it is absolutely normal omg. I’ve learned to mask since i left middle school and i’ve been happier in social situations.

I’d say so. It keeps you safer and more accepted in many social circles. It’s something familiar. I know for me once I found people I could fully be comfortable with and drop the masks around caused me to really start to dislike masking. Most if not all of my social circles consist of other ND folks lol. Ultimately just boils down to personal feelings

oh yeah, definitely. ive been masking heavily for my entire life. though, now that i know im autistic, im learning to unmask and it's making me feel a lot better. still wanting to mask is perfectly acceptable, though

It makes sense, but personally, masking is extremely exhausting, and i’d rather just not care about what others think of me and just live with less fatigue

Yeah. My brain does an automatic calculation based on who’s in the room and how comfortable I am around them to say you’re masking at about XX%, and you’re masking these traits. Some times when I’m over stimulated I can’t mask to the amount that my brain wants me too and it’s distressing.

I do that around most except the people I trust most. I’ve masked all my life to appear more “human”. I’ve always felt like an alien!

Same here