Hello everyone,
When I (20M) was younger and in 6th form (in the uk it’s what you take when you’re between 16-18) I was very socially inept. I hardly had a clue what was going on, I avoided social situations at all costs and all social communication to a minimum. I certainly tried, got embarassed, and hid away for a couple months rince and repeat. In the second year covid hit and that was the end of that. I look back on this period of my life with a feeling of missed opportunity. I mean if I were back in sixth form now with my current social abilities I would have fared fine, and it’s that feeling of what I could have done that’s really getting me down. I \*could\* have built up a strong social circle but autism got the better of me. I’m trying to build up a social circle but it isn’t the same as it was back in sixth form, I don’t know where to go to meet people and the few places I have been to are full of people way older than me. I guess it’s not just regular friendships but also romantic ones too. There was this girl I had quite strong feelings for back then and I wanted to spend more time with her at the time but I didn’t know (and still don’t) how to ask appropriately and every couple of weeks since I left I can’t stop thinking about her and other missed opportunities, and I don’t know if I’ll eventually find someone who can fulfill these feelings and make these feelings of missed opportunity go away. Maybe I should look her up and see where she’s at and ask again but I feel like that’s a bit “stalkery” so maybe not. Has anyone else had this feeling and worried about never being able to find someone else who makes you feel the same way? Similar with building regular friendships, how do you cope?