Over the past several months, I have realized that there are responsibilities requiring my attention. My personal interests should not be pursued when there’s a feeling of filling a time void. This time needs to be spent in more appropriate ways. There are responsibilities that need to be met in the environment that I am in at that moment. While it can be hard to understand this, it is a reality and a expectation.

As an autistic adult, it can be hard. We often struggle with doing the stuff that we do not necessarily want to do. But there are responsibilities that fall within the guise of doing what is expected of us. They can also bring anxiety upon us when we have to do things that are out of our comfort zone. Within time doing these things can start to make us feel more comfortable. We just have to be patient and fight the anxiety that is brought on in the process.

As part of the demands of entering the workforce, there are many things that we won’t find pleasure in. Some of these include doing things that are not easy for autistic people. But they are what is expected of us. We must understand that to make a living, we have to do what is expected of us. These expectations come from those who, deep down, know we have the ability to do them. We as autistic people don’t want to do them, but it often is the fear talking. Especially, if there is a effort made to make it easier for us in some way. We must be willing to meet the other party in some effort.

It can mean putting our special interests to the side and actually focusing on the work at hand. I know first hand how this can be hard to do. For many years I was given more latitude than what needed to be given to me. Things change, and we must learn to adapt with the responsibilities we are given. Even when we doubt ourselves, we must not feel incapable of doing them. We must confront our interests and fears. We just need to do what is asked of us. That is the adult way of life.

It can be hard to accept when you are told that you can’t do the things you want to do. You are sometimes expected to do things outside of your scope of interest. In these situations, you have to push through. You know that meeting these expectations is necessary to get through life. As scathing as it can be sometimes to hear the hard truth, it is often for our best interest. Accept it with grace. Know what your personal responsibility is for whatever environment that you are in.

When you do this, it is part of the scope of maturing into the adult that you need to be. Autistic people can often seem childish. They do not always enjoy doing the things that they do not want to do. But there can be just as much joy in doing what is needed even if it is not desired. It can bring a sense of pride and joy that others can see too. Doing uncomfortable things is hard. Nonetheless, achieving them can bring a lot of pleasure.

Responsibility can be a hard thing to accept. It is a part of life. If we expect certain outcomes, we must follow through with the necessary actions. Eventually, it becomes easier once we break through the fear of anxiety and just do what is expected of us.