Page 1 of 1 [ 16 posts ] 

MagicMeerkat
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 Jun 2011
Age: 39
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,009
Location: Mel's Hole

13 Aug 2024, 11:49 pm

I always remember not really wanting friends. I was just gaslighted into thinking I needed them but whenever I was forced to interact with another child, I would just ignore them and do my own thing or go away.

I'm the stereotypical autistic loner who craves solitude. Sometimes I wonder if I'm truly autistic and don't just have some version of Schizoid personality disorder...but then I have all the other autistic traits to like sensory aversions, special interests and a STRICT need for routine that MUST run like CLOCKWORK.

These "friend" things always prevented me from doing the things I wanted to do and they NEVER want to do things that interest me. I've never really had the experience of a shared special interest and I'm okay with that. But it's made me SUPER protective of my special interests and I refuse to share them with just anyone.


_________________
Spell meerkat with a C, and I will bite you.


CockneyRebel
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 17 Jul 2004
Age: 51
Gender: Male
Posts: 121,458
Location: In my own little country

14 Aug 2024, 9:17 am

I felt that way for many years of my life until I found a wonderful clubhouse.


_________________
The Family Schlager


Edna3362
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 29 Oct 2011
Gender: Female
Posts: 13,728
Location: ᜆᜄᜎᜓᜄ᜔

14 Aug 2024, 5:45 pm

I have the same questions myself if I do have some form of schizoid personality.

I ruled out aversion to openness. Because I get bored easily.
I ruled out conscientiousness. It's just my unavoidable but solvable hypersensitivities.
I ruled out introversion. It's just my body, really.
I ruled out agreeableness. It's just my damn mood.
I ruled out neuroticism. It's just a stupid program.

I still get attached. I still enjoy relationships.
I still enjoy social moments if it happened to fit.
I just have different expectations and preferences.

That doesn't say much about my lack of interest in making friends and socializing.

As far as I know, my lack of social interest is not a trauma response.

But yeah I agree with relationships being an interruption of some sort...
But since my current inclination is not being strict on schedules, I may not mind at some moments.

While I like keeping secrets and things to myself, I also tend to over share due to my still developing social skills.
I'm just still learning how to filter things, how to be way better at timing -- after years of not having a space to learn that.


Well...
Even if I get slightly sick, unprepared or still 'grieving' (whatever the frick that means to me), I'd end up acting schizoid like.

Because I can't ignore internal stuff. I'd be too 'withdrawn' because all my time, energy and focus is in the internal and no space for the external.

I just need to find a way to stop having random ails or ways to be less internally sensitive so I'd stop 'acting rigid'...


_________________
Gained Number Post Count (1).
Lose Time (n).

Lose more time here - Updates at least once a week.


CockneyRebel
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 17 Jul 2004
Age: 51
Gender: Male
Posts: 121,458
Location: In my own little country

15 Aug 2024, 11:37 am

I started wanting friends in the Summer of 1997. I even has plans to make friends at a bar. Before than, I was the type who couldn't be bothered.


_________________
The Family Schlager


King Kat 1
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 14 Aug 2020
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,755
Location: In an underground undisclosed location

15 Aug 2024, 12:37 pm

I wouldn't mind a couple of low Maintenace friendships, but someone attached to my side, I cannot do. My routine and schedule keep my life from completely going haywire. I think that and my own past bad experiences prevent me from forming or seeking out friendships.

Thing is, I have little to no in common with a lot of people I interact with, which is mostly at work. Outside of work I am a bit of a recluse. I've always been a loner by nature and live solitude, but I do get lonely now and then, although most of the time I get through it ok.

For a long time, I just went along to get along just to keep people around, even though they treated me like s--t and were rude. I don't miss any of that.

I've pretty much thrown in the towel on any kind of friendship ever forming again.


_________________
Lying sideways atop crumpled sheets and no covers, he decides to dream
Dream up a new self for himself-Pearl Jam


bee33
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 19 Apr 2008
Age: 62
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,862

15 Aug 2024, 7:58 pm

I would love to have more friends and at this point the difficulty lies mostly with my fairly severe chronic fatigue, as I think I have gotten better at getting along with people and interacting. I have a boyfriend so I am not alone, and I have a few people I talk to on the phone, but I am nevertheless very lonely and it's a constant ache in my heart.



Bestiola
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 22 Aug 2021
Gender: Female
Posts: 514

16 Aug 2024, 11:14 am

I found them to be too high maintenance.



__Elijahahahaho
Toucan
Toucan

Joined: 9 Jan 2024
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 287
Location: GERMANY

16 Aug 2024, 12:49 pm

I was similarly gaslit into thinking friends were important,
and I still probably could benefit from caring less about them...

I don't really have conventional friends,
but I am very social and known to a lot of people I
see in my day, and this is good enough for now.

I definitely value some amount of social interaction.

I have never had a deep connection.
Most of the "friendships" I started
were pretty bad and I should have left them earlier.

Some were good.



