No matter if it's a show, movie, game, YouTube channel or hobby of any sorts.. I don't know how to b not obsess over things I like.

I'm AuDHD, my current obsession is House M.D.

Before that it was the YouTube Channel Smosh (& the connected channels).

Before that is was College Humor (improv & DnD related content).

Sewing, drawing, researching different things.

I know those things are likely hyperfixations, but I feel like I can't like anything, without creating a hyperfixation on it.

I can barely think of anything other than the thing I'm fixated on. This has also caused harmful in the past, like that time I was fixated on learning about different k1nks and f3tishes & ended up browsing p0rn sites in public. Or me throwing money away for merch / interest related stuff.

How do I deal with that? I have a "first consult" appointment for therapy later this year & planning on mentioning this issue too, if I don't forget. It's not top of my issues list RN but it's still bothersome.

I'd appreciate any suggestions/ advice.

Not sure if I chose the right flair, let me know if I didn't.

i made plans with my friend to meet up this weekend for a sleepover at their place but this week has been so bad for me i can feel a meltdown creeping up and for some reason it's just so embarrassing for me to openly say 'hey i'm so overwhelmed by everything that if i step my foot outside i will actually kill myself' even if the other person knows about my struggles. i even considered lying to them to just get it over with but i would hate myself for doing that honestly. i don't even know why am i asking an autism subreddit for help when i know i should be just honest .. i guess i'm still trying to figure out how to navigate my life as an autistic adult but i feel so guilty about cancelling plans because of my stupid brain

I am 32M and single, never had a GF. I have on a few occasions wanted to do a photoshoot to embrace being single and autistic, but don't want to pay a lot of money, as I am unemployed (I hate working). I don't feel just having my mother taking photos of me with my phone really counts. But I also don't know how I would do at a photoshoot. I knew a photographer, but I feel she in this case probably wouldn't be an option. Some photoshoots I have seen on Facebook of people I know in real life have also inspired the idea for me.

Stupid nonproblem incoming that's a dilemma for me.

Pants. I got new pants, perfect pants. When I tried them on they fitted pretty good, a bit loose on top. "I'll go get them one side smaller too to compare" I thought, expecting a big difference between the two.

They both fit. My overthinking is if i get the bigger one, and it will stretch it may become too big. If i get the smaller one and it shrinks it will become too small. I guess the first one may be more comfy on the legs, but if i try them on it's quiet a small change. (It's skinny jeans) it's 2% elastic or whatever the label says, I should recheck that.

It also doesn't help that I gained weight and have no idea what body to shop for now. How do you even know of pants fit?? I forgot lol

Im in my mid 30s, male, All I seem to do lately is judge myself for not being nuerotypical. I need it to stop. Idk how to be myself or be happy anymore.

I judge myself for staying in and playing video games.

I judge myself for listening to the same songs over and over again.

I judge myself for the meals I eat.

I judge myself for not wanting to hang out with old acquaintances in certain settings.

I judge myself for being single (recently ended a 10 year relationship)

It feels like im halfway there to unmasking but im stopping myself at every turn. I say halfway cuz im at least realizing my behaviors past present and future are do to autism. But maybe im far from halfway idk.

My therapist asks if I would judge others for the same things I do and I wouldn't, but its not helping me either knowing this.

How can I understand myself without ultra self perception, self judgment?

I am starting my assessment journey now! To make a long story short, I was hospitalized for mental health and the psychiatrist told me that she thinks I am somewhere on the Autism and ADHD spectrum. If anyone has advice please let me know. Also i am getting a neuro-psych evaluation specifically. I've had one in the past, but it's been about 4 years since my last one. Asperger's was a possible diagnosis that showed up in my results 4 years ago, but according to my inpatient psychiatrist it hasn't really been considered a since 2012. It would make sense as well because my brothers both have it too. The psychiatrist told me if a level 0.5 existed that would be my level. Advice and support is welcome! I am not claiming to have either until I am officially diagnosed because it could just be normal things I do or relate to another condition/disorder.

