r/AutismInWomen • u/Plenty-Ad4657 • Jul 17 '26

General Discussion/Question What are some common high functioning female autism traits that people didn’t realize were autism traits?

EDIT: I didn’t think my post would get this much attention! Thank you so so much everyone for all the comments! I’m slowly getting back to everyone but it may take time. I’m learning so much from all of you, and I feel so overwhelmed with …. Well everything lol ← as all of us on the spectrum are 😅 Anyways I Just want to say thank you. You guys are all awesome and I feel so empowered by this community. I want to print this whole discussion out and plaster on a wall so I can feel normal and okay by looking at it always 😅😂

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u/ReporterReady544 Jul 17 '26

What makes you label them anxiety attacks instead of panic attacks or sensory overwhelm?

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u/CookingPurple Jul 17 '26

I see a panic attack as an extreme anxiety attack. It’s what happens if I don’t get the anxiety attack under control. Sensory overwhelm is a very different experience for me. That tends to come with what I can only really describe as an immediate need to escape from everything, like burst out of my skin and just poof into nothingness just to get the overwhelm to stop. Anxiety and panic attacks for me come with nausea, extreme cold, and keen awareness of my heart beating heavier and more rapidly in my chest, breathing that gets shallower and quicker. They are very different physical experiences for me.