.
I can't handle that level of social contact. I'm overwhelmed. I've hurt myself twice this month, both times badly enough that they probably could have done with stitches, and both times were directly related to not having had enough time to myself.
Today she asked if she could come over to my house again on Saturday. I said no, I wanted some alone time. She acted as though this were completely unreasonable, and said that I could go to the library if I wanted peace. I shouldn't have to be driven out of my own home just so that I be relaxed enough not to hurt myself!
This links to the other issues, which is that for some time now she's been completely dismissive of my opinions and so forth. We'll be talking, I'll say something, and instead of just disagreeing, which I'd be perfectly fine with, she acts as though I'm stupid/have something wrong with me for having that opinion/wish/whatever. She acts as though her views on the world are the only valid ones, and I'm just there to provide a sounding board and agree with her.
It's fine in her eyes for her to make all sorts of demands of me and put me down when I disagree with her, but the second I say no or stand up for myself, I'm apparently being ridiculous.
Half the time she'll jump down my throat for something and then turn around and do the same thing, yet when I point this out, somehow I'm in the wrong.
She keeps making me feel absolutely rotten about myself: she'll call people losers for not having a driver's licence, not having a full-time job, not having moved out of their parents' house by x age: I have no licence, I don't have a full-time job, and I still live with my parents.
She acts as though I'm lazy because I don't work as many hours as her (even though during the term, my studies take up more time than her job does), when in reality I work harder than most people I know just breaking through inertia and so forth and getting through the day.
I may work fewer hours than her, but I'm dealing directly with people, which is made very, very difficult and draining by my AS. I'm doing the best I can with the brain I have, but she seems to think that everyone is equally capable and that if people don't get the results she does, they must just not have put in sufficient effort.
I don't know what to do. It seems like I'm being completely disregarded as a person; she makes me feel rotten about myself all the time, and if I stick up for myself, I'm in the wrong.
I'm not sure she realises what she's doing; it seems like she's just closed to any point of view but her own, and unfortunately her opinions/social needs/etc tend to be more normal than mine, which gives ammunition for dismissing me.
I'd like to bring this up and fix things, but every time I try to stand up for myself, I get shot down and virtually mocked.
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Music Theory 101: Cadences.
Authentic cadence: V-I
Plagal cadence: IV-I
Deceptive cadence: V- ANYTHING BUT I ! !! !
Beethoven cadence: V-I-V-I-V-V-V-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I
-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I! I! I! I I I
Your feelings are valid and a real friend would respect your need for down time.
There is no easy way to discus it with her, but you should. She should recognize that different people have different needs whether they are NT or Aspies..... I hope it goes well for you, I hope she can't at least try to see your side of things. If not, you're not losing much in the way of a *friend.
Please let us know how it goes.
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"Your knowledge of what is going on can only be superficial and relative" ...WS Burroughs
There is nothing wrong with wanting alone time. If you really want to keep her and can't get it across any other way, maybe an euphemism might work. "I'm very, very tired. I need to sleep. I don't get enough sleep while I'm at university so I'm going to spend Tuesday in my pajamas."
I had a similar situation when I worked in Uganda. I took to writing it on my schedule as "SOMAD," which stood for "Sit On My Ass Day." That way, if anyone wanted to do something with me, I could tell them I already had something scheduled. Mostly which involved reading and picking at my toes, which I wouldn't tell them, but it did work to get me one day of complete isolation and quiet every week.
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