Maybe you lose energy because you’re masking too much. Just a thought.
Hmm. Could be. Sometimes I could just walk away, but I don’t want to or feel the need to be there or I stay out of politeness. Yes.
But also: People could be quieter and could enjoy their personal space like I enjoy mine. And People could get to the point in just a few words - listening can be exhausting. :)
How many times have I wished I could be like Dieter in the the old SNL skit Sprockets (with Mike Meyers), where he would casually tell his guest when they were going on: “You’re story has become tiresome.” and that’d be the end of it.
its more like imagine trying to stay interested in endless un-targeted commercials.
its exhausting because most of what people are saying is garbage data and needs to be flagged for deletion. signal to noise ratio. if the conversation was worth listening to and remembering then it isn’t exhausting in that way. but it might be too loud or too overbearing, etc. or sometimes it feels like a job interview/test.
Great insight, feels so accurate.
It’s worse because the more bored you get, the more stimming you need. You need to stand up, move around, focus on anything that is NOT the conversation because it’s driving you insane and you NEED to get out. If at least you could fidget with anything but nope! It’s bad manners. It’s even worse if you’re sandwiched between two guests and you need to SIT. STILL.
And then I end up stimming with my foot anyway until a close relative nudges me hard to stop doing whatever I’m doing because it’s “not polite”.
Fuck that shit. Since then I don’t go to family meetings anymore, let them say anything but unless I’m really getting something worth it in return, I’m not. Doing. That. Anymore. Fuck that shit, sue me.
I don’t think so, at least not for everyone. I try to be as authentic to myself as possible, it’s just that being around people, even if it is very fun, takes a lot of effort that chilling alone doesn’t. This can drain you extremely fast and make you just want some time alone to actually relax.
My 6yo has just been diagnosed, and he’s pretty literally drained after prolonged social interactions, active or not. Almost without exception, he needs 30-45 minutes alone in his room, be it playing with Lego, drawing, reading a book, anything calm and solitary, once we get back home.
