Hi indie people! Hope you enjoyed this video! What could you relate to in this video? This is part of a week of videos on the channel, click the link for more >>> ua-cam.com/play/PLU7asIuC9SU_E6MD140qnOh7n31IduIXL.html
I have Asperger's Syndrome. I have just found your channel and I think it's great. I definitely think I mask my autism. Sometimes I feel like I don't have a choice but to mask my autism. Even Infront of my family I have to mask my autism. I can't do many of the behaviours that I would normally do in my own home such as hand flapping and rocking back and fourth. I live independently at 24 years old and have done since I was 18. I feel like I am helping my family by masking my autism because when growing up I don't think my mum could cope with my autism and I felt so useless and I felt like I was upsetting so many people in my life because of my behaviour. I feel like over the years things have got better with my family because I mask my autism allot more and am able to hide how I really feel. Your videos are educational. I am learning allot. I have just subscribed to your channel.💜
Is it possible to mask for most of your life without been contious about it? Is it possible that I don't know who am I really because I have been masking my whole life? Since the lockdown I have noticed becoming more child like, happy, innocent. Before that I was quiet, reserved, serious, people used to say I was unfriendly, intimidating, arrogant and even self centered. Throughout my life I always felt "different", like an outsider. Not understanding the world. Now I wonder what is going on with me and weather I'm just acting this way to fit in the box of autistic to justify my inability of get things done and why I'm sometimes not nice with people. But I do feel much more relaxed and happy been "child like" and innocently friendly with everyone. Once again, is it possible I have masked all my life not knowing and because I did it for most of my life I simply forgot who I really was?
Maybe this is my problem. Something definitely isn't right with me. When I'm alone I feel so open, but when I am around most people I feel like my personality turns off and I just default to quiet and polite because life is easier that way, though it's absolutely tiring. Even then I notice that a lot of people will speak to me different than they do others, and I can't tell if it's because they can see through it (see what, nothing?) or because the quiet, polite mode just draws this behavior from them. Even with my friends, I really don't know how real I am with them. Can't think of any specific moment where I was outwardly "myself" other than when I'm alone. Feels like I'm the only one that has a clue about myself, and it seems like even that's going out the window. Always felt distant and weird, and after years of introspection, it feels like I'm also distancing from what might be my true self.
Hi there! Yeah I get what you mean like you can't be your true self around others? That to me sounds like you are wearing a mask which I can't say is a bad thing because sometimes that is what we need to do you know. But I guess what I'd say is that you should know that this is a something that others experience too. So I hope that this doesn't make you feel as alone if that makes sense.
I feel the same, unfortunately iver time I forgot how to put off the mask. I hate the mask-me actually I would really like myself if I could be myself around other people, but my social anxiety makes it really hard. My brother is the only person I can be myself around right now.😕
I made myself turn into a extremely outgoing and loud person. Btw, I have autism as well. I copied people’s behaviours and the way they talked. I thought speaking very fast and loud means you’re more dominant and likeable but i was wrong. I got extremely exhausted because I kept talking nonstop and went offtopic . I really wanted to talk less because I’m naturally more calm and because of the fact that it’s hard for me to breathe since I have asthma and I’m not taking slow deep breaths. I honestly lived my life copying every trait, behaviour and clothing style of people for years in high school. Now I’m in college and finally changed because I got so sick of people pleasing. I didn’t even gain friends when I copied everyone lol 😂
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
Funnily enough, when I was in middle school, all my friends really liked watching anime like Naruto, and it’s what my group liked talking about! I didn’t really care about it, at the time I was obsessed specifically with My Little Pony and The Legend of Zelda, things my friends didn’t care about. I forced myself to watch the show and try to like it so I would fit in with my friends, but it burnt me out in the end, I would go home and hardcore indulge in my real interests alone! It’s funny to tell people I did this, because liking anime isn’t normally thought of as an interest you get into to fit in x’D I was even a bit of an outcast in the nerdy friend group!
Aww wow that's definitely different though the principal is the same to a degree. Like in school, I was really into my indie music (hence the name IndieAndy as that love hasn't left). But my friends were into their heavier music which I got into because they were into it... But I ended up liking some of it but it was the trends I had trouble keeping up with. But yeah I have to say I would be loved having more nerdy friends like that 😂👍
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
I haven't been diagnosed with anything, but I'm suspicious. All of my life I've displayed this behaviour, if I'm trying to relate/befriend someone, and seem to be failing, I will observe something they love to talk about and research it / watch it / listen to it obsessively. Then try out my new learned knowledge on said person. Your video was very informative, thank you.
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
i am sat here in tears, i have thought my whole life that i am just weird, this caused me to mask my autism. when i was younger i used to bite my tongue when i was mad and it calmed me down, i used to bite my nails when i was scared/anxious, i stimmed in public, thats not even half of what i did. as i grew up i got bullied so much that i just stopped doing this stuff and i was really ashamed of doing it. i try to be more open about it now but still struggle at times. but the fact that other ppl have been through the same makes me feel sm better :)
Always thought everybody else was masking/playing a role, that my problem with masking just was that I'm bad at it, that it doesn't come naturally. So I get massively tired and still stand out as weird. Just discovered that autists are people like me, that I am autistic. I'm much less alone than I thought. What I really struggle with is that it means that non autistic persons are different. Do they really not mask as I've always thought, for example? As far as many autistic traits are concerned, I actually have seen it from the perspective that most people (aka non autistics) aren't in contact with there deeper feelings-emotions-motives. Now, do I really have to believe I was wrong about this all along? I'm 66 and retired now...
Hi Jon, I think the masking conversation could apply to non-autistics but I think it's more to do with some autistics suppressing or trying to be more "normal" to pass as non-autistic by suppressing traits or behaviours. Which I guess non-autistics could do the same thing but I feel there it's abit different between the two. That's just what I think really.
@@IndieAndy I don’t know if you’ll even see this or reply, but I shared something to do with this on my fb to be met with a quite close friend saying that EVERYONE does this, and while I do agree people try to fit in and appear “normal” I was trying to convey my point that for autistic people it is extremely detrimental (having done it a lot over the years and now really have no idea who I am as a person and my real likes and dislikes) and was saying that people shouldn’t post things like that on the internet unless they’re professionals as it can confuse people. Anyway, because she has a brother and 3 cousins who are autistic and have high support needs anyone who is able to get by is obviously not going to be autistic enough. I tried to explain as best as I could about autism being a spectrum but I’m just not that articulate (or confident) in myself. It’s actually really annoyed me cause at one point when I told her about my diagnosis she said that I didn’t seem autistic cause I seem fine (que masking🤷🏻♀️).
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
Thank you for the video, I really do relate to this. I have asd and I try to mask on a daily basis though some days are harder than others. I completely relax when I am at home and do as I please haha. I struggle with recognising emotions and facial expressions when conversing, I basically have to act my way through a conversation to appear “normal” but it’s not always that easy.
Aww no thank you for watching and I hope you got something out of it! Yeah it is the same for alot of people like they'll let the mask down when it's safe to do so. Though it's not healthy I don't feel to mask all of the time... Sadly it might be needed to get by.
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
I masked so hard until I was 26 (in 2016) then I had an "emotional breakdown" and I feel that I haven't been able to mask as I used to do... So I've been isolating eversince. I rarely go out and have no social life.
it's really important to educate ourselves on autism , what to do if you have it, and how to prevent it. contact Dr Oyalo on UA-cam channel for natural cure on his channel. I use his herbs on my son and he is autism free now
I probably shouldn't say this since I'm not sure what I have (I've been OBSESSED with self diagnosis lately because I'm so stressed from uni ) but I'm a proud person who doesn't try to fit in, but that's bad 😂 firstly people around me easily know that.. "I'm not normal", I remember I got screamed at from a stranger because I couldn't talk and look at them in the eyes, my environment is always trying to make me fit in by throwing me right into the fire, and since I'm no good at acting (trust me, I really try) I ended up isolating myself (that's very unhealthy) being sick of who I'm and dealing with mood swings, I think and hope uni is giving me the first step to get diagnosed because I'm TIRED from myself and from the world, (sorry If I looked desperate, it's something I'm dealing with from YEARS so I don't get emotional everytime I talk about it)
Listening to the whole video and the thing that immediately sticks out is when you use of detrimental instead of beneficial when discussing short term masking. At least that is how I am understanding the rest of the video.
For many years I pretended to be a physicist, I was at universities for thirteen years before the pretence became unsustainable, it left me with no career, and job interviews were always nearly impossible, my behaviour was always outside acceptable norms.
