@mamacita Good Tuesday to you, too! I retired from full-time work Oct 31, 2015. March 2016 I started working 3 days a week, in the same field but in the private sector. The main motivation was I needed income but I could no longer handle a full-time job due to medical issues. As far as how I shielded myself, being on the on the spectrum, I took a job where I was pretty much on my own, had few people to have to answer to and even fewer people around me during the workday. There were others in the office that I interacted with from time to time, but not on a consistent basis. This allowed me focused time and uninterrupted work, critical for me to keep my stress levels down. I kept that job until June of this year, as I prepared for a move 100 miles away. At this point I do not work but do some charity work, and will be doing some volunteer work in the next few months. This will be on my own schedule, not anybody else's, that is, when and where I do any work even on a volunteer basis will be my decision.
Ginger