Masking

Masking, which is also called camouflaging or compensating, is a social survival strategy.

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I learnt to mask from a young age. Children and adults are not kind and will often correct you when you do the wrong thing.

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All behaviours I exhibit are learned.

Therefore I will 

- Give eye contact

- Smile a lot

- Feign interest in things that do not interest me

- Change the way I come accross

- Try to limit my talk on the things I find interesting.

- Will mirror the behaviour of others to try and fit in

- Supress my intelligence

- Supress my stress

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Masking is exhausting and I find it hardest to mask towards the end of the week. This is because I do have a full time job Monday to Friday but being Autistic is like doing two full time jobs at the same time.

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My actual job and the job of making people in my presence comfortable.