This is just something I want to get off my chest. I don’t have autism (at least I’m not diagnosed) but I just hate this.
All these people I’ve last seen when I was a kid and they all want to talk to me and hug me. They tell me I’m so tall now and know so much about topic x (tech most of the time) and I just want to tell them to shut the f up.
Sometimes I need to go into a dark, quiet room and just lay down. Sometimes playing the piano with noise cancelling headphones helps, but then all these people ask me where I’ve been the whole time.
I’ll do things I normally hate, like the dishes, just to have an excuse to be in a different room and put in my headphones.
I just wanted to vent a little, but if you have any, I’m open for advice.
I’m gonna go a little against what other commenters are saying here. If you like hanging out with friends and family but not in huge gatherings, then that’s certainly a reasonable preference. I would suggest trying to find opportunities to spend time with people in smaller groups, and when you have to be in big groups try to take breaks being totally alone whenever you feel you’re reaching your limit, not after you’ve passed it. Go into a room by yourself, put in foam ear plugs, and put headphones over them with music playing, dim the lights, make a calm and relaxed space for yourself to actually feel like you’re alone and just chillin. After 20 minutes of that you’ll have recharged your “social battery” (websearch that term if you aren’t familiar with it) and then you’ll be ready to socialize again for awhile.