Poor child. Some people are sadists and should be arrested if they even look at a kid. Imagine the hell this child went through and the struggles she has now.

In people on the autism spectrum this is adapting to the people/situation around you is also called "masking"

Hello me, nice to meet myself.

I feel this one...

Yeah, this is how I coped for a long time, and as AJ says in the comments below, I was masking autism.

This describes me, to. The. Letter. But my parents are great?!!!😬🤨😰😫

Holy crap. That's me and I didn't even know it.

"then you get home absolutely drained" after literally any social interaction to the point next day you're hardly able to function (wake up, stand up, brush teeth) 🙄

When I do tell people I’m actually quite introverted, they never believe me!

I was 30 years! the most varied, understanding and "Fashion encyclopedia". Students liked me and I liked them........A very long showtime.......funny: draining and inspiring. Dangerous mix!!

wtf I didn't know I was doing this until I read this. I thought I was just being fake lol

This is what my mom forcing me to socialize did to me.

This doesn’t mean you weren’t loved as a child

OMG THIS!!!!!!

This one hit close to home, that's for sure.

Not being able to say " I ".

Im somewhat like this. I've been fat most of my life and hae a need to make fun of my self before anyone else can even though my friends would never do that in a real negative way.

Wow, this describes me perfectly. And I hate this and trying to rebuild because my social battery died, and I just want to stay at home and not have to see people.

I've been doing the exact same thing my entire life but for completely other reasons. I was greatly loved by my parents while growing up, never had the tiniest complaint about them. Also I do not care what people think of me, and if they judge me I kinda find it funny to be so insecure and petty as them. My social skills have always been terrible and always struggled to meet and maintain friends, so I had to adopt this fake upbeat, exaggerated personality so people like me and socialize with me instead of I with them.

So True.

Did somebody have a running video of my entire life from about 6 years old right up to now?

a fellow IN(x)J

So often, I’ve tried to put how I am into words. This. This is exactly me. Damn. Thank you.

I be this child

Me to a 'T'.

Thanks for calling me out

I think this has something to do with me going to a different school every year until 6th grade. No sense of security.

My dad would judge me on everything even now. I never think I’m good enough and people pretend to like me when really I’m a parasite weirdo

This is me

You just described being an introvert who fakes it.

Are you in my head?

as an introvert with aspergers i resonate with this one on a personal level.

THIS. I found out I have severe social anxiety disorder once I was no longer forced to go to church. I can't even be in a room with more than two strangers without a debilitating anxiety attack. Like an instant hyperventilation crying nightmare that takes hours to get over.

This...is...me. I was just talking to m y son about this, he has social anxiety too, but he is the opposite, he just likes to fade in the background. My hubs call this other version of me "Uber-Nicki". It is me but it is very extra, and when I am alone or in a comfortable place, I literally need to reset and am exhausted. It is...not fun.

Wow, this one hit home 🤔

I too, learned how to cry silently for fear of an ex who would get more angry and abusive if he caught me actually crying and making noise. Happily, I have been with my husband for 12 years now, and he loves me, crying or laughing. Also happy to say the latter occurs much more often than the former.

holy crap I do this, I can tell who is walking down the halls and how angry they are and so my mind goes to danger levels...s**t.

The physically abused tend to do this. That startled look and an immediate apology. God, the things people do to others, it's depressing.

Ouch I'm feeling called out all over this article. Interesting though

I was surprised to see how loving and caring my boyfriend’s parents are, along with how welcoming of a home they had. And the cool thing is that they’ve treated me as their own, I’ve been able to have the parent relationships that I’ve wanted for so long and I’m very grateful for that

My habit is to hide in the bathroom and have a silent meltdown, then panic over how I’m gonna fix my face before I leave the room. Usually results in cold water and eye drops being on hand.

You might be surprised about the teacher listening. Many of us try to provide an ear for kids in need.

Yeah, I feel this sometimes

I feel like this all the time. I feel like I'm even forcing my husband to be with me, and asking him for things can be too much much of a bother. Especially if it's for me.

I trust no-one. Ever.

I felt this as well....

This is awful. You deserve so much credit for every achievement and accomplishment.

This is horrible, the overbearing parent that make's you break out in a sweat.

Yep, I do this. Shouting at me causes an instant shutdown. Left overs from an abusive marriage, even though I've been divorced for 20 years.