Commentary from January 26, 2016
I’ve done this so many times. Go to a place, and hopefully meet people, talk to people, have a good time. You know, be normal like my friends. Then I look like a lost child looking for their mom for a while, then find a corner and try to get through to the end like I’m stuck in a bad movie. If you know this feeling, you have my sympathies. Nowadays we all have smartphones which helps a little bit, you can entertain yourself a little while you pass time, or connect with people even though geographically you’re in different spaces.
Artwise, I had a lot of fun drawing the last panel, however, my growing frustration with the size of the paper was coming to a head. This is the last comic I will draw at this size, starting with 275 I will use a larger paper. As the strips will be shrunk to the usual size you may not notice that much of a difference but it will really help me out.
Artwise, I had a lot of fun drawing the last panel, however, my growing frustration with the size of the paper was coming to a head. This is the last comic I will draw at this size, starting with 275 I will use a larger paper. As the strips will be shrunk to the usual size you may not notice that much of a difference but it will really help me out.
My life in a nutshell… 😮
The best I’ve been able to manage is, “I’ll just sit here alone. If someone wants to talk to me, they can come up to me.”
One time I was at a party that was about half people I knew, half people I didn’t. At one point my apathy and exhaustion was so great I curled up on a couch, turned facing into the cushions to try and rest(calm down), and then heard my husband explaining to multiple people why I was laying down. He had to explain(lie) to people that “She just had a long week, she’s tired…” And then I had a big pile of self-inflicted guilt to pile on my anxiety and sociphobia….
I empathize with this character SO so much.
It’s hard work being sociable.
I can handle few people. If I know them well, it’s a LOT easier. I can’t really do “party”. People are just… full of social cues and hints and subtexts and it’s a LOT to process, and they multiply with proximity kinda exponentially. It’s too much to think about. And I can’t just do the comfortable lie thing. Lying destroys me, and awkwardness drains me. And silence… well. Yeah. “not normal”. But screw normal! :p
Spectrum? Me too.
Stuff with a set of rules governing interactions seems to help, in my experience. You know, board games, pen and paper RPGs, a meetup of people who are all enthusiastic about X thing. It doesn’t make it easy, just easier.
Also, learning your own signs of “Brain full OK, go now or this will become totally un-fun” is good. But it sounds like you know that.
Is the point of these replies that people excluivly talk about themselves? If so, fair enough. I’d like people to reflect a bit more on how the person in the cartoon must be feeling. I get the impression though that people see these are straight away start thinking “me me me me this is about me.” Sure, it’s good for people to talk about their own feelings, but equally, do people not see other people’s way of feeling might not always mirror their own?
Many people who suffer are looking for validation with their feelings and use these comics as such. This is totally OK. So is talking about the characters, but no one does that too much, the characters are really blank slates for people to see themselves through (that’s one reason the characters are all nameless — it’s not easy to talk about a character who has no name!). However people want to talk about the strips, as long it remains respectful to others, is entirely permitted here.
Well, they ARE about “me me me me.” The characters are meant to be general and relatable.
This hit home way too close
This really does capture the grinding awfulness of social interaction when you’re depressed. Not only can you beat yourself with all the ways you’re not “normal”, you can also get a brand new humiliation or two to take home and nurture, examples of how awful people are to each other, etc.