Wrong Planet

that feeling that you don’t belong

So many autistic individuals report feeling that they were born in the wrong time, the wrong body, the wrong place. We are not comfortable where we are or being who we are. We explain to ourselves that we would have done better somewhere else, or in another time. “strangers in a strange land” Misunderstood, misunderstanding, unhappy in sensory overload of bright lights, noises, too much hustle, and a thousand other things that others around us seem to cope with competently and without discomfort.

This seems to be one form of “imposter syndrome” where we feel we are not what we are expected to be, playing a role, not actually what we are defined as by others or seen as being even within ourselves.

I had this all my life, too. Until my self understanding and diagnosis of my autism, I always thought I would have done better in another age or state of being. When I learned about my autism, my perspective changed and I had the long sought answer to that question of why? Why did I never “fit in”? Why was I unable to do so many of the things that people expected of me? Why was I uncomfortable in so many situations that others handled with ease?
The answer was Autism. My sensory processing was “off” in timing and my perceptions were skewed in so many ways. I had no idea! Nobody else suspected either! No wonder I was confused, frustrated, angry, hurt , so frequently.
Are you feeling like an outsider? Are you frustrated and confused or physically uncomfortable in situations that others take as a matter of course? Are you blamed constantly for doing things intentionally when you had no thought or intent such as others label you with? If life seems to have been exceptionally difficult for you, emotionally painful for you, and you have struggled where others seem to do things easily, take a bit of time and see if Autism might be the answer for you too!