Deliberately Avoiding Contact with Others

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Do you find that if you have a choice, you simply go out of your way to avoid running into other people? If you must be in a situation where it's possible you will see someone else, do you find yourself rehearsing in your head what might happen and what you might say? Example; I live in a house split up into apartments, there is a line outback where everyone hangs their laundry to dry, as we don't use dryers in Jamaica. I am the only white person living here, so I do draw some stares to begin with, but I find that if I hear people outside in the backyard I will not go to pick up my laundry until it seems quiet and there is no one around. I don't want them to stare at me, and some of them do just that, they don't say anything, just look at me like I landed in a UFO or something. Two little kids here are even terrified of me and act like I'm the big bad wolf when they see me! I have left my clothes to get rained on before simply because I did not want to go around there and have people act strangely to me. Whenever I do run into people and they are not friendly, I always over-analyze the situation and try to determine why, which I know is silly and futile but I tend to do it anyhow. Can anyone relate to avoiding people for no reason other than the fear of whatever possible outcome may result from your contact with them?

Yes, oh, yes, but not so much anymore.

Yes, definitely. It's as if people are ALWAYS expecting me to look or act differently than I do. And they sometimes want to chat, which makes the situation more akward because

A. I never want to chat
B. I have difficulty speaking loudly enough and have to repeat myself
C. I know they get confused or weired out because I don't look at them
D. they assume stuff that's not true, ask me about it, then I have to make a big explanation to correct them and it tires me out

have you consider changing out of there? i mean, if people aren´t hospitable and make you feel uncomfortable, maybe you could find a better place. If it is not possible, try to ignore them, listen music with earphones.

Yes. I like Catalina's suggestion. Stick on some headphones and pretend you didn't hear/notice anyone. Btw, I dry my clothes inside on a retractable washing line over the upstairs banister.

Your 'hanging the washing on the line' scenario made me smile because I'm exactly the same. I ended up getting my SO to install a folding washing line in our outdoor area so I can avoid the attention of the neighbours.

I might see somebody I know in a neighborhood store and just don't feel like chit chatting with them or I am buying item I do not want them to see, so I try to wait until they leave the store.

^ Wow!

Edit: My wow was to Raleigh

I do this a lot, and I feel kind of terrible for it. Give me a basement, and a computer with internet access, and you can guarantee that I'll waste hours there, browsing and posting on forums, while ingesting copious amounts of pop, coffee, and chips. I feel quite uncomfortable when there are lots of other people around, especially if they're moving around and doing things. I often feel like I'm getting in the way or being a nuisance when I'm around them, and when I'm not around them I feel like they're expecting me to be up there with them socializing or helping them with things. I like it when I have the house to myself, since I can do whatever and not feel self-conscious about it.

I do that in the store, I will wait to get my stuff in a certain aisle if there are others in the aisle. I don't like when they are there, I always feel like they are watching me and I don't like it.

I do that quite a lot. I'd rather be inconvenienced by having to wait for people to leave than harassed/stared at/bullied if I go when they're there!

In supermarkets, I avoid aisles with people in them for an entirely different reason: I'm downright dangerous with a shopping cart and don't want to injure anyone.

I was in a big grocery store. In an aisle that was empty of people except me a rat ran across. i thought "I know how you feel", avoiding people.

Well yeah, it's the choice I make, and it's a perfectly valid and reasonable one, no matter an ASD or not.

I go into hermit mode, where I don't want to see/talk to anyone, or even anyone to look at me. I'm okay after some downtime.

If I feel good, I'll just let 'em stare. I can't stand that feeling, though, when I get depressed or anxious. I do what I have to do, and get away. I hardly ever felt it in the city like I do here in the sticks.