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
I'll mask to a certain degree but I will absolutely not follow fashion or beauty trends (im female) and will completely suggestions people who judge my size hair and skin. Ive a skin problem on my scalp and face and hair and skin quality is affected its on scalp too I can't cut my hair short. Im also very thin due to severe migraines. I have good features in fitness but otherwise ive nothing in common my skin is so red make up wouldn't cover it. I will contact a dermatologist in the next few months to mind health both my appearance. People don't always accept my size and im not changing that. Im well and intend to stay that way. Masking won't solve my self esteem people can be so judgemental and id rather not invest time in that. Some suggestionsqre constructive, people will wonder if im ok why my face us the way it is but thats me. there's absolutely no place for rudeness. Its a reprehensible part of people.I will not have conversations with people like that not until they understand that it hurts.
One of the main problems I have about masking is the mere fact that it also depends on who I'm talking to. when I was in school, I had a mask for students and a mask for teachers. For the students, the only thing I knew how to be was a class clown as my main form of entertainment after school was comedy based. In front of teachers, I was less comedic and more normal as they didn't really put up with my class clown side which is also how I got better over the school years. However, I didn't know how to talk to students and maintain a normal conversation. When my senior year came in high school, I barely had a mask for social situations with people of my own age. But I knew how to talk with people who where twice my age. It did make it easier to get a job and maintain one but very difficult to keep friends of my own age in touch. Though sometimes I feel I'm just their autistic friend. If it wasn't for the fact that my family always treated me as if I had the same opportunities as my brothers, I'd probably be living jobless with my parents to this day.
Masking often leads to people mis understanding or mis interpreting or mis judging me, I am autistic so I don't like touch and talking to people, so my narcissistic ex thought I would never cheat on him, little did he know I cheated on him multiple times and don't regret it
I can't think of anything I've learned about *just* to be able to talk about it when I don't actually care. I may have done at some point, but broadly speaking that's not something I ever bother to do XD
I mask A LOT. I need to not mask while at home because it would be better for me. My mom does not understand though, and living with her, I still have to mask some at home. It makes it really hard. I can see how it is not good for us to mask for long periods of time. It is exhausting. I feel like I am going to have a heart attack, even though most likely I am not.
I have diagnosed ADHD and I'm not sure if I might also have ASD or if it's just my anxiety and rejection sensitive dysphoria paired with my DPDR making a ton of traits that are so close but slightly miss the mark
I‘ve been masking so much for my entire life (47 years) that it is quite overwhelming to realize. It is like a second skin that I wear. It slips on as unconsciously as breathing when I leave my house. I would love to read or watch some accounts of how people have gone about unmasking themselves, or rather, rediscovered how to live in their “first” skin. Does anyone have recommendations for where I could find this information?
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
Someone just told me I had an attitude on a comment I left on a video and I'm gonna send them a link to a video on why I was being rude. ;-; I'm not gonna be able to explain normally
I remember how I used to flap my hands and spin in circles all the time, I remember so much of the things I used to do that was classically autistic. But now I don’t do those things anymore, it’s not there’s no impulse to, I’ve just reflexively learnt to stop myself from doing those things without thinking about it. I feel like I’m a shadow of who I could’ve been if I could’ve just been my true autistic self. Now I can fit in just about anywhere, in fact I once had someone respond “no you’re not” when I told them I was on the spectrum. The last autism specialist I saw said I presented with what you would typically see with female Aspergers (I don’t know why but I took great pride in that) and that if I had a panel of 100 psychologists in front of me, probably only three could tell I was autistic. I feel like I’m so out of place from who I am with autism, it’s been a part of my life for so long and only in recent years have I truly accepted it as a part of my identity. But now I feel I’ve masked for too long and too well that I just don’t belong anymore. I’m certainly not neurotypical, I just don’t feel I fit in at all.
Hmm I can kind of agree on that. I mean for the good few years, I never truly thought I could be autistic and people often questioned it. Think masking has alot to do with that which is why I believe that it can be a negative especially when it comes to identify. But I guess some advice would be to try and find things about yourself that you like or things you just feel like you want to do. Doesn't seem like much but definitely taking things slow might be good 👍
IndieAndy i think there certainly is positive and negatives to masking, it’s something that should be talked about more on the affects it has on a person with autism. I really appreciate the advice as well
I relate to you a lot!! I'm just finding out now that I think I'm autistic, but I know almost no one else would truly see it without me having to go into great detail about my own feelings and inner workings. I think I've also made myself reflexively mask to the point where I can't not mask anymore and it just feels normal. I'm afraid to tell people because one, I'm self diagnosing at this point, two, most people probably wouldn't believe me, and three, I'm not even sure a therapist or psychologist would take it seriously.
What annoys me is when people tell me I should smile more often. I'm not good at fake smiling, because I look funny when I do it. One good thing about wearing masks to guard against COVID is that there's less pressure to smile.
Do you ever make facial expressions that you wouldn't make if you weren't wearing a mask? I find myself doing that a lot when I'm wearing a mask it's kind of freeing in a way
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
@@reneenikol22 i cant stop making faces, i do it subconsciously, its not like it ruins my life but it has made me very self conscious along with other things so ive been avoiding going out for years because i try really hard to control myself and sometimes cant
I’ve literally been doing this for the longest without realizing it. I remember sometimes even telling myself “okay company is coming over, time to act normal”
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
So...I just realized I may have been masking my whole life 😬 this explains why I’m so different at home vs in public. All my “odd” behaviors come out at home where I know I won’t be judged. Really wish I would of got diagnosed as a kid but at least everything makes sense now 🤷🏻♀️
Think of it this way: if you had been diagnosed as a child you would've spent your whole childhood subjected to discrimination and ableism. At least us undiagnosed folks got a chance to have a typical childhood.
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
I've been masking for so many years it's become automatic and I don't know how to stop. I desperately want to stop because it drains me of so much energy.
it's really important to educate ourselves on autism , what to do if you have it, and how to prevent it. contact Dr Oyalo on UA-cam channel for natural cure on his channel. I use his herbs on my son and he is autism free now
I guess in a way I've had to hide my interests at times to try and fit in. Especially when I was growing up. Kids these days seem to want to grow up so fast but I just wanted to be a kid and play games when every one else just wanted to 'hang around'. I found it boring! I tend to tone down my fashion sense too in order to fit in with the rest of the world. I prefer bright colours but if I wear bright pink trainers everyone always assumed I'm about 16 because I look young for my age. (I'm 30) I don't mind looking young. Everyone wants to look younger but it's the way people treat me as though I'm still a child that bugs me. So it's both a blessing and a curse. In the past at work I've had to just get on with it and in reality I'm totally freaking out, worrying about every little thing and terrified of doing something wrong.
Ooh that is a great point actually and I get where you come from. Like sometimes I just want to do kid stuff even though I'm 26 and work full time but it looks weird... But it is just fun 😂
it's really important to educate ourselves on autism , what to do if you have it, and how to prevent it. contact Dr Oyalo on UA-cam channel for natural cure on his channel. I use his herbs on my son and he is autism free now
I have done this my entire life. My mom has even had to coach me to “fake it til I make it” and pretend to be normal so I fit in. I think I may be autistic but it would be so obvious that I don’t know how I wasn’t even tested as a kid.
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
It's worst when I find myself masking around people with whom I should be comfortable. I should be fine with friends and family, but sometimes, it feels like I'm playing some political game with no set goal and no relief in sight. I didn't really come to terms with my diagnosis in any meaningful way for a while. That happens when the diagnosis comes on the heels of certain events. Nothing too major, but I didn't exactly enjoy the events leading up to the psychologist's office, and hostile attitudes prevailed for some time. Regardless, I always figured it had more to do with my introversion that I couldn't handle some social situations. Now, I can point out various times when the mask cracked. Never shattered, but perhaps cracked was enough. I couldn't maintain eye contact. I was overly aware of details about my appearance, movement, and posture, and everything seemed wrong no matter what. My speech was unfocused, and I wish I just kept quiet, even when addressed. I need a way, not to meet people on their level, but to have them meet me on mine. Frankly, I don't even know what my level is.
I hide my autism spectrum traits all the time . Cause the world can be unkind and it's hard at times. My neurotypical co workers I tend to mask by being funny and doing food puns as I work in produce at at a store.
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
I'm realizing that I been masking for the longest time, I'm afraid that I don't know how I am, or what are the things that my body and my mind need to do in my normal behavior. It feels like been Elsa from frozen, having a beast inside me. Well in any case, the first step is recognizing. Thank you for your video. It make me feel less alone in my personal captivity.
Hi Maria! To be honest without outside influence or sources, you might not see others points of view and why you are the way you are if that makes sense! But I'm glad that this helped you!
