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Neurodivergent Dating and Friendships

If you're Autistic (self-diagnosed or professionally) and looking for, community, friends or a relationship, you are not alone!!!

Many neurodivergent adults want meaningful friendships and relationships, yet finding people they can truly be themselves around often feels exhausting. There’s the constant self-monitoring—wondering if you’re talking too much, sharing too little, missing something important, or being “too much” without realizing it.

Dating and making friends can bring up a lot of anxiety. Unspoken social rules, unclear expectations, sensory overload, and past experiences of rejection can make connection feel risky rather than exciting. Even when there’s a desire for closeness, it can feel safer to stay guarded than to keep trying and getting hurt.

Many neurodivergent adults describe feeling like they have to mask to be accepted—editing their personality, suppressing natural responses, or constantly worrying about how they’re being perceived. Over time, this can lead to loneliness, burnout, and the painful feeling that being fully yourself isn’t welcome.

If any of this feels familiar, you’re not alone—and it’s not because you’re doing something wrong. The challenge isn’t a lack of desire for connection; it’s the lack of spaces designed with neurodivergent needs, communication styles, and comfort in mind.

If this feels relatable and you’d like to do something to make it feel a little easier, we invite you to join our Circle community.​​

Autistic Relationship Building

Building relationships can feel confusing and exhausting for many autistic and neurodivergent adults, especially when there aren’t clear rules to follow. Whether it’s making friends, dating, or finding community, there’s often a lot of uncertainty. What do you say? How do you know if someone is interested or enjoying the conversation? Are you sharing too much—or not enough? And how do you get through those awkward pauses without overthinking everything?

For many autistic adults, relationship building takes a lot of mental energy. Not knowing what’s expected, managing anxiety, and trying to be yourself at the same time isn’t easy. When building friendships or connections feels this effortful, it makes sense to feel discouraged or unsure where you truly belong.

*data pulled from: https://crowncounseling.com/statistics/autism-marriage/

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