The hardest parts of overcoming aspieness were:
0 – Migraines from overstimulation by sound, light, people – anything other than ‘nice organized information’.
1 – Looking at people in the eyes. Because it felt like being electrocuted.
2 – Overcoming social anxiety – not from being around people but from interacting with them.
3 – Slowing down speech to ‘moral rates’. (I love listening to programmers who are on the spectrum. so natural. lol)
4 – Slowing down and Learning to listen to people and watching them patiently.
5 – Overcoming the sensation that people were evil rather than simply …. ‘something less’ … and doing the best they can.
6 – Learning how to help people feel, think, and get what they want on their own terms – by listening and suggesting.
Think of your persona as stepping back from experience. Or as people say ‘austists have no filter’. So you can develop this ability with practice if you’re on the beneficial end of the spectrum.
( Honestly, aside from agitating my rather high dominance, my only real incentive to interact was to get girls. lol. For guys, all you really have to do is ‘go along with leaders’. I love following when I have no responsibility other than to the team. )