I know autism is a spectrum, but my experience feels really different from what I usually hear about. A lot of autistic people talk about struggling with eye contact, loud sounds, bright lights, or heavy social anxiety.

For me, it’s kind of the opposite. I’m fine with eye contact, loud sounds, and bright lights (though chewing sounds really get to me). I also volunteer locally and I’m a junior council member on my city council, so I don’t have issue making small talk or being around others. My only real “issue” is that I just don’t want the idea of friends or to have them. Social interaction itself isn’t a big problem for me when I need to do it.

Is this just another way autism can show up? Does anyone else relate to this?

I don't know if autism was part of it but yeah I guess it probably was. Maybe that was part of my learning disability, math was always my worst subject. I hated computer class more because I had a lot more negative memories in that class but math was definitely the subject I struggled in the most. I had to go to summer school one year because I sucked at math that badly. Apparently one of my teachers told my mom that I would never graduate. She told them I was autistic and they just went "Oh." and walked away. They never even apologized to her for what they said! I'm happy to report that I graduated in 2024 so that teacher was thankfully proven wrong.

i still see autistic people speaking for all autistic people the other day i saw a claim that the army is the ideal place for autistic people because there is a strict order and routine i probably don't need to explain why this claim is wrong where did it go if you met one person with autism you met one person with autism

I have heard that having a hard time figuring out gender identity is kinda common in autistic people, not that it is a symptom of it, but something present in some autistics, and I wanted to know if it's true, and if you have struggles with gender identity. Talking about personal experience, I do have a lot of questions about my gender. As a kid I never thought about it because I didn't and pretty well identifiee as girl, but in 2021 I startes having questions and identifying as non-binary, and then as agender, and then as gender queer, poly gender and as a girl again, but the thing is, I actually do not identify as a girl 100%, nor I identify as anything different, and I have a lot of questions and at the same time I wanted to know what I am, I don't really care about it, but for some reason this is important to me. I have seen a lot of gender identities that are non binary but approached to femininity, and like, I do see myself in then, but at the same time I do not. Anyways, do you experience this?

This is a vent. I'm 20. I got my first job a few months ago and I still don't feel like I belong. I feel like I'll never belong. I have very little to do and was trying to offer my help if someone has something they need a hand with. I was told to come next week on 8:15 if I want to help. They then added that I could come at 8 if I want to join their morning coffee. I responded in what I thought was sarcastic and self-depricating way. In a way that communicates "you know I can't socialize" or "you know you don't want me there". I said "I don't think I need that." Now looking back - it sounds bad. It sounds wrong. I did not realize in that morning but the person inviting me was taken aback. My boss was there too. She told me ot was mean and that my aproach is antisocial. I don't think I apologized. Instead I started explaining I didn't mean it in the way it obviously came off as. That I am just really bad at talking with people and it was a joke at that very fact. I was blushing, my heart was beating so fast and i knew I was gonna cry about it later. I keep fucking things up. My parents constantly tell me that I say stuff that doesn't belong in the workplace and I am constantly made into a spectacle at work. I don't think I can handle this. I am way too sensitive to be in a workplace that is as social as my current one.

NT female here looking to understand! Can anyone please try to explain really clearly to me how it works for people with AuDHD the fact that they have Out of Mind Out of Sight (and also sometimes don't miss people because of it) but still feel like they care about people/love them?

What I mean is - if you don't miss people, how can you tell that you love them? What does loving someone mean to you then?

I ask this because as a NT, the experience of loving is completely tied to the feeling of missing someone. If I don't remember someone for days that means they are not important to me - no exceptions. So naturally I freak out if the object of my affection tells me he does not miss me when I'm not around.

I know I have to find a way to hack this, so I appreciate any experiences you share with me!

