Maybe you carefully think about when to make eye contact, rehearse conversations before they happen, copy other people's expressions or mannerisms, or spend so much energy trying to appear comfortable that you're completely exhausted afterward. From the outside, you may seem social, successful, organized, or "fine." Internally, however, it may feel like you're constantly performing. For some adults, particularly women who weren't diagnosed during childhood, experiences like these can be connected to autism masking.