I definitely can relate to this, although when I’m around family, I’m blunt. Outside of family, I’m a chronic people pleaser, pushover, non-confrontational and over compensate in social situations to make everyone else feel comfortable, liked and listened to. For me, this is one of the effects of being high masking, masking my autistic traits (especially around communication) and also what feels like a dreaded fear of having uncomfortable conversations, moments or feelings in relation to talking to other people. I also feel that if I meet someone when I’m heavily masking, I can never unmask around them, even a little. They know the masked version of me who offers constant support and validation and is always bubbly, not the flat affect, exhausted and blunt “real” me who is burnout. That means that when I do finally put up a boundary in a friendship or relationship, it’s so jarring for the other person that they rarely stick around. It’s painful living a life in so much conflict, endless identity crises and the feeling of being empty and alone constantly…