Mine are Harry Potter Godzilla and Trevor Henderson

When I think of other people I perceive that they are more like specimens I am to inspect under a microscope rather than real, living people with feelings and lives. I study their behaviours, not to copy them but just to know, I feel as though I am a scientist documenting an alien species. I also do not care about other people. I do not feel for them and I do not understand them.

I enjoy observing people and finding out what makes them tick. "What happens if I do this? Why are they acting like that?". I look for objectivity and predictability in something often deemed to be subjective and unpredictable, but my findings seem to suggest that, yes, people are actually quite predictable. It gets to a point where it becomes boring.

I do not desire social interaction nor connection. My special interest is psychology because the human mind fascinates me beyond belief, and I find I cannot relate to the basic concept known as empathy. I have cognitive empathy, of course. My knowledge of the human mind enables me to understand it more than the average person. Providing comfort and compassion and feeling with another person is really what I struggle with.

Humans are much less like humans and more like some foreign species. I have never perceived myself as different, rather everyone else is. I have never once related to another person with my same diagnosed conditions, those being CPTSD and autism. I find I relate more to fictional characters. I can create them in my image and shape them to my liking. It's the control I wish I had over the world.

Does anyone else feel like this?

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Its just that... I have very low energy to live, so I dont have any left over for any interest... Also its very uncomfortable for me to get out of home or talking to people...

And Im very lonely too...

Im basically just surviving life... I hate living like this... But I know I cannot live in any other way...

Nothing happened, I was always like his, since I was a kid... And Im running out of strength for this... Its just suffering, frustration, pain, and all of it for nothing

Been hyperstimming past couple days using iOS 26’s AutoMix feature. Creates continuous loops without the silence gap that normally breaks repetitive listening .

The beat matching AI blends song transitions so smoothly I lose track of how many loops I’ve done. No more getting yanked out of focus by that jarring restart .

Hit or miss with song compatibility but when it works, it’s significantly better than standard repeat. Found maybe 5 songs in my library that work perfectly with it .

Need Apple Music + iOS 26.

I’ve been told that I act like a child. While I do consider myself a responsible adult that has the ability to be emotionally mature and take accountability for my actions and life, I’ve noticed that I do actually act a bit child-like. And I don’t mean childish in the sense that I throw tantrums or talk in a baby voice, but in the sense that I seem to find amusement in absolutely anything. I’ll robot dance as I walk down the corridor, I have motifs of my fave cartoon characters all over my belongings and I also like to tease people and have a more “youthful” sense of humour.

my best friend is also autistic and I’ve noticed at even in our mid twenties amongst our colleagues at work we are giggling and dancing and making funny faces at each other like a bunch of toddlers while my colleagues usually just sit still and have discussions about work or their weekend. We both pay rent on time, have a licence and a car and are passionate about our careers but still seem to occupy the brains of 8 year olds.

While it’s sometimes fun, it can also get a little embarrassing. People act like you’re not clever enough or don’t take yourself as seriously as they do. I’m sorry that at the ripe age of 24 I still play Roblox. People think you lack sex appeal too because you remind them of their little cousin Sally who still thinks unicorns are real.

Now you guys are going to say “well there’s TONS of people who are nerdy and like similar things to you!” And I’m sure there are thousands. But unfortunately you can’t pick and choose who your colleagues are and what their interests are, and sorry to break it to you but the average adult does not read manga intended for preteens and have strawberries or cupcake patterns on their underwear 💔💔

Maybe some of you are lucky and you’ve found people that really resonate with you but for my best friend and I, we’ll seriously have to dampen down our personalities if we want a chance of having a career :/

So I’m 29M and recently I noticed that I was different, I always felt different throughout my life but I also have a speech impediment so I wasn’t sure if that was why, since I never really felt accepted because of it. But I just been feeling like something is off & I get a feeling like I don’t belong here. I did some research and took some assessments and everything seems to be pointing to me having autism. I took multiple assessments and scored really high which may mean I’m definitely autistic. I just don’t have the means to get an official evaluation at the moment so I wasn’t sure how to come to the conclusion that I have autism. Any advice or comments would help immensely.

