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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Autistic and odd

37 replies

Carlie97 · 12/02/2026 17:45

That's me. I'm so strange. A weirdo and I'm tired of it. I have to mask every single day and I'm tired.

OP posts:
99pwithaflake · 12/02/2026 18:41

whatwouldlilacerullodo · 12/02/2026 18:36

OP, why do you say you're a weirdo? It sounds more like self hatred than tiredness.

Welcome to life as someone with neurodiversity - you're pretty much constantly told you're weird, strange, a "freak", a loser, etc. It does get you down after a while!

whatwouldlilacerullodo · 12/02/2026 18:36

OP, why do you say you're a weirdo? It sounds more like self hatred than tiredness.

whatwouldlilacerullodo · 12/02/2026 18:34

Random321 · 12/02/2026 18:03

I'm not autistic but I have two close friends and a work colleague who are.

I know autism is a spectrum but the three people above are all high functioning, extremely capable and far more intelligent than I am.

I wonder who decided that ND people are considered odder than NT people? Maybe NT are the odd ones. It is just a case than majority rules? Everyone is kind of odd in their own way really.

My friends no longer mask with me. They just are who they are and say exactly what they mean. Yes, perhaps in certain situations or professional setting, their directness may be seen as blunt or inappropriate, but I find it refreshing. I know exactly where I stand and there's no bullshit. That's just one example.

I know that autistism is far more complex than my post here but in short, my point is I very much doubt you are a weirdo at all.

Are you sure you're not ND? Having many close friends who are and feeling so comfortable with their behaviour may be signs that you are ND as well.
I'm not diagnosing you, obviously. It's just an observation, as I'm similar to you.

99pwithaflake · 12/02/2026 18:32

RaininSummer · 12/02/2026 18:25

What is it that you have to mask that people would find very weird if you don't mind me asking?

Most of us mask to fit in and appear interested - when I first stopped masking, I was regularly told I was rude, bored, uninterested and didn’t care 🤷‍♀️

Pinkyelloworangeandred · 12/02/2026 18:27

How are you a weirdo

Morepositivemum · 12/02/2026 18:26

Why mask? People might love the real you!

RaininSummer · 12/02/2026 18:25

What is it that you have to mask that people would find very weird if you don't mind me asking?

hazelnutvanillalatte · 12/02/2026 18:23

I get it! I have ADHD and always feel on edge when I meet a new person and seem normal, knowing it won't last long!

FlorenceBlack · 12/02/2026 18:11

I’m autistic and seem to have lost my ability to mask when I hit menopause.
If people think I’m weird well they’re probably correct, if they don’t like it then fuck ‘em

Frannyisreading · 12/02/2026 18:09

It's exhausting OP. Try to find people you can be odd around, and things you love doing. Personally I find 'normal' people dull and enjoy the company of fellow weirdos, but it took a long time to feel comfortable with myself and I still struggle at times. It's hard to unmask but when you find you can, it's so joyful.

99pwithaflake · 12/02/2026 18:08

I'm autistic too and CBA to mask anymore. It was destroying my mental health.

If people find me odd, or rude, or weird, well, that's their issue. I'm not doing it anymore.

Random321 · 12/02/2026 18:03

I'm not autistic but I have two close friends and a work colleague who are.

I know autism is a spectrum but the three people above are all high functioning, extremely capable and far more intelligent than I am.

I wonder who decided that ND people are considered odder than NT people? Maybe NT are the odd ones. It is just a case than majority rules? Everyone is kind of odd in their own way really.

My friends no longer mask with me. They just are who they are and say exactly what they mean. Yes, perhaps in certain situations or professional setting, their directness may be seen as blunt or inappropriate, but I find it refreshing. I know exactly where I stand and there's no bullshit. That's just one example.

I know that autistism is far more complex than my post here but in short, my point is I very much doubt you are a weirdo at all.