Can't read social situations, feeling helpless and hopeless
My inability to read social situations is becoming a real liability. I was recently ostracized by a group of ex-coworkers because I made them feel "uncomfortable". I have no idea what that means, and it hurt to be kicked out of a group conversation tool without any explanation beyond that etc. I don't generally pick up on social cues very well. I strive to make people happy and to do good in the world, but it seems like that isn't enough for neurotypicals. Intention doesn't matter, only impact does. I'm feeling generally helpless and hopeless about myself. I'm married with a beautiful wife and son, am the sole provider. I own my own software consulting agency, and most people would probably call me successful. Despite that, I struggle with interpersonal relationships and I fear that I become part of people's "whisper networks". I strive to be kind and uplifting to others, so this really hurts. I don't know how to make sense of it. And I worry that I'll always be stuck this way, unable to build real meaningful relationships with other people that I can count on.
I used to have major problems reading social cues. Reducing stress and emotions helped me greatly. I still have problems but it made a big difference. If you have anxiety or other emotions people will notice them through your body language which can make other people uncomfortable. Altered body language caused by emotions can also lead to misunderstandings that make people uncomfortable. The information on the site https://autismcbt.wordpress.com/ helped me the most. It explains what causes stress, anxiety, and other emotions in autistic people and how to reduce them.
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10 Jul 2026, 9:22 am |
