This was asked in another thread, but I thought it might be useful: Someone asked how you know if you are #masking. Some of us, late diagnosis #autistics, have been doing this our entire lives. It's something you do; it's survival. (Begin thread)

I never knew what it was until recently. Now that I don't interact with people in person, I know when I'm masking, because it accompanies anxiety and racing thoughts. When you are being yourself, authentically, you feel calmer, more at ease.

We mask to avoid detection. We have been told our whole lives that we are weird, different, crazy, bizarre ... and when we are younger, these words hurt. We are taught that we have to be like others; people have to like us, so we watch - or read - and mimic what is "acceptable"