> Challenging the idea that you need to mask to be successful. If masking is a recipe for burnout, then it actually seems like it's a strategy that will lower your chance for success. How much of the need here is self-imposed?

Masking is not always conscious, in fact it's largely unconscious. So many autistic people will go through their day around neurotypical people and feel burnt out by lunch and have no idea why. They don't necessarily realize they're burning tons of mental effort just talking to people or dealing with stimuli.

Autistic people learn to mask just to get by day to day. It's not like they got issued a "How to be Autistic: Masking for Success" guide book when they were born.

Isn't that just being introverted? Also, if it's unconscious then a "simulator" shouldn't present an option. The PC should simply react automatically to the detriment of some stat. It sounds like for something to qualify as "masking" it must be a conscious choice, otherwise it's some other thing.

Absolutely agree with this.

I still think it's important to (1) notice what's causing the problem, bring it into consciousness (2) understand the behavior (in this case: masking) and reckon with it if if's causing a bad outcome (burnout.)

Easier said than done. For me, therapy has been life-changing for helping me notice and understand unintentional behaviors.