How do I figure out what I'm doing that's so weird?

Interpersonal

I'm Autistic [42F], I don't think I was always this this bad but I was longterm unemployed, thus socially isolated, so I lost my friends and regressed.

Something about me puts people off talking to me, when I'm with people one to one everything is SO AWKWARD and I don't understand why. I try to talk to them but they just seem super awkward around me. I have no social life so right now it's mostly just at work (which makes work depressing and isolating) but today I went to an intro at a new gym and the trainer was clearly very uncomfortable around me too.

I know I have a problem with making too much eye contact, looking at peolple too much or maybe staring but not sure how I fix that problem unless I just walk around staring at the ground.

It's not like I can ask people what makes me so off putting, that's just weird and cringe - plus people are never honest. I don't think I've ever really 'masked' or know how, even if I do figure out what's wrong with me I'm not sure I'd be able to fix it or have any ability to try to mimic neurotypicals.

How do I figure out what I'm doing wrong?

How do I make it easier or fix it?

Posted Dec 3, 2025, 1:39 AM UTC

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