Note: I started this post with the intention that it would be a positive picture of my relationship and the small part of it that is my neurochemistry, but every time he and I argue about something, it all seems to come back to the fact that we don't think in the same way, and that is what causes our conflicts. I love my fiance so much and want our relationship to be perfect. I will do anything to make our relationship successful. And yet sometimes I feel so unequipped because my brain doesn't work the same way his does. Sometimes I just need reassurance that we can be happy and successful, fifty years from now, even though our neurons behave in different ways. So this will be "Part 1" in a series about Me, My Fiance, and My Autism.
I knew that, in order for any romantic relationship to work, I would need to be upfront and honest about my autism. I had been in disastrous relationships before that were unhealthy and unproductive and downright unpleasant, and I knew that for a relationship to work, I would need to be completely honest about who I am and what I need. My first breakup was really hard on me (even though the guy was completely wrong for me, but of course I couldn't see that then) and I definitely didn't want to go through another miserable breakup again.
When I first met my fiance, we talked a lot. We used to talk on the phone, actually, and I remember telling him in one of our earliest conversations that I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome when I was young. I was surprised when he just sort of brushed over it and didn't make it into a big deal. For so long, I had been ashamed of my autism, so the fact that my partner was okay with it made me feel much more confident to be myself and not to try to hide my real personality from him.
I think this is going to be a pretty long series about Me, My Fiance, and My Autism. I will try to discuss conflict, how we make our relationship work, how we support each other, how we respond to what is important with the other person... If you're particularly interested in any of the above, please let me know -- I haven't started writing any of them and they're all up in my head somewhere, but that's it for the moment.
Also: I would love to answer questions about my relationship and my autism. If anyone has anything they would like to ask, please go ahead!
I knew that, in order for any romantic relationship to work, I would need to be upfront and honest about my autism. I had been in disastrous relationships before that were unhealthy and unproductive and downright unpleasant, and I knew that for a relationship to work, I would need to be completely honest about who I am and what I need. My first breakup was really hard on me (even though the guy was completely wrong for me, but of course I couldn't see that then) and I definitely didn't want to go through another miserable breakup again.
When I first met my fiance, we talked a lot. We used to talk on the phone, actually, and I remember telling him in one of our earliest conversations that I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome when I was young. I was surprised when he just sort of brushed over it and didn't make it into a big deal. For so long, I had been ashamed of my autism, so the fact that my partner was okay with it made me feel much more confident to be myself and not to try to hide my real personality from him.
I think this is going to be a pretty long series about Me, My Fiance, and My Autism. I will try to discuss conflict, how we make our relationship work, how we support each other, how we respond to what is important with the other person... If you're particularly interested in any of the above, please let me know -- I haven't started writing any of them and they're all up in my head somewhere, but that's it for the moment.
Also: I would love to answer questions about my relationship and my autism. If anyone has anything they would like to ask, please go ahead!
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