BoundlessMind_32
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

Joined: 9 Nov 2024
Gender: Female
Posts: 38
Location: Slovakia

11 Nov 2024, 1:21 pm

It's not like I don't have any friends. But all of those left in the country. The one which stayed live about 500 km away from me. So it is easy for me. I see them maybe one time every few years. I stay in contact with them, but we don't write very often too...

People around me keep asking if I am not lonely, and when I say I don't they look at me very strangely like it is a bad thing, which I don't see it this way. Extroverts or neurotypical people see this as an issue, and I don't.

I don't desire human contact. Those few times I meet one of my friends or when they text me is enough for me. Once a year I will travel to my friend which stayed in the country for one weekend and that is enough for me for the rest of the year.

Why other people always judge others is beyond my comprehension.



MagicMeerkat
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 Jun 2011
Age: 39
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,009
Location: Mel's Hole

02 Aug 2026, 10:31 pm

Having friendships is like having a job I do not get paid for.


_________________
Spell meerkat with a C, and I will bite you.


funeralxempire
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 27 Oct 2014
Age: 41
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 34,419
Location: Right over your left shoulder

02 Aug 2026, 10:33 pm

MagicMeerkat wrote:
Having friendships is like having a job I do not get paid for.


I wouldn't call those relationships friendships if they're that one-sided.

I think the point of friendships is that they're reciprocal.


_________________
There's no such thing as a free market.
If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing. —Malcolm X
Just a reminder: under international law, an occupying power has no right of self-defense, and those who are occupied have the right and duty to liberate themselves by any means possible.


traven
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 30 Sep 2013
Gender: Female
Posts: 16,397

03 Aug 2026, 1:11 am

the last time i found? or they found, some (women) friends
they wanted (different) things from me,
nooo

that whole social thing, is very annoying,
they always want to be on top of you, telling you what to do, and you can be their yes-man/ -woman


on that note i miss the old neigbors, not friends but sort of anyway,
very flawed people but you know who they are
and also friendly and inviting on a first level
if they weren't that crooked they could have run a hospitality establishment



exec
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Oct 2024
Gender: Male
Posts: 4,650

03 Aug 2026, 10:09 am

funeralxempire wrote:
MagicMeerkat wrote:
Having friendships is like having a job I do not get paid for.


I wouldn't call those relationships friendships if they're that one-sided.

I think the point of friendships is that they're reciprocal.
Fair-Weather Friends?


_________________
“Laughter is an instant vacation.”
― Milton Berle


Mona Pereth
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 11 Sep 2018
Gender: Female
Posts: 9,100
Location: New York City (Queens)

03 Aug 2026, 1:27 pm

MagicMeerkat wrote:
These "friend" things always prevented me from doing the things I wanted to do and they NEVER want to do things that interest me. I've never really had the experience of a shared special interest and I'm okay with that. But it's made me SUPER protective of my special interests and I refuse to share them with just anyone.

I've always felt that a friend (or potential friend) needs to be someone who shares at least some of my interests. Otherwise it would not be possible to have much fun together.

Did you ever make a point of seeking out people who share one or more of your interests?


_________________
- Autistic in NYC - Resources and new ideas for the autistic adult community in the New York City metro area.
- Autistic peer-led groups (via text-based chat, currently) led or facilitated by members of the Autistic Peer Leadership Group.


MagicMeerkat
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 Jun 2011
Age: 39
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,009
Location: Mel's Hole

Yesterday, 8:36 pm

Mona Pereth wrote:
MagicMeerkat wrote:
These "friend" things always prevented me from doing the things I wanted to do and they NEVER want to do things that interest me. I've never really had the experience of a shared special interest and I'm okay with that. But it's made me SUPER protective of my special interests and I refuse to share them with just anyone.

I've always felt that a friend (or potential friend) needs to be someone who shares at least some of my interests. Otherwise it would not be possible to have much fun together.

Did you ever make a point of seeking out people who share one or more of your interests?


I only made friends with people who shared interests. Friendships that weren't based on a shared interest, usually facilitated by a teacher or school counselor never lasted once the facilitator wasn't there anymore or didn't feel the need to facilitate it, the "friendship" failed. So now, I only seek out friendships with other autistic people with the same special interests. If it's not a special interest based friendship, it's like a job I am not getting paid for. I've always been one of those autistic people who thrives and craves solitude. Most NT's are like golden retrievers who have a nervous breakdown if you look away from them for a few seconds...actually some of my autistic friends were like that.


_________________
Spell meerkat with a C, and I will bite you.


funeralxempire
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 27 Oct 2014
Age: 41
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 34,419
Location: Right over your left shoulder

Today, 3:38 pm

exec wrote:
funeralxempire wrote:
MagicMeerkat wrote:
Having friendships is like having a job I do not get paid for.


I wouldn't call those relationships friendships if they're that one-sided.

I think the point of friendships is that they're reciprocal.
Fair-Weather Friends?


Yes, or somewhere on the spectrum between fair weather friends and 'psychic vampires'.

You know, people who just feed off of your energy.


_________________
There's no such thing as a free market.
If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing. —Malcolm X
Just a reminder: under international law, an occupying power has no right of self-defense, and those who are occupied have the right and duty to liberate themselves by any means possible.