Do you suddenly go aloof when out?

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I love the thought of a day out somewhere different, like down London visiting a museum or the theatre or a zoo or just anywhere, because I don't normally get to do things like that because of not having many friends that want to do things like that (due to having not much money or just not being close enough to me to go out for the day with me). But when I go out for the day with my family, I am enjoying myself, and then all of a sudden I go into myself and not feel like speaking to anyone. I suddenly feel all impatient and irritable and even sometimes depressed, and to them I am aloof. It spoils my time and their time.

Does anyone else suddenly come over like this when on a family outing? Is it to do with Asperger's, because of perhaps becoming overwhelmed, or do a lot of people feel like this? Usually, though, I feel like it's just me who feels like this and the others around me are happy and enjoying themselves throughout the whole day, unless there's a good reason for them to feel irritable something. But for me there is no reason, I just suddenly become like it and I really have to try so hard to pretend I'm still happy, just for the sake of not spoiling their time. I'm fed up with getting like this though. Anyone else relate?

I've had similar happen. Can't quite explain it but I'll be having a good time and something comes over me. It almost feels like self sabotage. Almost like I'm trying to ruin my own good time. It feels like there's a feeling of self pity attached to it - you know you're ruining the good time and you can see everything going down hill but you can't do anything to stop it and it makes you very sad and depressed.

Is this similar to what you're talking about because this has happened to me several times?

Yes, I can relate. It's one of the reasons I avoid going on trips with people. My Mum and my sister are the exact same too. It's like everything is fine and fun at first, but then the novelty wears off and it's enough already.

I find that a coffee break and a snack cheer me up a bit. I hate being with people that can chug on for hours without needing to stop to refuel. I went on holiday with someone like that and the first day I was starving and miserable and she was oblivious.

I wonder if planning things out in advance would help. I know that other people maybe don't like planning out a fun activity like that, but it might help you if you knew that you were going to stop for a break at such and such a time.

Yes, that is exactly how I feel when it happens. I don't feel like it so much if (on a rare occasion) I'm out with a friend or some friends for some reason, but if I'm with my family I seem to more likely feel this way. Perhaps I emotionally react strongly to ''familiarity breeds contempt''. I have read that people (teenagers and young adults especially) feel differently when they're out with their friends than when they're out with their parents. My mum has told me that I seem to be in an angry temper a lot of the time, and that is true, but is not when I'm with outsiders.

Stopping for a break does help a lot. I find I get more irritable when I'm tired or hungry, so having a snack or lunch or even just a sit down and a drink usually does increase my social and emotional motivation again.
I am still debating to myself whether to go to the USA with my mum and her sisters next year, but I am aware that the plane ride is going to be about 10 hours or more, and I will get jet-lagged, which will make me extremely angry and irritable and won't be fair on them. I could go to sleep on the plane but it's hard for me to sleep properly when upright in a seat. To sleep properly I need a comfy bed in private. And so I can imagine when the plane lands I will be very stressy and agitated and might bite someone's head off if they talk to me.

It's not fair, I hate getting like this. I have always been quite a miserable person. When I was a child I spent most of my time finding things to whinge and complain about, probably because I was so easily stressed, and I'm still the same now, as though it's just a trait I have got. Let's face it: I am not a very laid-back person. At all. Even though my friends say I am. And no, I am not a Gemini.

Oh yes, oh yes. Relating can be wonderful; then it becomes tiresome and we start "acting"; then we hit that wall....

I have learned to tell people so that they understand.

Yeah, I'd never really examined it that much before but I guess it's almost as if you run out of puff and can't keep up the enthusiasm going for much longer - maybe I've not recognised it but it might be a sign of needing some alone time to recharge. I think the suggestion of having a snack/coffee break is a good idea. Food usually makes most situations better.

Speaking of which, if I'm forced to sit in a group of people at a small table, I tend to take small sips and small bites (and chew for extended periods of time) to make the food and drink last longer. That way, you don't feel uncomfortable for not contributing to the conversation because you've got an excuse for sitting in silence. You're busy eating! Can anyone else relate to this?