Being away from friends for short periods is really hard
Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2024 6:56 pm
(Content warning: Talks about feelings of social isolation, depression.)
Hi,
I’m autistic, and really, really need social interaction. I say need because when I haven’t had a good conversation (generally in person) in 2 or so days, I get really, severely, depressed, and it gets worse the longer it goes on (summer break is awful). It feels like I have the same need for social interaction as other people, but my “social interaction bucket”, for lack of a better term, empties more quickly then most people.Due to things I’m not currently interested in talking about, I don’t feel particularly safe talking to my mom and brother, and it’s just different from talking to friends anyways.
My questions are: 1: Have other people here experienced this, and if you have, do you have ideas to deal with it or make it better in some way? 2: How do I explain this to my friends? I want them to know how important they are to me, but don’t want to overwhelm them or make them feel like I essentially require them to survive (although I honestly might in some ways).
- AQ
Hi,
I’m autistic, and really, really need social interaction. I say need because when I haven’t had a good conversation (generally in person) in 2 or so days, I get really, severely, depressed, and it gets worse the longer it goes on (summer break is awful). It feels like I have the same need for social interaction as other people, but my “social interaction bucket”, for lack of a better term, empties more quickly then most people.Due to things I’m not currently interested in talking about, I don’t feel particularly safe talking to my mom and brother, and it’s just different from talking to friends anyways.
My questions are: 1: Have other people here experienced this, and if you have, do you have ideas to deal with it or make it better in some way? 2: How do I explain this to my friends? I want them to know how important they are to me, but don’t want to overwhelm them or make them feel like I essentially require them to survive (although I honestly might in some ways).
- AQ