For me, I've only just realized recently that I've been masking. (Maybe. I was diagnosed in May so I'm still new to this) I've only very recently began to embrace certain aspects of my aspergers. As I've been learning and connecting to my aspergers I've realized I've been masking all my life. Probably why I was diagnosed so late. It feels nice accepting and embracing my aspergers more.
Hi Natalie! That is really great to hear that you are embracing it! But to be fair masking is one of the factors that can lead to later diagnosis however I'd just think that this is the now you know. Hope you are well!
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
Masking in bursts can be fine, especially in social situations to appear "part of the crowd" and no longer the "wallflower of my childhood".. I learned to study people, almost as test subjects, to learn how to do what they do. Learning the BS conversations, the non sense conversations, I see, are the hardest to manage. Now at 42 years old I cannot mask much longer tho. Balancing the true self with the presented self seems to get harder as I get older. It does wear the soul.
it's really important to educate ourselves on autism , what to do if you have it, and how to prevent it. contact Dr Oyalo on UA-cam channel for natural cure on his channel. I use his herbs on my son and he is autism free now
I went to get my autism diagnosed and they actually told me I'm masking it too well. Now I'm undiagnosed but still visit them to talk to them and downplay my problems :')
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
Hey I have a video request can you make a video on austism and positive mental health like tips on how to love , accept and be proud of having autism cause I really hate mines thank you
I’m 46 and been high masking since I was around 7 before that I stood silently in the corner of the playground in utter confusion. I like to find out as much as possible about others around me so that I don’t have to talk about myself. I keep my special Interests to myself, unless someone else shows interest in one of my current special interests.
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
Oh my God thank you for this video! This explains everything what I mean is that ever since I've been in school I change my behavior to act like other kids or I change my personality entirely, I remember after coming back home from school I would feel physically and mentally drained since I've done it for so long I thought it was normal to do that. I didn't even know who I am I've just been different people one moment I'm the soft spoken sweet girl next I'm outgoing fun or I'm sassy confident, I did it so much that I didn't even have a personality of my own I've been multiple people.
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
I’ve struggled to find autism specific support and videos like this help me understand myself more. This is the first time I’ve come across the term masking and I definitely use masking at work. As a result, I am able to put aside work related issues for a period of time (the duration varies). However, I always end up depressed and anxious. It’s almost like I can only mask for so long until it becomes detrimental to my mental state. Because I have been appearing to be neurotypical, my colleagues and my bosses end up with a negative opinion of me (despite knowing of my diagnosis). Thanks for this video, it has really helped me in trying to understand myself.
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
Oh boy.. I know it is an important topic, but I need to tell you how handsome you are :D (thanks for bringing information out there. and sorry for my bad English)
i don’t know if i have autism because i don’t think it’s right to self-diagnose, but i did this a lot in school & still in everyday life. i would be really quiet because talking to people or just being in social situations is difficult for me like i don’t know what to do or what to say. i kept it up for almost two years and the week before we got out of school i just broke down like i couldn’t stop crying that whole week at school. thank you for this video though it’s quite helpful.
I've been masking my whole life. Only been recently diagnosed on the spectrum almost 2 years ago now. And when I mention my diagnosis (which isn't often), I've so far got 2 people saying they don't think I am. First one said because I didn't show anger issues. Another because they never saw me cover my ears. As a kid, I did have some problems with anger. I stomped on my kite because it wasn't flying right away for example (obviously wasn't the kites fault). Felt horrible when I heard the snap. I also noticed I'd feel frustrated and dislike things I didn't understand. But one of my obsessions was karate kid and the whole wise teacher thing. And wanted so badly to join a martial arts class, but my mom couldn't afford it. So instead, I just held very closely the whole self control and discipline over emotions, and being calm. Being more quiet & analytical/observant. Kind, accepting, and understsnding, etc.. This also of course helped me shape my would be meltdowns into shutdowns instead. I practiced appearing as calm as I could. Many family members or strangers would often ask if I was depressed tho. Because I often felt what I described as "neutral" or just content. Just appreciative, grateful, and loving every moment. Amazed and in wonder of all the small details in life. Just happy to be in the presence of family and friends. But my facial expressions I guess stayed neutral and never really reflected how I truly felt. It felt unnatural to act enthusiastic. It still does, but I have subtly worked on some. And there are many noises that are loud or hurt my ears, but I try to just deal with it. That loud whistle people do with their fingers tho.. I can't deal with that one at all. All other noise goes completely silent when I hear that. And it really physically hurts. I've tried not covering my ears, and I usually can if it's only once. but I have to if they keep going. But clanking dishes, the way voices bounce off walls sometimes, and many other noises I can pretend don't phase me. Or I'll just walk away. The sound of vacuums make me zone out & dissociate a bit. Same with the loud atmosphere of a busy restaurant or mall. Malls I can deal with because I can listen to music, but restaurants with family is tougher, because it'd be considered rude. And I do want to spend time & hear them. It's just hard to.
I have these silicone earplugs that I wear to clubs, where it's socially acceptable to do so. They're quite small and made of transparent silicone and they sit inside your ear canal. I find myself often in public environments that are painfully loud such as stores, cafes, parks and just the street. When I'm on the way somewhere walking or on the train I use in-ear headphones to listen to music to protect me from all the different noises. Socially acceptable. For a long time I've wanted to just take my earplugs and wear them in public spaces much more often, basically as often as I felt I needed to. I wanted to free the eardrum from pain. I haven't been doing it already just because I didn't wanna be a weirdo. In yet another way. The guy who wears ear plugs all the time. Sometime last year I decided to challenge this fear of imagined future embarrassment and just wear my earplugs wherever I want. So I decided to stop caring what people think of me as much as possible and have been wearing the earplugs whenever and wherever I want to since then. Often people don't even notice. If they do, some people might remark or ask about it, but I don't mind explaining. I can also use the earplugs as a prop, a physical object the I can use to show in a tangible way that this a real thing that I'm experiencing. A sort of hearing aid in a way. I feel much calmer being able to control the loudness of my environment and it has made many social interactions much less exhausting and actually enjoyable. Otherwise I've stopped caring what other people think about it. My ears have never been happier.
I relate to the noise issue! I have to ask my coworkers to wheel the cart of nightly dishes to the dish room instead of me because I can't take the clanking as the cart travels across the tiles. Alarms and babies crying and crowd clapping are unbearably. I always used to cover my ears (or at least my left ear because it is worse due to tinnitus) as a kid and even today if I need do I cover my ears. Not everything bothers me though. I love thunder. I love fireworks. Vacuum cleaners are okay if they're not TOO loud but when I vacuum my stairs I wear earplugs because I have to be too close to the vacuum to do that. I can tolerated generally noisy areas like malls and restaurants. It's more high pitched noises that really bother me most.
I find people get two very wrong impressions of me: at first I'm jovial and put a lot of effort into being friendly and kind in greeting people; then I go quiet, run out of things to say, and avoid people. People would think they or I did something wrong, but I just felt uncomfortable around people after a very rehearsed introduction.
it's really important to educate ourselves on autism , what to do if you have it, and how to prevent it. contact Dr Oyalo on UA-cam channel for natural cure on his channel. I use his herbs on my son and he is autism free now
My parents demanded I 'behave' if I wished to go and join them on social outings. I had to dress and behave a certain way to be out and about. What you term as masking I grew up with being groomed to what is known as 'behaving' properly. Any hiccups with being direct, too bold, not understanding people, even taking things directly verses metaphors would get me into huge amounts of trouble for embarrassing my mother. She was an in the closet narcissist and heavily groomed me to make her look really good. For the last 10 years, I have been my father's caregiver, we live together, and dear me, I am exhausted constantly due to the fact I am conditioned to 'behave' when he is around. Never had a break unless it is while he's in hospital, and it isn't much of one due to how I'm panicking over his well being. I wish I knew of some way to give myself space to rest or how to remove the conditioning to be more at ease around him.
Thanks for an available explanation. I link this to ppl in my educational crusade for autism awareness and knowledge. I've lived my life as an actor in unknown numerous occasions..
it's really important to educate ourselves on autism , what to do if you have it, and how to prevent it. contact Dr Oyalo on UA-cam channel for natural cure on his channel. I use his herbs on my son and he is autism free now
I have no clue if I'm self-ascribing these characteristics of autism onto me or not, but I can relate to this a lot. It's very expensive to get an evaluation for ASD, but I'm so curious if I have it, or if it's just social awkwardness, OCD, and introvertedness for me.
