Male aspies and masking

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If I have been of any help then that makes me happy.

Never give up hope, and try to focus on the happier memories when you can. A lot of people often think I'm just bragging about how good a life I've had but it's a way for me to improve the way I feel about myself.

And a note about the savings - when I'm down and I don't go out or socialize much my bank account climbs at an incredible rate. I must be the only pensioner in Australia that thinks we get paid too much.

There's always a silver lining, even in a mushroom cloud.

Cheers,

Andrew.

 

[AutistAcolyte]

i was lucky (in some ways) to go k-12 at the same school, a very stable and small environment, which my psychologist thinks may have contributed to my passing as neurotypical for so long. it was easy to blend in because i knew everyone and everyone knew me! but i was a very sensitive kid and cried a lot, something that i ended up hiding from others at first, which eventually turned into hiding it from myself.
since starting my journey of understanding myself as nuerodivergent, ive been considering how much of my behavior is camouflage and how much is authentic... it's a difficult question!

 

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ive been considering how much of my behavior is camouflage and how much is authentic... it's a difficult question!

A very difficult question. I mentioned in another thread that I'm now starting to wonder how much I try and mask from myself as well.

I also wonder if this is why women present differently to men with ASD - most women wear a mask from the day they hit puberty. They have all the same desires and urges as men, and some are every bit as predatory, but to be socially acceptable they have to mask all that. Maybe for this reason masking comes more naturally for them and they're better at it.