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@hopeful33250, I hope this finds you well. I wanted to address this perception that many NT's (Neurotypicals) have regarding those of us on the Spectrum.
Several months ago I saw a new therapist in my search to tame my ADD tendencies. I was open and frank about my place on the Spectrum. She basically nodded and went on to listen to everything else that brought me there.
Later on, after having seen her for months, she finally made a comment that I thought was interesting. She said that she never would have guessed that I was Aspie or anything else on the Spectrum.
I smiled and responded to her statement with my own.
"Well, you see, it is like this. We grow up knowing we are diffetent. We learn that we have to "mask" in order to properly fit in. So we learn all we can to be just like you. So that we can survive in this world. "
But unfortunately all this masking takes its toll on us in the form of disease, disabling conditions, and a false sense of self.
We know now that who we are is who we should be.
Removing the masks takes time and courage. Both qualities we tend to have in abundance.
It's never too late to be yourself.
Thank you for accepting us as we are.
Love and light,
Mamacita Jane
Replies to "@hopeful33250, I hope this finds you well. I wanted to address this perception that many NT's..."
Your description of the mask makes perfect sense to me. I'm sure we all put on masks to some degree, but to do it all the time would produce stress which in turn might lead to disability and disease.
Are there times when you can just be yourself and take off the mask? How does that feel?
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@mamacita In 1988, I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus. It was a months-long process involving a lot of tests and biopsies to come up to that definitive diagnosis. At that time, and perhaps even now, it was awkward to get a handle on, as there are so many symptoms that vary from person to person. Doesn't that kind of sound like being on the autism spectrum? I recall a nurse telling me, "Gee, you don't look sick" as I checked in at my rheumatologist's office one day back in 1990. That sounds like autism, and the way we may be seen by others, doesn't it? Perhaps I've gotten used to comments like that, perhaps I've gotten good at masking, really good at masking. Being on the spectrum is part of the Civil War that my body and mind carry-on between themselves.
Ginger