I literally only found out I was on the spectrum (mild Aspergers) and I’ve literally been masking it since I was a kid and I just thought I was being normal 😂😂😂
I think i have been masking my whole life without realising it.. i have noticed alot more of my autistic traits coming out since i started going through puberty
I'm not sure if I used to mask, or if I didn't, but my autism just didn't come across well enough for people to notice that I really was autistic. Because when I look into how I masked, I was never really good at it, at least I wasn't really good at doing things NT people did, I just stopped doing things they didn't do. I wasn't good at being something I wasn't, but I was good at not being what I really am, if that makes sense. I was also masking stuff that NT people do, but not to the extent that I did them. I used to cry all the time, now I struggle with crying, for example. My thought process wasn't "I need to do that because I will be like them", but rather "I need to stop doing this because what I do now is wrong"
If you are exhausted after periods of social interaction, and feel the need to distance and shelter yourself, you were very likely masking. I have this myself, just avoiding people more and more because they want me to be different. And feeling exhausted because keeping up the mask or act is obviously going to take a lot of exertion and energy.
it's really important to educate ourselves on autism , what to do if you have it, and how to prevent it. contact Dr Oyalo on UA-cam channel for natural cure on his channel. I use his herbs on my son and he is autism free now
I don't think I am in spectrum, but who knows, maybe I have successfully fooled myself too. All I know is I don't know myself, am tired, have many troubles in life and struggle a lot. And I feel like I have to be 100% in control at all times. Otherwise something bad will happen.
Beginning to think that I have always been masking, my entire life but because it was my normal and you don't really know what another's normal is because you are not them... i just thought it was normal but I don't think it is. Also, I've always dealt with extreme fatigue issues and always thought it was a physical/medical issue (still think I might have adrenal fatigue) but i'm beginning to think it's just mental/emotional exhaustion from living life in general (as the result of autistic overload & masking). :(
I used to try to understand politics because people are so violently obsessed with it. After I got diagnosed, I gave myself permission to be open with this: I can't stand politics. The only way I can relate is when people become obsessed.... because I also have special interests. But that's were it stops.
I guess in a way, neurotypical people maks too whenever they work in a costomer service job. They put on a plastic facade in order to get along with the difficult customers.
after watching a lot of videos on "masking" I think I have done it from early childhood. I watched other people get scalded or belittled or get pats on the back and I would try to become like the boy who got the pats on the back or the "attaboys." I just thought that, that was how everyone decided to act, by watching others. my family thinks I am odd but they don't think I am ADHD or Autistic... makes me slightly aggravated.. I want to get a diagnosis but... I am afraid(i think) that will make it final... Thanks for you videos Andy!
Can a child of divorced parents " mask" when with other parent for a couple days? I'm having issues and need help with my son who is newly diagnosed. Thank you!
I’m new and scared on the autistic/ADHD and I’m terrified and I don’t know how to ever calm or what it feels like. Can someone point me to more resources. I have subscribed and I have hit the bell and thank you for helping me not hate myself and understand
I think Im autistic, but I've not been diagnosed since I've lived in a neglectful household my entire life and been punished/reprimanded for traits that are usually used to diagnose someone with ASD. I notice that Im always masking my more non-neurotypical traits around my family, teachers, and almost all of my friends. Its uncomfortable for me to maintain eye contact with people, and I find it impossible to look at someone's eyes when talking about something serious/arguing. I used to not be able to contain my excitement when something I was interested made me happy, but was scolded for stimming enough that I stop myself from doing it even when I'm in private. I've learned to "learn up" on other peoples interest while avoiding talking about my own because I'm afraid to infodump and annoy people. I'm not able to get diagnosed right now, and not knowing for sure is killing me. I feel like such an imposter in both communities for it.
I recently got diagnosed at fucking 17 years old bcuz I'm so good at masking that no one ever fuckin picked up on it til my psychiatrist suggested it now I've been dealing with wanting to be genuine and be the real me but it's so difficult to stop the habit of masking and at this point im so used to it it's hard to tell what's the real me :(
What have I clued up on that I have no interest in? Marvel. I watch all the films because most of the men in my life like them. I kind of enjoy them with other people but I wouldn't watch any of it alone.
Aww that's fine I mean it is such an individual thing. Also I got rid of that guy that commented on your comment by the way. Just seemed really weird so hope it helps 👍
I mostly mask my autism when I'm at school with my friends or either with family members, but when i go home i take my normal mask off! i just learned to act normal, i learned social skills by being around normal kids! I sucked at socializing with normal kids, but now I've gotten better at it, i picked up on their social skills, i mask because so i won't get criticized
Since I started up my own autistic UA-cam channel I had been extremely open about my autism since being on the autism spectrum is my way of life. I had certainly masked myself, this didn't work out and it's almost like something I had to do up until I started watching yours, Connor's, Kate's and Dan's channel.
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
We, neurotypical people, also mask in various social situations. I'm not the same person if I meet with my boss, if I'm in a group of people I just met or if I'm alone, for instance. And some of these situations can also be tiring for neurotypical people who will be so happy to behave as they really want when they return home after a long workday for example. But, of course, our fatigue and the efforts we have to make don't compare to those of the autistic people. They are incredibly smaller. Still they exist. So even neurotypical people can easily relate to your video, Andie. Thanks again! 👍👍
I used to be really loud and extroverted, would start a conversation with strangers etc. That didn't work out too well once I stopped being a cute little child so I kinda just.. stopped. Had to mask by acting shy and quiet so people wouldn't question my lack of social interaction or interpret it as arrogance 🤷🏼♂️
it's really important to educate ourselves on autism , what to do if you have it, and how to prevent it. contact Dr Oyalo on UA-cam channel for natural cure on his channel. I use his herbs on my son and he is autism free now
Hi indie people! Hope you enjoyed this video! What could you relate to in this video?
This is part of a week of videos on the channel, click the link for more >>> ua-cam.com/play/PLU7asIuC9SU_E6MD140qnOh7n31IduIXL.html
I have Asperger's Syndrome. I have just found your channel and I think it's great. I definitely think I mask my autism. Sometimes I feel like I don't have a choice but to mask my autism. Even Infront of my family I have to mask my autism. I can't do many of the behaviours that I would normally do in my own home such as hand flapping and rocking back and fourth. I live independently at 24 years old and have done since I was 18. I feel like I am helping my family by masking my autism because when growing up I don't think my mum could cope with my autism and I felt so useless and I felt like I was upsetting so many people in my life because of my behaviour. I feel like over the years things have got better with my family because I mask my autism allot more and am able to hide how I really feel. Your videos are educational. I am learning allot. I have just subscribed to your channel.💜
Is it possible to mask for most of your life without been contious about it? Is it possible that I don't know who am I really because I have been masking my whole life? Since the lockdown I have noticed becoming more child like, happy, innocent. Before that I was quiet, reserved, serious, people used to say I was unfriendly, intimidating, arrogant and even self centered. Throughout my life I always felt "different", like an outsider. Not understanding the world. Now I wonder what is going on with me and weather I'm just acting this way to fit in the box of autistic to justify my inability of get things done and why I'm sometimes not nice with people. But I do feel much more relaxed and happy been "child like" and innocently friendly with everyone. Once again, is it possible I have masked all my life not knowing and because I did it for most of my life I simply forgot who I really was?
Maybe this is my problem. Something definitely isn't right with me. When I'm alone I feel so open, but when I am around most people I feel like my personality turns off and I just default to quiet and polite because life is easier that way, though it's absolutely tiring. Even then I notice that a lot of people will speak to me different than they do others, and I can't tell if it's because they can see through it (see what, nothing?) or because the quiet, polite mode just draws this behavior from them.
Even with my friends, I really don't know how real I am with them. Can't think of any specific moment where I was outwardly "myself" other than when I'm alone. Feels like I'm the only one that has a clue about myself, and it seems like even that's going out the window. Always felt distant and weird, and after years of introspection, it feels like I'm also distancing from what might be my true self.
Hi there! Yeah I get what you mean like you can't be your true self around others? That to me sounds like you are wearing a mask which I can't say is a bad thing because sometimes that is what we need to do you know. But I guess what I'd say is that you should know that this is a something that others experience too. So I hope that this doesn't make you feel as alone if that makes sense.
I relate to this stuff. Thx for sharing
I feel the same, unfortunately iver time I forgot how to put off the mask. I hate the mask-me actually I would really like myself if I could be myself around other people, but my social anxiety makes it really hard.
My brother is the only person I can be myself around right now.😕
Oh my. That is so me.
Woah...you just describe the wgole argument i had with myself this morning.
I made myself turn into a extremely outgoing and loud person. Btw, I have autism as well.
