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My current earworm. IYKYK and I'm not sorry if this is your earworm now 😀

Reflecting on my experience last night at the autistic adult social meetup... I'm still struggling to express the difference between being in a group of neurodivergent people and a group of neurotypical people.

I guess the difference, in terms of how I feel, is that in a group of neurotypical people, I struggle to keep up with the conversation, I'm always the quiet one, and I almost always feel out of place.

In a group of neurodivergent people... I don't feel that.

What makes that difference? I don't know. Maybe that's the double empathy problem.

#ActuallyAutistic #Neurodivergent #ADHD #AuDHD

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@actuallyautistic Went to my first autistic adult social meetup tonight. I was super anxious and nervous going in...

I don't know anybody. What if I'm not "Autistic enough"? What if... I don't know. What if this invalidates me? What if I don't fit in?

It was an outdoor venue, so I took Zoe, my Husky, for backup. For comfort and as an icebreaker.

I stayed for an hour and a half, and I was really surprised how comfortable and relaxed it was. Talked when I had something to say, quiet when I didn't. No pressure to carry a conversation.

Sitting around with 8 neurodivergent strangers was leaps and bounds more comfortable than sitting around with 8 people I'm familiar with at my in-laws cottage.

On the whole, the experience was incredibly validating. It felt like... even if I didn't have specific interests in common with the few people I talked to, I found my people.

#ActuallyAutistic #Neurodivergent #ADHD #AuDHD

Listening to a podcast episode that was recommended to me here about people pleasing...

It's speaking to me directly and is blowing my mind a bit.

One thing in particular:

"[People pleasing is like] lighting yourself on fire to keep everybody else warm."

🤯

https://pca.st/episode/8dbfe548-089c-4e4f-8f2a-0e16c3c4927b

It finally, just now, at 40 years old, occurred to me that some people, sometimes, say things that are untrue because they're trying to protect themselves.

It's not always maligned intentions. Sometimes, for some people, it's a defense mechanism.

#ActuallyAutistic

Going to my first Autistic Adult social meetup tonight. The event ballooned from 6 or so when I RSVPed to over 20 now, and I'm feeling a little anxious about being in such a large group.

I've felt this anxiety before, though, and I've pushed through it to do things I really wanted to do. So I'll push through again.

#ActuallyAutistic

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