My life on the spectrum- PART 2

Just continuing from Part 1 of this video

I got cut off!!

I was just saying how going to parties or going to a pub

isn't something particularly pleasant for me

This is mostly because there are way too many people

and also because it's noisy

Actually, i think the noise is probably the worst bit

If there's lots of people, I am happy to mingle a bit

Or just go and talk to somebody I know for most of the night

That is not a problem for me

Although I can't do it all night long!

I do sometimes enjoy it depending on the context

The sort of socialising I tend to do

is a more focused and more toned down version of what other people would do

And by that, I mean that I would generally meet somewhere

during the day, when it's quiet

and it would be with one or two other people

generally one other person because it's hard for me to focus

on lots of different people at the same time

I can't switch from one conversation to another

I have no idea how neurotypical people manage to do this

but I find it a bit too much! it's quite overwhelming

From time to time, I have to do that

but I would never prefer that to spending time with just one friend

and spending a longer period of time with them

Also, another thing I don't do, generally speaking, is

I don't meet people for coffee for 30 minutes

because it seems a bit meaningless

unless it's with somebody I know really really well

and we're close friends and we haven't caught up for ages

and that's the only chance we get to meet

I have done that before- with those exceptions

but generally speaking, the whole "Let's do coffee and chat for 30 minutes and leave" thing...

I don't know...I think it's because we (Aspies) tend to want to discuss things

in a lot of detail and discuss serious, intellectual things

And if you meet somebody for 30 minutes, you can't really do that

You would only start getting into that and then you have to go

because you've finished your coffee or you've got to run somewhere else.

Also, I find things such as going on holiday, to the beach...

(Somebody else asked me about this recently)

I wouldn't really do that. I have done it, but I wouldn't do it (out of choice).

Purely because it seems that there is no real, structured purpose

If I were to go away somewhere, it would have to be because of something that I am learning

There would have to be some sort of clear, intellectual stimulation

in order for me to do that- to go away somewhere

I went travelling around the Middle East and spent 2 months in Israel

I went to some really obscure places and I went and studied

That is the kind of thing I would generally do

I wouldn't go to any touristy places and instead go somewhere off the beaten track

I guess somewhere obscure and interesting and in some ways, quirky

So yeah, I think I am going to end this now

So my point is that if you ever meet somebody

and they tell you that they are autistic

Don't assume that just because they don't look it

and they're doing well socially and they're independent and they're successful

that does not mean that they don't have all sorts of issues

going on when you don't see them

it's not that we don't have a good life

Some things are hard, some things are not

Some things we find easy, some things we find difficult

But if you see somebody and they're "doing well socially" and they're friendly

Think twice about judging them and assuming that they are not struggling in other areas.

THANK YOU :-)