I copied people’s behaviours and the way they talked. I thought speaking very fast and loud means you’re more dominant and likeable but i was wrong. I got extremely exhausted because I kept talking nonstop and went offtopic . I really wanted to talk less because I’m naturally more calm and because of the fact that it’s hard for me to breathe since I have asthma and I’m not taking slow deep breaths. I honestly lived my life copying every trait, behaviour and clothing style of people for years in high school. Now I’m in college and finally changed because I got so sick of people pleasing. I didn’t even gain friends when I copied everyone lol 😂
Hmm I don't know how but people tend to say that you just know when someone is faking it. But to be honest, just being yourself is the way to go 👍
honestly I have the same experience
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
You’ve got eyes like pools of water, pretty
Awww thank you very much!
Funnily enough, when I was in middle school, all my friends really liked watching anime like Naruto, and it’s what my group liked talking about! I didn’t really care about it, at the time I was obsessed specifically with My Little Pony and The Legend of Zelda, things my friends didn’t care about. I forced myself to watch the show and try to like it so I would fit in with my friends, but it burnt me out in the end, I would go home and hardcore indulge in my real interests alone!
It’s funny to tell people I did this, because liking anime isn’t normally thought of as an interest you get into to fit in x’D I was even a bit of an outcast in the nerdy friend group!
Aww wow that's definitely different though the principal is the same to a degree. Like in school, I was really into my indie music (hence the name IndieAndy as that love hasn't left). But my friends were into their heavier music which I got into because they were into it... But I ended up liking some of it but it was the trends I had trouble keeping up with.
But yeah I have to say I would be loved having more nerdy friends like that 😂👍
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
I haven't been diagnosed with anything, but I'm suspicious. All of my life I've displayed this behaviour, if I'm trying to relate/befriend someone, and seem to be failing, I will observe something they love to talk about and research it / watch it / listen to it obsessively. Then try out my new learned knowledge on said person. Your video was very informative, thank you.
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
i am sat here in tears, i have thought my whole life that i am just weird, this caused me to mask my autism. when i was younger i used to bite my tongue when i was mad and it calmed me down, i used to bite my nails when i was scared/anxious, i stimmed in public, thats not even half of what i did. as i grew up i got bullied so much that i just stopped doing this stuff and i was really ashamed of doing it. i try to be more open about it now but still struggle at times. but the fact that other ppl have been through the same makes me feel sm better :)
Always thought everybody else was masking/playing a role, that my problem with masking just was that I'm bad at it, that it doesn't come naturally. So I get massively tired and still stand out as weird. Just discovered that autists are people like me, that I am autistic. I'm much less alone than I thought.
What I really struggle with is that it means that non autistic persons are different. Do they really not mask as I've always thought, for example?
As far as many autistic traits are concerned, I actually have seen it from the perspective that most people (aka non autistics) aren't in contact with there deeper feelings-emotions-motives. Now, do I really have to believe I was wrong about this all along? I'm 66 and retired now...
Hi Jon, I think the masking conversation could apply to non-autistics but I think it's more to do with some autistics suppressing or trying to be more "normal" to pass as non-autistic by suppressing traits or behaviours. Which I guess non-autistics could do the same thing but I feel there it's abit different between the two. That's just what I think really.
@@IndieAndy I don’t know if you’ll even see this or reply, but I shared something to do with this on my fb to be met with a quite close friend saying that EVERYONE does this, and while I do agree people try to fit in and appear “normal” I was trying to convey my point that for autistic people it is extremely detrimental (having done it a lot over the years and now really have no idea who I am as a person and my real likes and dislikes) and was saying that people shouldn’t post things like that on the internet unless they’re professionals as it can confuse people. Anyway, because she has a brother and 3 cousins who are autistic and have high support needs anyone who is able to get by is obviously not going to be autistic enough. I tried to explain as best as I could about autism being a spectrum but I’m just not that articulate (or confident) in myself. It’s actually really annoyed me cause at one point when I told her about my diagnosis she said that I didn’t seem autistic cause I seem fine (que masking🤷🏻♀️).
everyone does it yes, but autistic people just have to work much much harder. it takes many years to learn and even then many cant do it
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
Thank you for the video, I really do relate to this. I have asd and I try to mask on a daily basis though some days are harder than others. I completely relax when I am at home and do as I please haha. I struggle with recognising emotions and facial expressions when conversing, I basically have to act my way through a conversation to appear “normal” but it’s not always that easy.
Aww no thank you for watching and I hope you got something out of it! Yeah it is the same for alot of people like they'll let the mask down when it's safe to do so. Though it's not healthy I don't feel to mask all of the time... Sadly it might be needed to get by.
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
I masked so hard until I was 26 (in 2016) then I had an "emotional breakdown" and I feel that I haven't been able to mask as I used to do... So I've been isolating eversince. I rarely go out and have no social life.
it's really important to educate ourselves on autism , what to do if you have it, and how to prevent it. contact Dr Oyalo on UA-cam channel for natural cure on his channel. I use his herbs on my son and he is autism free now
I probably shouldn't say this since I'm not sure what I have (I've been OBSESSED with self diagnosis lately because I'm so stressed from uni ) but I'm a proud person who doesn't try to fit in, but that's bad 😂 firstly people around me easily know that.. "I'm not normal", I remember I got screamed at from a stranger because I couldn't talk and look at them in the eyes, my environment is always trying to make me fit in by throwing me right into the fire, and since I'm no good at acting (trust me, I really try) I ended up isolating myself (that's very unhealthy) being sick of who I'm and dealing with mood swings, I think and hope uni is giving me the first step to get diagnosed because I'm TIRED from myself and from the world, (sorry If I looked desperate, it's something I'm dealing with from YEARS so I don't get emotional everytime I talk about it)
Listening to the whole video and the thing that immediately sticks out is when you use of detrimental instead of beneficial when discussing short term masking. At least that is how I am understanding the rest of the video.
For many years I pretended to be a physicist, I was at universities for thirteen years before the pretence became unsustainable, it left me with no career, and job interviews were always nearly impossible, my behaviour was always outside acceptable norms.
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
Autistic masking is the topic I clued up on even though I wasn't really interested in it.
I'll mask to a certain degree but I will absolutely not follow fashion or beauty trends (im female) and will completely suggestions people who judge my size hair and skin. Ive a skin problem on my scalp and face and hair and skin quality is affected its on scalp too I can't cut my hair short. Im also very thin due to severe migraines. I have good features in fitness but otherwise ive nothing in common my skin is so red make up wouldn't cover it. I will contact a dermatologist in the next few months to mind health both my appearance. People don't always accept my size and im not changing that. Im well and intend to stay that way. Masking won't solve my self esteem people can be so judgemental and id rather not invest time in that. Some suggestionsqre constructive, people will wonder if im ok why my face us the way it is but thats me. there's absolutely no place for rudeness. Its a reprehensible part of people.I will not have conversations with people like that not until they understand that it hurts.
I originally has no interest in League of Legends, but I wanted to belong and started playing. I ended up loving it though!
One of the main problems I have about masking is the mere fact that it also depends on who I'm talking to. when I was in school, I had a mask for students and a mask for teachers. For the students, the only thing I knew how to be was a class clown as my main form of entertainment after school was comedy based. In front of teachers, I was less comedic and more normal as they didn't really put up with my class clown side which is also how I got better over the school years. However, I didn't know how to talk to students and maintain a normal conversation. When my senior year came in high school, I barely had a mask for social situations with people of my own age. But I knew how to talk with people who where twice my age. It did make it easier to get a job and maintain one but very difficult to keep friends of my own age in touch. Though sometimes I feel I'm just their autistic friend.
If it wasn't for the fact that my family always treated me as if I had the same opportunities as my brothers, I'd probably be living jobless with my parents to this day.
Masking often leads to people mis understanding or mis interpreting or mis judging me, I am autistic so I don't like touch and talking to people, so my narcissistic ex thought I would never cheat on him, little did he know I cheated on him multiple times and don't regret it
I can't think of anything I've learned about *just* to be able to talk about it when I don't actually care. I may have done at some point, but broadly speaking that's not something I ever bother to do XD
100% understand and relate
Aww thanks Hailey 🎉👍
I'm really not sure if I have autism. I always feel like I have it, I'm not sure if my anxiety is getting severe, but I feel like I have autism.
I mask A LOT. I need to not mask while at home because it would be better for me. My mom does not understand though, and living with her, I still have to mask some at home. It makes it really hard. I can see how it is not good for us to mask for long periods of time. It is exhausting. I feel like I am going to have a heart attack, even though most likely I am not.