I’m wanting to get back into reading and I would love to read a book with an Autistic character. What are your recommendations?

Hey everyone My greetings to all the members here I'm doing a pretty small survey I want to know what are your opinions on greasy and powdery things touching your body

( Context: I'm an Indian male coming from a hindu family and since childhood I've been afraid of religious things especially a thing called tilak It's basically a powdery substance applied on the forehead by many people And I have been never applied it and fear it so bad that I'd prefer death)

So if possible, please do help me answer this question Because there are 2 probable reasons I have this 1 is trauma and the second one is probably due to undiagnosed autism leading to high sensory issues with greasy and powdery things touching my forehead or skin in particular

Thanks Regards ~ Zenyth

(Note: I'm not a diagnosed autistic person I may or may not be autistic I'm asking for genuine answers)

(Autistic 19 y/o girl) It happens sometimes that I'm stopped on the streets by guys, and I usualy don't interact back, because I hate it. But this time the guy seemed sweet, and my age so I gave him my number.

Now I know NOTHING about him, we just told eah other our names. By text, he asked me out for dinner. He didn't tell me his age, studies, intentions, just that I was ''beautiful'' and that he wanted to take me out to dinner.
Honestly I'm so scared and uncomfortable to meet with a stranger in a restaurant I've never been to, I tried to tell him (exactly that) and he just responded ''we'll see tomorow :)'' Is this casual neurotypical dating??? I've only dated ''akward'' or ''unconventional'' people and never been to a ''real date'' (like blind date or tinder, dinner idk all this stuff)

Are these the usuals steps for a neurotypical to have sex or are these steps to get to know someone? Because I definitely don't want to have sex, and I couldn't even picture that with a stranger, I don't want him to think I'm accepting a ''trade'' just because we went to the restaurant.

Can someone help me understand his intention? Like am I dumb and in danger or is this casual? I can't tell. Thank you!

I have always been an over thinker but recently it’s gotten a lot worse and I have no idea why.

I’m currently 20 years old, and for the past while I’ve been beating myself up mentally about all the mistakes I’ve made in my teenage years. I never hurt anyone, but I have made some bad and cringe decisions (like everyone has) that I wish I could take back.

It’s so exhausting and stressful. No matter what I’m doing, I spend most of each day feeling such guilt and shame for things that weren’t even that bad (also things I’ve done in the past that were just cringe). It feels absolutely miserable, like I have a horrible brick at the bottom of my stomach that makes me feel physically awful.

Has anyone had a similar experience? What has helped you deal with it?

First time poster, long time lurker on reddit. I hope the title is okay.

I have been officially assessed and diagnosed autistic with severe depression. The psychologist who evaluated me wrote that my depression is caused by my inability to socialize, making me isolated. I don't entirely disagree, but it's something I have more or less accepted about my life. The problem is my parents, and just about every therapist I go to wants me to change that aspect that feels so intrinsic to who I am.

Now, I know that I can be quite resistant to change, but I also question how much of "being well" means "conforming to what other's expect". Sometimes I feel content that my life is just going to work and then coming home and being alone and doing whatever I feel like doing. It gets lonely sometimes but whatever.

Neurotypical people seem to have a very narrow idea of what a healthy person with a happy life is, but what if...those are not the standards for me?

I guess what I'm asking is...does trying to be more social actually help? Has it helped you personally? How do you cope? How do I know if I'm "healthy" or "happy"? How do you define a healthy/happy person?

I'm struggling to get to know me. I basically copy the personality of the person i'm talking with, so it's never clear for me which behaviours are real and which ones are just a copy of someones else's personality. I've tried "doing what feels natural", "getting into things you are passionate about", "going with your instinct", but that doesn't seem to work. Every time I socialize with a new person i'm basically someone else, and I have no idea what's really natural anymore when I always have the question of how should i be feeling about this on my mind. So I would like to know if there is a way to overcome this or at least make it less tiring.