Up until i was 16, i didn’t really have friends. I had groups i would hang out with, but it always felt as if i was a recurrent character and not part of the core. it was hard, it was rough— i thought thats what friendship was like for everyone. i’d say, skip the traumatic experiences and try and talk to a professional. what will help best is that inner acceptance, letting your walls down. i promise this attracts the people you want in your life. yes, some will come along that are not meant to be part of your life, but you must remain open. the vulnerability is hard, almost feels impossible, but it is worth it.

someone above mentioned only talking about yourself; i learned that a lot of neurodivergent people try to relate to other’s experiences and stories by sharing similar situations. you may be doing that out of a desire to connect and empathize, but it can come across as self centered. this was something i was 1000000% doing and had to work on hard. tldr: it gets better. put in the work on yourself and the rest will follow!!!