Buddy detrimental means to cause harm I think you meant fantastic, positive or a good idea. Just for future reference.
I have diagnosed ADHD and I'm not sure if I might also have ASD or if it's just my anxiety and rejection sensitive dysphoria paired with my DPDR making a ton of traits that are so close but slightly miss the mark
I‘ve been masking so much for my entire life (47 years) that it is quite overwhelming to realize. It is like a second skin that I wear. It slips on as unconsciously as breathing when I leave my house. I would love to read or watch some accounts of how people have gone about unmasking themselves, or rather, rediscovered how to live in their “first” skin. Does anyone have recommendations for where I could find this information?
Maybe UA-cam channels like To Samdy Sam could be quite good for you as they talk about masking in more depth and maybe a way of doing it?
IndieAndy Thank you!
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
I tend to mask unconsciously but im not autistic 🤔
Dude I'm bout to be the best actor in philly.
First yeah I get it alot when I do something autistic girls are like what's wrong with her I hide mines
I think that masking isn't good but if somone mast to do masking it's okay
Sport tbh
Someone just told me I had an attitude on a comment I left on a video and I'm gonna send them a link to a video on why I was being rude. ;-; I'm not gonna be able to explain normally
I remember how I used to flap my hands and spin in circles all the time, I remember so much of the things I used to do that was classically autistic. But now I don’t do those things anymore, it’s not there’s no impulse to, I’ve just reflexively learnt to stop myself from doing those things without thinking about it. I feel like I’m a shadow of who I could’ve been if I could’ve just been my true autistic self. Now I can fit in just about anywhere, in fact I once had someone respond “no you’re not” when I told them I was on the spectrum. The last autism specialist I saw said I presented with what you would typically see with female Aspergers (I don’t know why but I took great pride in that) and that if I had a panel of 100 psychologists in front of me, probably only three could tell I was autistic. I feel like I’m so out of place from who I am with autism, it’s been a part of my life for so long and only in recent years have I truly accepted it as a part of my identity. But now I feel I’ve masked for too long and too well that I just don’t belong anymore. I’m certainly not neurotypical, I just don’t feel I fit in at all.
Hmm I can kind of agree on that. I mean for the good few years, I never truly thought I could be autistic and people often questioned it. Think masking has alot to do with that which is why I believe that it can be a negative especially when it comes to identify.
But I guess some advice would be to try and find things about yourself that you like or things you just feel like you want to do. Doesn't seem like much but definitely taking things slow might be good 👍
IndieAndy i think there certainly is positive and negatives to masking, it’s something that should be talked about more on the affects it has on a person with autism. I really appreciate the advice as well
I relate to you a lot!! I'm just finding out now that I think I'm autistic, but I know almost no one else would truly see it without me having to go into great detail about my own feelings and inner workings. I think I've also made myself reflexively mask to the point where I can't not mask anymore and it just feels normal.
I'm afraid to tell people because one, I'm self diagnosing at this point, two, most people probably wouldn't believe me, and three, I'm not even sure a therapist or psychologist would take it seriously.
Btw, I'm female.
@@RatsPicklesandMusic I’m in the same boat
What annoys me is when people tell me I should smile more often. I'm not good at fake smiling, because I look funny when I do it. One good thing about wearing masks to guard against COVID is that there's less pressure to smile.
Do you ever make facial expressions that you wouldn't make if you weren't wearing a mask? I find myself doing that a lot when I'm wearing a mask it's kind of freeing in a way
@@reneenikol22 Probably. If I do, I don't think about it. LOL
Masks were fantastic for hiding behind.
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
@@reneenikol22 i cant stop making faces, i do it subconsciously, its not like it ruins my life but it has made me very self conscious along with other things so ive been avoiding going out for years because i try really hard to control myself and sometimes cant
I’ve literally been doing this for the longest without realizing it. I remember sometimes even telling myself “okay company is coming over, time to act normal”
It's weird isn't though that you feel the need to be X person in front of X people.
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
I am either an "actress" to try to fit in. Or I live in the dark, so to speak. Both wear on me. There is really no winning. Lol
Lmao same people probably think I’m bipolar
@@1eft1ungg yeah, even I wonder if I act bipolar. It is kind of hard.
So...I just realized I may have been masking my whole life 😬 this explains why I’m so different at home vs in public. All my “odd” behaviors come out at home where I know I won’t be judged. Really wish I would of got diagnosed as a kid but at least everything makes sense now 🤷🏻♀️
Think of it this way: if you had been diagnosed as a child you would've spent your whole childhood subjected to discrimination and ableism. At least us undiagnosed folks got a chance to have a typical childhood.
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
@@cockycookie1Idk if the crippling depression, confusion, and lack of coping mechanisms were a worthwhile tradeoff
Definitely draining, leads to shutdowns and burnout and even worse... multiple identity crises. Thanks for sharing this info dude :)
Hi Hollie ☺️ It certainly does which ultimately isn't helpful in the long run. But I'm glad you found this video helpful 👍
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
I've been masking for so many years it's become automatic and I don't know how to stop. I desperately want to stop because it drains me of so much energy.
Maybe to help unmask, maybe try unmasking in small bursts and grow on that?
it's really important to educate ourselves on autism , what to do if you have it, and how to prevent it. contact Dr Oyalo on UA-cam channel for natural cure on his channel. I use his herbs on my son and he is autism free now
I mask due to fear of being judged and stared at...it is exhausting 😔
Yeah that is very true the same for me. Like I will mask just to get by but most of the time, it is a stupid mask that doesn't work really 😄
Aww I'm sorry to hear about the G T 😢 People are just trying to be themselves and that is awesome in my eyes. To be victimised for that is wrong!
I know where you’re coming from. I try masking when I go out in public.
Yeah it isn't easy on the person to mask for sure.
Than keep social interaction to a minimum
I guess in a way I've had to hide my interests at times to try and fit in. Especially when I was growing up. Kids these days seem to want to grow up so fast but I just wanted to be a kid and play games when every one else just wanted to 'hang around'. I found it boring!
I tend to tone down my fashion sense too in order to fit in with the rest of the world. I prefer bright colours but if I wear bright pink trainers everyone always assumed I'm about 16 because I look young for my age. (I'm 30) I don't mind looking young. Everyone wants to look younger but it's the way people treat me as though I'm still a child that bugs me. So it's both a blessing and a curse.
In the past at work I've had to just get on with it and in reality I'm totally freaking out, worrying about every little thing and terrified of doing something wrong.
Ooh that is a great point actually and I get where you come from. Like sometimes I just want to do kid stuff even though I'm 26 and work full time but it looks weird... But it is just fun 😂
Also with the work comment... It is a real problem for me.
it's really important to educate ourselves on autism , what to do if you have it, and how to prevent it. contact Dr Oyalo on UA-cam channel for natural cure on his channel. I use his herbs on my son and he is autism free now
I have done this my entire life. My mom has even had to coach me to “fake it til I make it” and pretend to be normal so I fit in. I think I may be autistic but it would be so obvious that I don’t know how I wasn’t even tested as a kid.
Hmm hindsight is a great thing. Think if people weren't looking or didn't know then it's pretty easy to miss at that time
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
I’m still not sure if I just overthink my reactions and way of acting or if I am masking.
It's worst when I find myself masking around people with whom I should be comfortable. I should be fine with friends and family, but sometimes, it feels like I'm playing some political game with no set goal and no relief in sight. I didn't really come to terms with my diagnosis in any meaningful way for a while. That happens when the diagnosis comes on the heels of certain events. Nothing too major, but I didn't exactly enjoy the events leading up to the psychologist's office, and hostile attitudes prevailed for some time. Regardless, I always figured it had more to do with my introversion that I couldn't handle some social situations. Now, I can point out various times when the mask cracked. Never shattered, but perhaps cracked was enough. I couldn't maintain eye contact. I was overly aware of details about my appearance, movement, and posture, and everything seemed wrong no matter what. My speech was unfocused, and I wish I just kept quiet, even when addressed. I need a way, not to meet people on their level, but to have them meet me on mine. Frankly, I don't even know what my level is.
I hide my autism spectrum traits all the time .
Cause the world can be unkind and it's hard at times.
My neurotypical co workers I tend to mask by being funny and doing food puns as I work in produce at at a store.
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
I'm realizing that I been masking for the longest time, I'm afraid that I don't know how I am, or what are the things that my body and my mind need to do in my normal behavior.
It feels like been Elsa from frozen, having a beast inside me.
Well in any case, the first step is recognizing.
Thank you for your video. It make me feel less alone in my personal captivity.
Hi Maria! To be honest without outside influence or sources, you might not see others points of view and why you are the way you are if that makes sense!
