What About Your Autism Impairs You Most?

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How does your autism affect you?

I set out to pick just 1 or 2 options but as I went down the list they all seemed pretty equal for me, so I failed and checked all. Sorry, I ruin statistics .

Executive functioning.

All other traits can be compensated for me.

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Sensory stuff.

My level of social issues can be worked around by not having a social life. And that doesn't bother me.

Same mostly with my level of exec functioning although I have to set an alarm to tell me when to have my meds.

But sensory stuff can be out of the blue & is physically painful to me.

It creates meltdowns.

I avoid it as much as I can but when something is 'sprung' on me such as 'surprise' lighting somewhere or an overly bright day without my glasses etc... I can't handle that.

I have the brightest glasses the optician offers.

It makes me sad as there are parts of the world I will never visit or revisit. Anywhere bright. So either very warm places or very snowy places.

I just checked sensory issues because I've learnt to live with the others (i.e. minimize their presence in my life). Routines and rigid behaviours are more a way of living that I enjoy. As for all the social shortcomings, rather than straining myself for other people's sake, i picked out 2 people I care about and spend my little energy on them. It's enough.

Sensory issues are hard. Maybe the only way to avoid them would be sitting in a quiet, dark room all the time only eating white bread and pineapple juice.

What impairs me the most is that I can't seem to be able to have conversations with people on a "professional" level. I can't really adapt to professional situations. I'm always on the same "level," which is pretty casual, rather than professional.

This is probably why I was never promoted on my job, even though I know my job backwards and forwards.

I think my anxiety and overthinking is basically the only thing that holds me back. That and maybe my fear of some loud noises (like I try to avoid electric bells, as they TERRIFY me and it's not something I've grown out of).

Otherwise, I'm pretty high-functioning.

Executive dysfunction causes the most distress internally and causes everything I do to be fraught with inner anxiety. The toll on my health is enormous. Like Edna said, everything else I can either compensate for or don’t really care about.

Forming and maintaining relationships of any kind. I'm fine talking to people if I need something or I need to give or tell them something but I'm bad at normal friendly conversation with most people and I'm not good at getting close to or keeping in contact with the few I can talk to.

Partial shutdowns, shutdowns and burnouts. The burnouts have been the hardest, as shutdowns may effect the rest of the day where I need to take things easy, but burnouts take years to recover from in my experience. (Other people can recover from a burnout in a matter of weeks. Not my personal experience but everyone is different).

Sensory issues and executive functioning difficulties are my lead.
The rest I've learned to live with.

Kind of pointless to ask what disables people the most and also allow people to choose every single poll option.