Communication

Once again, I am sat here thinking of what to write next and the subject of communication comes up. For some, I know it is hard to communicate with others, to say how we feel or to tell someone what is going wrong when something is up.

I stress again that everyone of us is different, aspie or not. Each person deals with things in a different way, especially confrontation and being open about one's feelings. Me, I'm not a great one for confrontation, I'm a wimp and I do all I can to sidetrack when asked questions / having to face something head on.

In some ways, being with my partner has taught me that sometimes the best thing to do is to discuss things upfront. The fact that she struggles with subtle hints and tact has forced me to be better at communication and facing the facts.

At times I have used suggestion, as most people do. 'You know I don't think a lot of people like that' instead of 'I don't like that' and all sorts. But when the reply is an 'I think they do' and not what I was expecting, it could have gone two ways. I could get annoyed with every missed hint and just hold it against her, or I could be more obvious, say what I mean and make sure I am straight to the point. (For someone who has spent their entire life going off on tangents, this has been hard).

Communication is the core of everything. Go for a day without talking to anyone, without making eye contact and you will start to see just how much we rely on communicating with those around us to get by in the world. From a nod to let someone else off the train for you, to opening a door, saying thank you or talking to your colleagues about work.

For something so vital to our daily life, sometimes it might be better to get straight to the point and not give 102 reasons behind it.