But I'm glad that this helped you!
Funny because, Elsa is actually autistic jsjsk
For me, I've only just realized recently that I've been masking. (Maybe. I was diagnosed in May so I'm still new to this) I've only very recently began to embrace certain aspects of my aspergers. As I've been learning and connecting to my aspergers I've realized I've been masking all my life. Probably why I was diagnosed so late. It feels nice accepting and embracing my aspergers more.
Hi Natalie! That is really great to hear that you are embracing it! But to be fair masking is one of the factors that can lead to later diagnosis however I'd just think that this is the now you know. Hope you are well!
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
Masking in bursts can be fine, especially in social situations to appear "part of the crowd" and no longer the "wallflower of my childhood".. I learned to study people, almost as test subjects, to learn how to do what they do. Learning the BS conversations, the non sense conversations, I see, are the hardest to manage. Now at 42 years old I cannot mask much longer tho. Balancing the true self with the presented self seems to get harder as I get older. It does wear the soul.
Hmm I mean masking is burst is fine however like you say it's very difficult to do long term.
it's really important to educate ourselves on autism , what to do if you have it, and how to prevent it. contact Dr Oyalo on UA-cam channel for natural cure on his channel. I use his herbs on my son and he is autism free now
I went to get my autism diagnosed and they actually told me I'm masking it too well. Now I'm undiagnosed but still visit them to talk to them and downplay my problems :')
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
Hey I have a video request can you make a video on austism and positive mental health like tips on how to love , accept and be proud of having autism cause I really hate mines thank you
Yeah me too
I’m 46 and been high masking since I was around 7 before that I stood silently in the corner of the playground in utter confusion. I like to find out as much as possible about others around me so that I don’t have to talk about myself. I keep my special
Interests to myself, unless someone else shows interest in one of my current special interests.
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
the more comfortable I get with someone, the more I start to open up to them & show them how I really am
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
Okay this may be wierd. I am too busy studying about psychology and sociology to bother with such things. Am I insane?
Oh my God thank you for this video! This explains everything what I mean is that ever since I've been in school I change my behavior to act like other kids or I change my personality entirely, I remember after coming back home from school I would feel physically and mentally drained since I've done it for so long I thought it was normal to do that. I didn't even know who I am I've just been different people one moment I'm the soft spoken sweet girl next I'm outgoing fun or I'm sassy confident, I did it so much that I didn't even have a personality of my own I've been multiple people.
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
I trained myself a long time ago to look just outside of people's eyes, and it seems like they think I'm making eye contact
Ooh right I see what you mean!
Yeah, eye contact is almost impossible for me to actually do, especially for more than a brief moment if I can pull it off at all
I’ve struggled to find autism specific support and videos like this help me understand myself more. This is the first time I’ve come across the term masking and I definitely use masking at work. As a result, I am able to put aside work related issues for a period of time (the duration varies).
However, I always end up depressed and anxious. It’s almost like I can only mask for so long until it becomes detrimental to my mental state. Because I have been appearing to be neurotypical, my colleagues and my bosses end up with a negative opinion of me (despite knowing of my diagnosis).
Thanks for this video, it has really helped me in trying to understand myself.
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
I tried to learn about Marvel characters and movies to talk with my friends even though I have zero interest in it.
I do not have autism but in the past people thought i did because i have trouble with approaching others
Andy thank you,and you have beautiful eyes just thought you should know
I wish I could just not mask and it be okay but people will not like me if I be myself
Wait these aren’t normal?
I’ve been doing this all my life maybe I have autism
Oh boy.. I know it is an important topic, but I need to tell you how handsome you are :D (thanks for bringing information out there. and sorry for my bad English)
Awww well thank you!
American football. Basketball. I know a lot about them, but I didn't want to. I had to. I needed to so I can fit in.
i don’t know if i have autism because i don’t think it’s right to self-diagnose, but i did this a lot in school & still in everyday life. i would be really quiet because talking to people or just being in social situations is difficult for me like i don’t know what to do or what to say. i kept it up for almost two years and the week before we got out of school i just broke down like i couldn’t stop crying that whole week at school. thank you for this video though it’s quite helpful.
I've been masking my whole life. Only been recently diagnosed on the spectrum almost 2 years ago now. And when I mention my diagnosis (which isn't often), I've so far got 2 people saying they don't think I am.
First one said because I didn't show anger issues. Another because they never saw me cover my ears.
As a kid, I did have some problems with anger. I stomped on my kite because it wasn't flying right away for example (obviously wasn't the kites fault). Felt horrible when I heard the snap. I also noticed I'd feel frustrated and dislike things I didn't understand.
But one of my obsessions was karate kid and the whole wise teacher thing. And wanted so badly to join a martial arts class, but my mom couldn't afford it. So instead, I just held very closely the whole self control and discipline over emotions, and being calm. Being more quiet & analytical/observant. Kind, accepting, and understsnding, etc..
This also of course helped me shape my would be meltdowns into shutdowns instead.
I practiced appearing as calm as I could. Many family members or strangers would often ask if I was depressed tho. Because I often felt what I described as "neutral" or just content. Just appreciative, grateful, and loving every moment. Amazed and in wonder of all the small details in life. Just happy to be in the presence of family and friends. But my facial expressions I guess stayed neutral and never really reflected how I truly felt. It felt unnatural to act enthusiastic. It still does, but I have subtly worked on some.
And there are many noises that are loud or hurt my ears, but I try to just deal with it. That loud whistle people do with their fingers tho.. I can't deal with that one at all. All other noise goes completely silent when I hear that. And it really physically hurts. I've tried not covering my ears, and I usually can if it's only once. but I have to if they keep going. But clanking dishes, the way voices bounce off walls sometimes, and many other noises I can pretend don't phase me. Or I'll just walk away. The sound of vacuums make me zone out & dissociate a bit. Same with the loud atmosphere of a busy restaurant or mall. Malls I can deal with because I can listen to music, but restaurants with family is tougher, because it'd be considered rude. And I do want to spend time & hear them. It's just hard to.
Ooh yeah I hear you and I just want to say that I really appreciate you taking the time to comment and share your story.
I have these silicone earplugs that I wear to clubs, where it's socially acceptable to do so. They're quite small and made of transparent silicone and they sit inside your ear canal. I find myself often in public environments that are painfully loud such as stores, cafes, parks and just the street. When I'm on the way somewhere walking or on the train I use in-ear headphones to listen to music to protect me from all the different noises. Socially acceptable. For a long time I've wanted to just take my earplugs and wear them in public spaces much more often, basically as often as I felt I needed to. I wanted to free the eardrum from pain. I haven't been doing it already just because I didn't wanna be a weirdo. In yet another way. The guy who wears ear plugs all the time. Sometime last year I decided to challenge this fear of imagined future embarrassment and just wear my earplugs wherever I want. So I decided to stop caring what people think of me as much as possible and have been wearing the earplugs whenever and wherever I want to since then. Often people don't even notice. If they do, some people might remark or ask about it, but I don't mind explaining. I can also use the earplugs as a prop, a physical object the I can use to show in a tangible way that this a real thing that I'm experiencing. A sort of hearing aid in a way. I feel much calmer being able to control the loudness of my environment and it has made many social interactions much less exhausting and actually enjoyable. Otherwise I've stopped caring what other people think about it. My ears have never been happier.
I relate to the noise issue! I have to ask my coworkers to wheel the cart of nightly dishes to the dish room instead of me because I can't take the clanking as the cart travels across the tiles. Alarms and babies crying and crowd clapping are unbearably. I always used to cover my ears (or at least my left ear because it is worse due to tinnitus) as a kid and even today if I need do I cover my ears.
Not everything bothers me though. I love thunder. I love fireworks. Vacuum cleaners are okay if they're not TOO loud but when I vacuum my stairs I wear earplugs because I have to be too close to the vacuum to do that. I can tolerated generally noisy areas like malls and restaurants. It's more high pitched noises that really bother me most.
I find people get two very wrong impressions of me: at first I'm jovial and put a lot of effort into being friendly and kind in greeting people; then I go quiet, run out of things to say, and avoid people. People would think they or I did something wrong, but I just felt uncomfortable around people after a very rehearsed introduction.
