Do you prefer or need to be alone much of the time?

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Took off from work and I’m not engaging in any sort of outside socializing and don’t have to mask and I just realized… this feels really good mentally.

I’m surprised at how much just having to be around people hurts my mind.

Currently, I don’t have to think about how to deal with NT coworkers and yet just being around strangers is overwhelming. I hate being touched without reason, and on public transportation that tends to happen a lot. Don’t want to be looked at.

The less people I have to deal with the better I seem to feel. Maybe this opinion would change if I had good, close relationships in my life.

What is your experience with being alone?

I very much like being alone. I love it if I can go all day without talking to anyone.

On the other hand, I don't want to be far away from everyone. I prefer help to be available in an emergency. So while I like being alone, I have no intention at all of trying to sail around the world solo.

A mile or two is usually enough.

Yes I enjoy being alone,

1 to 2 social outings a week is all I need to stay sane, otherwise I am quite happy going about my business on my own. I feel that being around people constantly quickly drains my life force, and I will become increasingly more irritable as time goes on if I do not get some time to myself.

I find time alone in nature the most effective way to recharge my batteries after dealing with people or just stress in general.

Funny thing is though, that I rarely tire of the company of cats and dogs. I actually prefer animals that like to stay close to me. I think that the purest love can only come from a pet, no person has ever loved me as much as my pets have. Also, none of my pets have ever turned their back on me for some petty or selfish reason like many of my own family have.

Same.

My boss and I often chat. I explained things to him this way. When he goes to a party, he gains energy, it makes him buzz with excitement. When I go to a party, I lose energy. I find it exhausting, being surrounded by strangers. Nor is it rewarding in any way, because I often feel sidelined.

I believe it is the social processing load. Our brains (Asperger's) are simply slower in processing social stimuli. We do not have the efficient algorithms of the NT. Of course, the NT's, or at least the supreme operators among them, are going to be the ones to garner all of the attention, because their social processing happens so quickly, they can engage in real-time everyone in the room. This is enviable, but it is not doable for me. There are hard physical and intellectual limitations one must accept in life.

On weekends, I remain mostly in solitude, and that is something that I look forward to, as it recharges my batteries.

I am alone most of the time and it's so terrible it's crushing. I am desperately lonely and crying much of the time.

That doesn't mean I would enjoy hanging around with strangers.

I would like to live with my partner instead of seeing him once and sometimes twice a week, but in part I can't because I am too sick. I have ME/CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) and I feel exhausted and drained pretty much all of the time. And also I just don't think it's his style. Because my illness has been worse the last four months or so I've also had to give up some small friendships I had because I'm not well enough to get together with them or to go to events where I might see them.

I very much enjoy being alone, but I prefer being alone with someone around. I think it's called parallel aloneness, 2 or more people being in the same vicinity but not interacting very often if at all. I had a roomie like that, it was awesome. He would come home, put on his headphones and play x-box while I had free reign to do whatever I wanted.

I have been completely alone before, while it was fine for awhile it got sort of heavy and burdensome after too long. My brain starts getting a little off center after too much social isolation. Not always a good idea...

yes, I have been lucky enough to find a partner who needs a lot of alone time too, and we sort of bonded over that. We make dates and appointments with each other when we want/ need to interact. Otherwise, we each have intense interests that are sort of parallel (reading, music, hobby activities) but that we prefer to do alone. Its OK to want and need your own space. Its not selfish or wrong, its just another way to get by in life. NO guilt!

I both need to be alone most of the time and crave for a close friendship, which isn't a good combination. Luckily, I work almost fully remote - I can't imagine having to go to the office each day, becaue it's much harder to focus there. But thanks to the fact that I actually can spend most of the time alone, usually it's a nice thing for me to meet others. For example, the day in the office is a day for socializing, not for work, and it works quite well when it isn't too frequent. But it's hard to imagine how I could form any closer relationship, when I know how much time alone I need. Or maybe I didn't need so much, if I meet the right person? Idk

I like being alone.

I am married. I like having her in the house, too, just I prefer that she usually be in a different part of the house.

I like routines so most evenings I would like to go to a restaurant or watch something with her.

I could handle two or three subdued social events a month, I think. ("Subdued" best being a meal in a restaurant with a couple I know...along with my bride.) COVID pretty much killed the recurring social events I had been going to. I can't say I miss the social events but I still wish I was going to them...I figure it would be good for me.

I do prefer to be alone.

Few months ago, I have started to write a journal. One of the parts is writing down my mood throughout the day. With numbers from 1 to 10. 1 for very bad mood and 10 for exceptionally happy.

So...then when I was reading through what I have written I have noticed a pattern. My mood was only 2-3 every time when I was outside and had to deal with people, but the days when I stayed at home without going outside, my mood tends to be on 6-7.

Dealing with people (even my family) is very exhausting and often I feel very down and agitated. But at home, where nobody is seeing me, nobody expect from me something, I often feel happy and content with my life.

So no. I am better at home, completely alone. I am thinking I will bring a cat in the future, so it can keeps me company.

I tend to need more alone time than the average, NT person.

I can socialize and enjoy doing that in short bursts, but socializing quickly becomes tiring for me.