How can I get out of this mindset?

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Joe90
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08 Jan 2020, 2:50 pm

I keep comparing my social life to my peers social lives, and whenever anyone says what they've done with their friends I get all depressed and beat myself up about it because I've had very little chance to do much at all with 'friends' in my life.
I accept it more with loud, outgoing NTs, but when shy introverts, or people with ASD (diagnosed or undiagnosed) seem to have a bigger circle of friends than I do, I get depressed. I even get frightened because of the way I get excluded from my peers, and I'm like, "I know I'm an Aspie, but this is ridiculous". Other people on the mild end on the spectrum - especially women - seem more capable of making friends and being invited out and about. So it must be me that's the problem, and it depresses me and it robs me of my happiness.

How can I train my brain not to worry about what other people are doing? Why is this so important to me? Does anyone else beat themselves up about how good or bad their social status is? Is it the fear and hurt of the social exclusion and rejection I've suffered since I was about 12?


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alabama
Butterfly
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08 Jan 2020, 3:51 pm

I hate having to adjust the straps constantly because they get stretched out.



SecretOpossumCabal
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08 Jan 2020, 6:11 pm

You're coveting. Coveting is a big problem for humans as it keeps us from being content. The problem with coveting is that there is ALWAYS someone with a bigger house, nicer car, etc. It puts you on a treadmill of misery, that no matter how much you gain you will always want more. One way to prevent yourself from coveting is by guarding your eyes and ears and not exposing yourself to those things. Which for people often means GET OFF SOCIAL MEDIA, one of the biggest perils of social media is that it's a primary vehicle to funnel this kind of pride. People go on social media more often than not to brag.

People love to brag, and as soon as you get the impression they're bragging. Shut them off, go somewhere, do something else. Don't entertaining the suggestion that they're tying to plant inside of your head; you are not them and you will never be them. Tell yourself I am not this person and I will never be this person and that is perfectly fine, what they have is theirs and what I have is mines.

Here's a nice little paragraph on covetousness:

Quote:
Covetous desires create disorder because they move beyond satisfying basic human needs and "exceed the limits of reason and drive us to covet unjustly what is not ours and belongs to another or is owed to him."[44] Greed and the desire to amass earthy goods without limit are forbidden as are avarice and the passion for riches and power. "You shall not covet" means that we should banish our desires for whatever does not belong to us. Never having enough money is regarded as a symptom of the love of money.[45] Obedience to the tenth commandment requires that envy be banished from the human heart. Envy is a capital sin that includes sadness at the sight of another's goods and the immoderate desire to acquire them for oneself. The baptized person should resist envy by practicing good will and rejoicing and praising God for material blessings granted to neighbor and brother.[46] God warns man away from what seems "good for food . . . a delight to the eyes . . . to be desired to make one wise,"[47] and law and grace turn men's hearts away from avarice and envy and toward the Holy Spirit who satisfies man's heart.[48]


From here: Thou Shalt Not Covet



Randomosity
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08 Jan 2020, 8:07 pm

^This.

I can't give much advice because I'm nearly in the same boat as you, but limiting social media is something I can tell you.

People don't post all the things they struggle with along with photos of their nice vacation.



Fireblossom
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09 Jan 2020, 8:27 am

I somewhat struggle with the same problem to some extent. My solution is that when someone else has something that I don't but would like to have, I work a lot in order to get the same things or something good enough that I'm satisfied. Some things have taken me years and I still haven't got them, so I too could use some tips on how not to think of it too much.



Joe90
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12 Jan 2020, 7:49 am

The two people I'm rather jealous of the most are two female cousins of mine, both my age.
One of them is a loud extrovert and always has lots of friends, can make friends just by looking at someone, is very confident, all the guys think she's cute, and she is constantly very socially motivated and is always the life and soul at any party she goes to.

My other cousin is more quiet and has mild learning difficulties that slightly affects some of her social performance, but she doesn't overthink or really get anxious about anything. She doesn't have social anxiety, has never suffered depression, and she doesn't fear social rejection, so she gets everybody's numbers and texts them straight away without the fear of weirding people out.

I'd rather be one or the other. I hate being me. I overthink all the time, I'm hyperaware of my social awkwardness, I have social anxiety, I get depression sometimes, I have ADHD and ASD, and all that holds me back from social achievements. I've always been the unlucky one out of the three of us regarding my mental health and appearance.


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