7 Odd Behaviors Autistic People Think Are Normal

I spent most of my life waking up like this and thinking I was just a weird sleeper, but I eventually realized these T-Rex arms aren't just a quirk, they're actually a sign of how my autistic brain seeks safety while I rest. The truth is, I found 7 habits that I thought were completely normal, only to realize they were actually my brain's way of surviving a world that wasn't built for it. From eating the same meal for years to needing to leave a room just to think. If you've ever felt odd for doing these things, I've got some news for you. You're not weird, you just might be autistic. And habit number 1 is the reason I never have to worry about what's for breakfast. Eating the same meal for weeks or even years. I can eat the same meal for weeks or months and it doesn't bother me, especially breakfast. Because why overthink to start your day? Yeah, it's not like I don't overthink 427 other things as soon as I wake up. And that's true for a lot of autistic people. I know people who have had the same breakfast for decades. Oatmeal anyone? Yeah, and maybe you're sitting there thinking, doesn't everyone do that? Nope, everyone does not do that. Now some people do eat the same thing regularly, but not like this. And autistic people do it because we kind of have to. For a lot of autistic brains, it's about energy. Less brain power used for something that we don't need to overthink. That means more energy for other things. Like leaving the house. Do we have to leave the house? Or grocery shopping. Oh heck no. It's also about safety. I know that food and all the variables of that food. I've literally perfected it. The texture, the balance of ingredients, how much time I need to let it sit before eating it so I don't burn myself and probably have a meltdown. Now the tricky part for me, I've also got ADHD. Which can make routines a little bit tricky-dicky. Especially food. So one day I might just decide I can't see that food again for months. Looking at it will make me want to barf. Now that's not really normal for other people, but it's normal for this guy. And probably a lot of you. Needing to leave the room to think. What can I say? The visual input can be overwhelming. And it just so happens to be yelling, rather loudly, at my brain. So when my brain is crowded, I have to leave. No hearing someone else breathing or feeling them watching me while I think. No looking at their face or body language and being confused. What do folded arms even mean? What was I thinking about again? And less chances of derailing my thinking while I'm trying to do the thinking. Which, honestly, now that I think about it, happens pretty easily anyways. It's, uh, it's pretty bright in here. Dude, can you stop? I'm trying to think. Don't you think it's a little warm? Oh, dang it. The seams on our sock are pushing up against our right toe. What? Didn't you want to know that? No. Not right now? No, not right now. Okay, I got it. Thank you. Oh, by the way, what was it that you were just doing? Why does this feel so hard? Well, for a lot of autistic and AUDHD people, our brains are pretty darn full. A lot of us struggle to filter information, or our brains are fixated on one part of the question, and we can't move on until that part is solved. It almost feels like we run things through this gauntlet of information. Potential meanings, outcomes if I choose that thing, all the possible scenarios. And we're doing this all pretty quickly, but there's almost always so much information. It's like our brains are going through some ninja obstacle course with these split-second decisions and falling off a few times before we can get to the end. And this happens even more when we aren't sleeping well, which is really common for autistic and ADHD folks. Our brains aren't getting chances to offload information, move it into other spots to free up more space. And more space means better memory, better executive functioning, and better chances of being able to think more clearly. In the meantime, when I need to think, I'm out of here. Rehearsing conversations before they happen. And before you start mumbling to yourself, Well, everyone does that. I'm not talking about going into a job interview, or practicing before a speech, or a big meeting, or a presentation. That's normal for lots of people, I get it. But rehearsing what you're going to say before you talk to a flight attendant on a plane, or the lady at the coffee shop down the street, the one you go to every week, that's not really normal for everyone. But it's common for a lot of autistic people. That's because socializing is harder for us. We've had bad experiences. We've gotten weird looks, been told we were rude, especially when we're learning to unmask. But most of us, we're not trying to be rude or weird. We're just communicating differently. And having to think on the fly and respond appropriately, well, that's hard. Add into the mix that we do a lot of things manually that other people do on autopilot. Things like our facial expressions, eye contact, body positioning, all these social things that other people just do. We have to actually think and process those. And honestly, it's exhausting and pretty stressful, which leads to giant pit stains. So naturally, a lot of us try to lessen the anxiety and stress of conversations by practicing ahead of time. So if that's you, just