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Do you enjoy being an aspie/autist?

At first, when I thought about this question, I thought I absolutely enjoy it. I generally have a lot of selfesteme, and truly like who I am. However, I have been a bit lonely at times, and often miss various friends that I've lost touch with, due to lacking social knowledge and missing cues.

Then on thinking further, I am not sure I have the ability to imagine myself in any other way than I am. So, I may want to be "normal", but really can't imagine how that would be different (as in what I would loose from aspie and gain from non-aspie). I guess, it is like 90% of the time, I enjoy my alone time and really enjoy my way of thinking, and I often find humor in my initial perceptions in regard to social concepts after learning their intended meaning(s). It is only about 10% of the time I think, "it sure would be nice to have someone to hangout with, that really understands me and I really understand",

Overall, I think I prefer being me, and will just strive to improve my socialness when it suits me.
 
Depends on what sort of mood I'm in. At my lowest point, when I was 13, I hated my Asperger's. I thought nobody wanted me around because I was a weirdo, and I developed depression. Now that I feel better about myself, having Asperger's doesn't really bother me. I can't say I enjoy it though because it's all I've ever known, and I couldn't compare it to being neurotypical because my brain has always worked differently to theirs, and if my brain was rewired I wouldn't be the same CJ. So it has its pros and cons, as everything does.
 
Yes I do! Well, most of the time anyways. Sometimes, I do wish I was able to more easily understand those mysterious social cues so that I don't make other people upset all the time, or to get understand a joke that everyone but myself is able to laugh at.

But those are fairly minor things nowadays. Back in school, I suffered alot until I stopped trying to be normal. My level of stress and frequency of meltdowns significantly decreased when I embraced who I really was.
 
Most of the time I do, because I am like no other person, and I am unique. But when it comes to something that I want to do, and I can't because of my Aspergers, I get frustrated and sometimes wish I wasn't.
 
i think i like it because it makes me into who i am, and special in a way. if i was NT i wouldnt be as smart as i am. it makes me independent, and my happiness isnt depending on other people. if i was NT i'd probably not love music the way i do. i remember as a small child, the other kids would talk and laugh while music was playing, i couldnt understand how they could do something else besides listening and being fascinated.
and the love for animals that brightens my day every time i get to pat a dog or feral cat. nobody seems to enjoy it the way i do. or the treetops swaying in the wind that is hypnotizing to me.
then again, i have some problems, too. i got picked on and bullied a lot, in places where nobody else was bullied, i was the only one. people take one look at me and see something that makes them think they can take advantage. i was told i have a confused, lost look in my eyes, like i dont know what's going on around me.
and my horrible motor skills, and my social phobias, and my ocds, and my general anxiety...
 
I don't have a black and white answer.

Being on the Autistic Spectrum (Aspie) is probably why I am the way I am, so this is what I like about the way I am:
-Very high I.Q.
- Hyperlexic.
- Specialized field of interest, making me an expert.
- Living in my own world.
- Still liking childish things such as stuffed animals.

And this is what I don't like:
- Meltdowns. These can even become dangerous to me physically and damage my relationships.
- Sensory Stimuli overload. I don't like needing to hide in the bathroom stall to calm down.
- Fevers from getting over-stimulated by being at college. Stomach sensitivities as well.
- Inability to LEAVE my inner world to have a regular conversation with the locals.
- Infantile reactions and attachments to my stuffed animals and preferred person.

There's more, obviously. I can't have the things I like without the ones I don't. But, I don't think I would get a "cure" if there were one.
 
Asking me if I enjoy having aspergers is like asking; do I enjoy being me? Sometimes I do, but most of the time it's too challenging.
 
I can't really compare it to "not being" it.

That being said; a lot of so-called NT stuff I don't even like, so I don't think I'd be better off not being an aspie. In a way, most things I like now (and have liked in the past) worked fine for me without special adaptions, yet they were perfect conditions for someone on the spectrum I think. So even if I were to not like it; I'd probably still live an aspie-ish live in a sense... or change it. And since I never had the urge to change things up from the way I did em already... yes I think I'm fine... think "enjoying" it is a bit of a stretch, but yeah, I'm fine with it.

It always struck me as weird that people look at other people and are like "I want to do what they do". If you're having that attitude as someone on the spectrum, you'll end up feeling ****** about yourself. I stopped caring about education and "what other people do with their lives" a long time ago.
 
I think for me I wouldn't be me if I didn't have AS. I spent most of my life wondering why I was the way I was so now that I know I feel a bit more confident in myself. I think its half and half there are days when I stim like crazy and my routine gets disrupted and everything goes in the crapper but then there are days when I make people laugh because of my ability to practically memorize tv shows that like and quote them. I am who I am not without challenges but who isn't.
 
Sometimes I enjoy it. Like when I'm in class and I am able to help others and the curricula come natural to me. I know that's only because it falls in line with my special interests. I feel my classmates don't know what Asperger's is so I simplify it and just say autism for them. Am I right/wrong on that? I don't know. Some of them know though, that that is the reason why I'm 'smarter' I don't think I'm smarter, but I have found the way to memorize things and I keep to what works for me, and the info stays in my head for the long term, and I know how to access it.
I also enjoy surprising my classmates who think I'm innocent because of my demeanor, then I pop off with something borderline offensive like South Park and it throws them.
I also enjoy solitude but I know sometimes there's two sides to that. I also have a hesitation about people coming into my circle. I know I have to get over that to bring a partner into my life so I won't be alone when my sons are grown.
I do not enjoy when I get anxious or stressed because I hate asking my sons to give me space when I am close to the end of my thread, and it seems like I get that way at least once a day usually in the afternoon. I'm so new to actually working on myself that I get frustrated because sometimes I feel like I don't have the tools that I need to make some of these changes.
 
I enjoy aspects of it, such as the lateral thinking and having a unique world-view, but I hate the extreme social anxiety which I find really debilitating especially as it relates to fitting into the workplace and having long-term job prospects. That sucks.
 
I have never been anything else, so it is hard to compare. But I think I like it when I am alone. When I am with others it is a pain in the ass.
 
Sipe said:
if I had the change to "cure" me from my Asperger Syndrome, I would decline because if I get rid of my Aspergers I would`t be Me anymore. You know what I mean?
Click to expand...

I know exactly what you mean. This is something my wonderful father has always tried to impress upon me. I still remember, after the diagnosis, how he told me that if they invented a cure he definitely wouldn't want me to take it.
 
Well, I am certainly not looking forward to my future. I'm 16 years old, and have never been behind the wheel of a car. I still have absolutely no understanding of how the road works, and don't know if I ever will. I often just want to know what it's like living an NT life, to know what it's like being in a relationship and such.

However, I have the ability to amaze people with my memory and spelling ability, and I certainly don't want to give those up. It's definitely a mixed bag.
 
I'm beginning to not like having Aspergers at all. I don't like that everyones first thoughts about me are less than neutral, that I'm just "weird" and am having a difficult time masquerader as normal. Being a teenager and the whole "being unique is cool!" thing only lasts for so long until you realize that no, that is not how it is in the real world. It's not highschool anymore. Quirks bordering on anti-social aren't going to fly. I want to blend in.

What good is high intelligence if I'm on lockdown all the time.
 
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