I found in school and collage I found I was always different. Fitting in wasn't an option but being different was easy, so the only aay I could fit in was by being somewhat different, and where I had to "Fit in", I was most excellent in masking. This really came into its own during collage where I was masking all the time. However when the masking was discovered, that was when I had the whole class pick on me. I was absolutely petrified.
The events really effected me, for many, many years, where when I went into town, I was on very high alert. I would think (And I still have issues like this) that everyone could suddenly switch and suddenly try to take me on... I would try not to be anywhere that I aas not next to an escape route of some kind, so if the building I wanted to go in was crowded, I would not go in, or I would stand or sit by the door and boy, I was ready to run for it if the time came.
The problem with being on high alert is that it is tiring, and also takes a long time to wind down afterwards, as ones mind stays on high alert for most of the day. This means that I often found it difficult to get enough sleep.
I often don't even notice that I am on high alert mode. For example, about five or so years ago, my then dentist asked me why I grind my teeth. I realized that I found myself often waking up doing it at night.