know that you're not alone on that. I do it a lot. And research shows a lot of other autistic people do too. And it's part of why being around people is both something a lot of us want, but also don't want. And so is this next one. Constantly checking whether your face looks normal. For me and a lot of autistic people, our brains are processing at our own speed. So that's why our faces don't always match our feelings. And sometimes we don't even know what we're feeling. Or maybe we'll realize it hours later. That's because a lot of us struggle with alexithymia, which is being able to notice and accurately describe feelings. You can do it in three to five business days. Especially when we're overloaded, like during conversations. So I'm constantly reminding myself about my face. Dude, it's time to smile. I am smiling. No, you're not. Yes, I am. Ask Debbie if you're smiling. Kind of a weird question, but am I smiling right now? Right now? Not that I can tell. So that's why if you're autistic, you might have been called serious. Or stern. Or asked regularly. Are you okay? Yes, I actually feel really good. But apparently I don't just look that way. And I definitely don't just smile because I'm feeling good. Making my face look happy, that takes effort. And thinking and energy. But in a lot of places, my neutral face has got me questions like that. And in other places, smiling for no reason has also got me weird looks. So confusing. Yeah. And they say autistic people have social deficits. So if you're someone who mentally checks in with yourself about how your face looks, constantly, that's not only you, buddy. Replaying conversations for days afterward. Oh, this one keeps me in bed under my weighted blanket for days. That's why conversations are really hard. It's like a double-edged sword. It doesn't matter if I had fun. The conversation seemed fine. Great, even. Feeling good afterwards? Seems suspect. I think we should reanalyze for the next 10 hours. I'll keep replaying the conversation over and over. And that's not necessarily anxiety. It's common for autistic people. For many of us, it's our pattern-seeking brain. Wow, I did really good. Dude, that's awesome. Now, how do we make that repeat for the next 7,000 conversations we have? Uh, what? Oh, yes. Gotta replay all of it. And analyze. And because socializing is harder for autistic people anyways, we don't usually feel like we got it right. Man, that felt horrible. Okay, don't panic. We gotta replay. Dude, I don't want to. I'm too tired. No, no, no, buddy. No time for rest. Are you serious? Why? Oh, dead serious. I mean, this is how we process and keep ourselves safe. Make sure this never, ever, ever, ever happens again. Which it undoubtedly will. Are you sure this is absolutely necessary? I've never been more sure about anything in my whole life. And from now on, if anything looks remotely similar to what just happened, you know what to do. Feeling physically relieved when plans get canceled. And when you had plans, but then you don't have to? Okay, sometimes it sucks. Especially if it's something you've been mentally preparing yourself for. And maybe even look forward to. But I gotta tell you, my body still feels physical relief. Like tension just disappearing. It's like a giant weight has been lifted off of my face. Just a little bit. Still doesn't mean that we don't struggle with change. And canceled plans are a change. And sometimes we're just delaying it. It's even worse. But the first feeling I usually get? No need to mask. No need to mentally check whether my energy tank is running low while I'm still out in public. Or when other people are in my space. Just that brief moment where I feel this wave of calm and relief. It's that small time before my ADHD brain starts chugging again. Well, now that that's canceled, I can think of at least 27,000 ways we could spend the next 30 minutes. Holding your body in weird positions. And being able to be in your own space. That's exactly when a lot of us get to be ourselves. And that means being in all kinds of weird positions. Why? Because they feel good. And when no one else is around to look at us weird, that's when we might finally be relaxed enough to move the way we want. To other people, it might look a little weird. And you might not do it. Or you might not do it anymore. A lot of us late-diagnosed neurodivergent people learn to hide it. But when we were kids, we might have danced. Jumped. Paced around. Stood like a flamingo. Walked on our toes. Or we might do it when we're sleeping. T-Rex arms. Lying on our beds or the couch in our own unique way. And it doesn't have to be only when you're by yourself. But for a lot of us, it's learning to unmask who our safe people are. The ones we can be fully ourselves around. Where we feel comfortable standing like a giant flamingo. Or doing a little bit of the old wiggle waggle. Because those body positions, they might be a little weird. But they're linked to our neurology. Some of these movements are a way to stim and regulate. So learn what feels right. And even though it might not be like everyone else, you're not weird to do it. And even if you are, who cares? You are supporting your autistic brain, and that's awesome. And if you're learning to unmask, we've got a free resource that can help you on that journey. Links in the description. And for more on your unique brain, watch this video next.