This, 100% this, thanks cuz I relate so much to what you said. It’s almost like I present as an extrovert but can’t sustain sociability afterwards.
it's really important to educate ourselves on autism , what to do if you have it, and how to prevent it. contact Dr Oyalo on UA-cam channel for natural cure on his channel. I use his herbs on my son and he is autism free now
My parents demanded I 'behave' if I wished to go and join them on social outings. I had to dress and behave a certain way to be out and about. What you term as masking I grew up with being groomed to what is known as 'behaving' properly. Any hiccups with being direct, too bold, not understanding people, even taking things directly verses metaphors would get me into huge amounts of trouble for embarrassing my mother. She was an in the closet narcissist and heavily groomed me to make her look really good. For the last 10 years, I have been my father's caregiver, we live together, and dear me, I am exhausted constantly due to the fact I am conditioned to 'behave' when he is around. Never had a break unless it is while he's in hospital, and it isn't much of one due to how I'm panicking over his well being. I wish I knew of some way to give myself space to rest or how to remove the conditioning to be more at ease around him.
Shit man, i really hope things get better for you
Thanks for an available explanation. I link this to ppl in my educational crusade for autism awareness and knowledge.
I've lived my life as an actor in unknown numerous occasions..
it's really important to educate ourselves on autism , what to do if you have it, and how to prevent it. contact Dr Oyalo on UA-cam channel for natural cure on his channel. I use his herbs on my son and he is autism free now
@@bolinhong2598 lol. You really need more edu.
Angry Birds. I was awful at the game but everyone I hung out with loved it so I learned the lingo, bought the board game even(something with tiles?)
I have no clue if I'm self-ascribing these characteristics of autism onto me or not, but I can relate to this a lot. It's very expensive to get an evaluation for ASD, but I'm so curious if I have it, or if it's just social awkwardness, OCD, and introvertedness for me.
I literally only found out I was on the spectrum (mild Aspergers) and I’ve literally been masking it since I was a kid and I just thought I was being normal 😂😂😂
I think i have been masking my whole life without realising it.. i have noticed alot more of my autistic traits coming out since i started going through puberty
I just want to pass off as normal
I'm not sure if I used to mask, or if I didn't, but my autism just didn't come across well enough for people to notice that I really was autistic. Because when I look into how I masked, I was never really good at it, at least I wasn't really good at doing things NT people did, I just stopped doing things they didn't do. I wasn't good at being something I wasn't, but I was good at not being what I really am, if that makes sense. I was also masking stuff that NT people do, but not to the extent that I did them. I used to cry all the time, now I struggle with crying, for example. My thought process wasn't "I need to do that because I will be like them", but rather "I need to stop doing this because what I do now is wrong"
If you are exhausted after periods of social interaction, and feel the need to distance and shelter yourself, you were very likely masking. I have this myself, just avoiding people more and more because they want me to be different. And feeling exhausted because keeping up the mask or act is obviously going to take a lot of exertion and energy.
it's really important to educate ourselves on autism , what to do if you have it, and how to prevent it. contact Dr Oyalo on UA-cam channel for natural cure on his channel. I use his herbs on my son and he is autism free now
I don't think I am in spectrum, but who knows, maybe I have successfully fooled myself too. All I know is I don't know myself, am tired, have many troubles in life and struggle a lot. And I feel like I have to be 100% in control at all times. Otherwise something bad will happen.
Beginning to think that I have always been masking, my entire life but because it was my normal and you don't really know what another's normal is because you are not them... i just thought it was normal but I don't think it is. Also, I've always dealt with extreme fatigue issues and always thought it was a physical/medical issue (still think I might have adrenal fatigue) but i'm beginning to think it's just mental/emotional exhaustion from living life in general (as the result of autistic overload & masking). :(
I used to try to understand politics because people are so violently obsessed with it. After I got diagnosed, I gave myself permission to be open with this: I can't stand politics. The only way I can relate is when people become obsessed.... because I also have special interests. But that's were it stops.
I guess in a way, neurotypical people maks too whenever they work in a costomer service job. They put on a plastic facade in order to get along with the difficult customers.
after watching a lot of videos on "masking" I think I have done it from early childhood. I watched other people get scalded or belittled or get pats on the back and I would try to become like the boy who got the pats on the back or the "attaboys." I just thought that, that was how everyone decided to act, by watching others. my family thinks I am odd but they don't think I am ADHD or Autistic... makes me slightly aggravated.. I want to get a diagnosis but... I am afraid(i think) that will make it final... Thanks for you videos Andy!
Hmm guess mask is really a method of survival in a way so it makes you'd do what you did.
Can a child of divorced parents " mask" when with other parent for a couple days? I'm having issues and need help with my son who is newly diagnosed. Thank you!
I’m new and scared on the autistic/ADHD and I’m terrified and I don’t know how to ever calm or what it feels like. Can someone point me to more resources. I have subscribed and I have hit the bell and thank you for helping me not hate myself and understand
I think Im autistic, but I've not been diagnosed since I've lived in a neglectful household my entire life and been punished/reprimanded for traits that are usually used to diagnose someone with ASD. I notice that Im always masking my more non-neurotypical traits around my family, teachers, and almost all of my friends. Its uncomfortable for me to maintain eye contact with people, and I find it impossible to look at someone's eyes when talking about something serious/arguing. I used to not be able to contain my excitement when something I was interested made me happy, but was scolded for stimming enough that I stop myself from doing it even when I'm in private. I've learned to "learn up" on other peoples interest while avoiding talking about my own because I'm afraid to infodump and annoy people. I'm not able to get diagnosed right now, and not knowing for sure is killing me. I feel like such an imposter in both communities for it.
Being totally not interested into footbal really resonated with me.
Wow. Can't believe this recommended vid was from someone who left the world far too soon. Fly high, buddy.
I recently got diagnosed at fucking 17 years old bcuz I'm so good at masking that no one ever fuckin picked up on it til my psychiatrist suggested it now I've been dealing with wanting to be genuine and be the real me but it's so difficult to stop the habit of masking and at this point im so used to it it's hard to tell what's the real me :(
Well... just found that I've been masking for 20 years, so thats fun!
I've done it.
That's why I don't go in public at all.
What have I clued up on that I have no interest in? Marvel. I watch all the films because most of the men in my life like them. I kind of enjoy them with other people but I wouldn't watch any of it alone.
Im autistic and I dont see a problem with masking. there is more Id like to say here but no idea how to say it.
Aww that's fine I mean it is such an individual thing. Also I got rid of that guy that commented on your comment by the way. Just seemed really weird so hope it helps 👍
I mostly mask my autism when I'm at school with my friends or either with family members, but when i go home i take my normal mask off! i just learned to act normal, i learned social skills by being around normal kids! I sucked at socializing with normal kids, but now I've gotten better at it, i picked up on their social skills, i mask because so i won't get criticized
Hi there, I guess masking in a way can be helpful but just remember to be yourself 👍
Topics I clued up on would be...celebrity news and pop music.
I've been masking for so long that I... don't know where it starts and ends. I'm trying hard not to mask as much.
Ooh yeah it can be tricky. But I guess just give it time and not to put pressure on yourself if that makes sense. 👍
3:46 I have that as well I don't really show. What I feel most times. And I think it leads to misunderstanding
Wow! Awesome!
Man I feel ya. Us aspies should have our own country for better opportunities.
Since I started up my own autistic UA-cam channel I had been extremely open about my autism since being on the autism spectrum is my way of life. I had certainly masked myself, this didn't work out and it's almost like something I had to do up until I started watching yours, Connor's, Kate's and Dan's channel.
Aww I feel like we all have done this at some point. But I am glad that you are starting to find yourself!
I want to share about a herbal recommendations I got about dr Oyalo and his herbal remedy which work perfectly on my sons improvements and social skill till now. He now speakers in sentences, responds to name and instructions, no more aggressiveness and many more unlike him before
We, neurotypical people, also mask in various social situations. I'm not the same person if I meet with my boss, if I'm in a group of people I just met or if I'm alone, for instance. And some of these situations can also be tiring for neurotypical people who will be so happy to behave as they really want when they return home after a long workday for example.
But, of course, our fatigue and the efforts we have to make don't compare to those of the autistic people. They are incredibly smaller. Still they exist. So even neurotypical people can easily relate to your video, Andie.
Thanks again! 👍👍
This is irrelevant, but I really like your shirt! Where did you get it??
Ooh thank you 😊 It's Shane Dawson's merch... Think this one is still on Amazon in the UK & US.
I might have been masking but no one told me to I just did it myself and I feel terrible about it
I used to be really loud and extroverted, would start a conversation with strangers etc. That didn't work out too well once I stopped being a cute little child so I kinda just.. stopped.
Had to mask by acting shy and quiet so people wouldn't question my lack of social interaction or interpret it as arrogance 🤷🏼♂️
it's really important to educate ourselves on autism , what to do if you have it, and how to prevent it. contact Dr Oyalo on UA-cam channel for natural cure on his channel. I use his herbs on my son and he is autism free now