Having high-functioning autism feels like straddling a fence.
On one side of the fence is a huge pasture, called Normality. The majority of humanity lives in this pasture, living their daily lives in a functional manner.
On the other side is Illness. There the people with big mental health challenges live, the people who, try as they might, may never be able to live completely normal lives.
And you’re sitting on that fence.
The fence isn’t sturdy. It’s rickety and leans one way before tipping back to the other. You struggle to keep your balance, and sometimes it feels like you’ve fallen completely into a mental breakdown. Sometimes you feel really normal, and sometimes you’re internally screaming “I’M NOT FUNCTIONAL”.
I’m glad I have Aspergers, but it can be tough sometimes. And there are other pitfalls: Some people with Aspergers use it as an excuse to be total a-holes.
This post was originally written for my Quora. Check it out here.