The results from our socialising survey are in!
These are the main themes, with more detail further down the page:
There is not always an "easy" way to socialise, but there are "easier" ways
So, managing the impact of interacting, as well as the total number of interactions, might be helpful
Familiarity, clarity, structure, and less pressure to mask are all important for making interactions easier
Removing as many unknowns as possible helps prepare for socialising
Alone time helps with recovery
Thank you to everyone who responded. Our survey on autistic burnout showed that socialising was the biggest burnout trigger, so we wanted to find out more.
Twelve people shared their experiences of socialising - including what makes it difficult and what can make it easier.
If you'd like to get notified about future surveys, add yourself to the mailing list using the form at the bottom of this page.
All our other socialising-related content can be found here.
Below, I've summarised the responses in full. Click the arrow next to a question to expand and see the results:
Which kinds of interaction take a lot of energy?
What things make social interaction harder or easier?
What things help you prepare for socialising?
What things help you recover after socialising?
Some reflections
As with the burnout survey, reading the results felt validating, because it all sounds so familiar.
Going through these results also struck me with a bit of sadness, however.
Reading about everything people do to prepare for socialising, to recover afterwards. How difficult it can be even in spite of all of that. Putting in a load of extra effort to do things that most people wouldn't even have to think about.
Feeling this way about these oh-so-familiar-sounding responses has reminded me to turn some compassion inward.
I want to try and work out the situations that are causing me to do extra preparation. To spot the people who make me feel pressured to mask or join in with things that exhaust me. And then spend less time on both.
Lauren x