Mirroring - Unmasking Autism Diary
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ส.ค. 2024
- As a coping mechanism for social situations, mirroring is really helpful but it is also such a deep part of who I am and how I function that I wonder if I really ever switch it off. What I do when I mirror is also giving me insight into how much anxiety I feel too.
I have a lot of anxiety today, but I wanted to post this video because mirroring is something I am becoming more aware of in myself. So thank you for watching this video and for everyone's comments on my videos, they are really helpful.
❤ Thank you!
Thank you. I self-diagnosed about 6 months ago at the age of 58. I could never do what you and so many other creators do. Immensely courageous in my mind and you are absolutely wonderful job. It makes me wonder how many of us, even you in other fields, hesitate, and don't allow ourselves to shine.
Thank you so much, I really appreciate you taking the time to comment and give your support, and for sharing.
Thank you for opening your unmasking process up to the world. The hard part for me is interrupting the hard-earned impulse to please in the moment. If I become aware of my masking I become incapable of doing it at all and then I’m back to having to endure the intense discomfort of social awkwardness my masking hides from me.
Yes, that impulse to people please is real. I do it less naturally as I'm getting older but I look back on my past and remember the ways I contorted myself to please others.
Good luck starting your channel! Think of baby ducklings imprinting on mother: sometimes you'll echo someone's exact tone or facial expression. You might pick up the interests of a man or best friend or be someone who always goes through phases. You can be aware of it and later it seems weird, but have some self forgiveness. It's not always insulting! I knew a brilliant man who built toys in Hawaii and when he was talking to the local children he used a different accent to explain, with their words and style, how it worked. You'll change, depending who you spend time with, maybe more than someone with a stable identity. It also means you'll need to rationalize really good reasons to stay in a group or situation when the novelty wears off and you begin to change again. Cheers
Hi there,
Watching this video was both interesting and helpful. We appear to be in very similar places on our journeys. I have only recently begun to truly realise and accept that maybe I am Autistic after it was highlighted to me by my therapist and masking/unmasking has been such a huge thing weve talked about since day 1. Hearing you verbalise thoughts that I'm also having and realising how much I mirror people is very eye opening.
Honestly this video helped me to question how much I genuinly just mimic friends, especially in a 1 on 1 setting.
I look forward to following along your journey with you.
Thank you so much for sharing with me. Yes, I am seeing a lot of my mimicking around friends, even how I slow my speech down at times to match theirs. I'm fascinated and also a little sad that it is so ingrained in me that I haven't noticed it in myself before.
@@TheGreatReveal Yes this is very much something I'm only now realising. So much of my masking is automatic that I would never realise on my own it's even happening. Its only through learning, talking and hearing others experiences that I've begun to put into context and have the vocabulary to understand it. Realised earlier I mimic all my friends and its why I avoid group outings because I don't know who to mimic and that means I have to try and be me, as I don't know who that is this usually just means being quiet or defaulting to a personality I invented. Anything to ensure the mask stays on.
Yes, you've hit a point there. Group settings are a nightmare, lots of energies to navigate and weave through. I find myself either going quiet or being over the top, its difficult to be somewhere in the middle.
@@TheGreatReveal Yup that's my experience too. If it's a loud environment (like a club many years ago) I'll go over the top but if it's like a bunch of people in a quiet room I will probably sit there and just listen to everyone else.
as we get more comfortable being authenticity ourselves, we will mirror and fawn less. when we are awkward, we won't care as much. autistic pride, culture and identity will take over.
Hello fellow tribe members. Isn't mirroring a game, an art form and a subconsciously amusing way to communicate. I do recognize that in grave situations the humor isn't appreciated,