I can't take this mind-blindness!

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Ugh, may I have a shoulder to cry on, WP?
I am so sick of not being able to understand what people are thinking or feeling at all.
I don't even know if anyone likes me! I assume everyone hates me, which makes me depressed. Then when I think I'm friends with someone I go over the top and they get scared off. I'm so bloomin' isolated and alone! Then when I don't socialise I get nagged at and treated badly. I'm sick of crying to myself, so why am I doing it now?
Sorry, readers. I'm losing the god-darn plot.

Thank you, Pat.
I just feel really lonely
*sigh*
I just don't see how I can bloomin' well go on like this. An hero? yes please.

My best advice, "Shoot low, they are short!"

Sticking to light topics in small amounts, never say more than five words at once, nothing that is not in the vocabulary of a slow child.

Mind Blind, or nothing to see here?

Do not let a lack of mental activity bother you, almost all are best naked in the dark without talking.

I've been in that spot- feeling totally inept and unable to intrepret people around me. As a young woman, I kept getting into difficult situations with people- especially men who misinterpreted my naivete as a come-on, or took advantage of it. I was lucky I didn't get killed, but after one too many harrowing situations, I decided that I needed to learn and try to fix what was 'wrong'.

What saved me was an article about body language in a magazine. I realized that I could learn to read it, and made it one of my Special Interests. It was hard to look at people and observe them, but I learned to find a good place where I could watch and learn, and I gradually learned this 'invisible dance'. Faces were harder, but I knew I had to learn how to read them, so I kept at it. I also learned how to listen for vocal inflections so I didn't have to look people in the face, and see the involuntary movements that people make. It opened up a whole new world for me. It was like learning Sanskrit or something. And it helped me to interact more naturally with people. The best part is that it also helped me to become a people-reader, and a damn good saleswoman when I was selling computers. I taught my colleagues to look for the 'wallet twitch' when someone was ready to buy something. And I learned how not to get a glazed-look when I was discussing computers.

Everyone- even so-called neurotypicals- has blind spots in their perception. I sometimes think that the whole Aspergers phenomenon and its discussion gets people to frame things in unfortunate ways. I found this happening to me- I have a difficult time speaking spontaneously- and sound like an idiot sometimes. A friend of mine reminded me that -everyone- experiences that.

Hang in there- you'll be OK.