When I was little, I really didn’t care what anyone else thought of me. I had little to no interest in making friends, but I was pretty happy. Then around middle school, my parents and teachers basically decided that me being alone so much was not OK. They started telling me over and over that I had to do more social activities, and that I really had to start caring what other kids thought, and become interested in what they were interested in. I did end up learning some social skills and making a few friends. But I also started to believe that I was […]
I have a really hard time relating to and understanding people and their feelings, for whatever reason (one therapist thought I might have autism). I don’t seem to feel love or intimacy or emotional connection to the same extent that others do, and empathy is a struggle. I’ve been in a few relationships, but after several months it always got to the point where the emotional demand was simply too exhausting and overwhelming. I’ve also pretty much given up on finding a “dream job”, if such a thing even exists — I can’t really imagine what that might be.
Meanwhile, it’s hard to think that we’ll […]