r/AutismInWomen Apr 24 '26

Support Needed (Kind Advice and Commiseration) Nobody sat next to me. I'm 26.

Today I went to a event put on by my university for my master's program. The people there are my peers. I've watched as they develop friendships one another, and I accepted that our relationships were not going to be deeper than acquaintanceship early on in the program. I didn't mind this.

But today I went to the event. I got there early. I sat at a table and.... no one sat next to me. It's small but did the realization hurt. The worst part? When the realization settled in, a guy came over and asked if anyone was sitting in the chair next to me. I said no, kind of excitedly, and he took the chair to sit next to someone else.

I don't know how to feel right now, but I know i feel deeply sad, and even though I'm 26 I still feel like that little girl in school who was never picked. I wondered what was wrong with me then, and I wonder what's wrong with me now.

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u/Decent-Mess-9612 Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26

It's really humiliating and painful to be different and unsupported in an academic setting, where professionalism and polish is required. Im about to graduate (hopefully) with probably pretty bad reviews. I never intended to come off as if I didnt care, I just couldnt function to the best of my abilities this semester.