• Feeling isolated? You're not alone.

    Join 20,000+ people who understand exactly how your day went. Whether you're newly diagnosed, self-identified, or supporting someone you love – this is a space where you don't have to explain yourself.

    Join the Conversation → It's free, anonymous, and supportive.

    As a member, you'll get:

    • A community that actually gets it – no judgment, no explanations needed
    • Private forums for sensitive topics (hidden from search engines)
    • Real-time chat with others who share your experiences
    • Your own blog to document your journey

    You've found your people. Create your free account

Start to unmask.

All things in moderation.

All socially-conscious people mask. "When in Rome, do as the Romans." If you work, you are a company representative. You will mask. If you are at a social gathering. You will mask. Self-control and discipline are highly desirable virtues.

Having said that, we all know the difficulties, stress, mental exhaustion, etc. with actually hiding our autism. There are entire threads on the forums regarding "coming out" as autistic. I was in a position to do it, many others here are not. I am openly autistic. My co-workers and students know. I do it because I hate being misinterpreted and falsely accused, so by letting them know I am autistic, it allows them to put things into proper perspective and context.

Everyone's situation is different.
 
You can’t 100% really be no mask because it’s all integrated… all you can do is be introspective and put forth no energy in to complying with social norms, platitudes, reciprocity of engagement and literally be yourself and give no f what others think of you.
 
I only mask in public. When I'm at work I don't need to mask only to a small extent, but I think even NTs mask a little bit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New Threads

Top Bottom