How Wednesday is helping me to unmask my autism

How Wednesday is helping me learn to unmask my autism.

I got serious burnout from autistic masking and I've learned the only way to live happily for me is to learn how to stop doing this.

Autistic masking is where an autistic has studied the patterns of non autistics and copies them in most day to day interactions. It typically takes an autistic much much more energy than a non autistic to have a basic conversation. If you want to learn more about this check out my video here https://youtu.be/nCRIM7LVlYs or my blog here:

I learned masking the typical autistic way by watching and copying people. You do it so long that you don't know how to turn it off.

I've decided that I can learn how to turn it off by watching unmasked autistics or perhaps autistically coded characters.

Wednesday is definitely in that category. She shows little to know facial expressions, she talks in a flat monotone. Says things without filtering them and isn't afraid of what people think of her. Or as she says: "I act as if I don't care if people dislike me. But... secretly I enjoy it."

I have found that as I follow some of these attributes then social gatherings are a lot less draining for me. If I don't feel a need to smile when I don't feel like it. Speak animatedly, approach people etc. then I don't leave every social gathering as if I'd been kissed by a dementor and had my soul sucked out of me. You may think that I've changed if you see me like this.

Also just learning how to not care is very therapeutic to stop the masking or for any one for that matter. I watched Wednesday's dance the night before my son Ammon's wedding reception. I realized if she could dance without caring so could I. I danced the Wednesday dance. I didn't care. It was fun.

This of course runs the risk of people inaccurately reading me as someone who dislikes them or doesn't care. This is why I'm also trying to educate people on autistic facial expressions and culture.

Don't try to read us the same way you would other people. (the biggest mistake most people make in reading people is by using stereotypes of people ignoring individual differences. I'm thinking of starting a video series of shorts on how to read people like an autistic masker. We become experts as a survival instinct.)

Also check out my video here on why autistic communication isn't dry or awkward. it's a culture. https://youtu.be/8iWwRzcG8-g

Does anybody have any other favorite autistically coded I would love to study some more? I'm thinking of watching some bones episodes next.

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