I am feeling lonely.

Hi.

As the title indicates, I have been contending with quite a bit of lonelienss as of recent; I do not really have any platonic connections with people my age. I am immensley appreciative of my family and significant other, but I do not really have any friendships. I will explain further in the following paragraphs.

To describe myself a little, I feel as my introverted personality trait is rather strong; I am a very quiet/silent individual, I rarely speak and this "state" of being quiet is something of internal, emotional, and even physical comfort. I was recently diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, meaning that I do have my sensitivies and needs. I absolutely treasure my alone time as it I have my own space and time for my hobbies and interests.

However, being a quiet, autistic individual has made it hard for me to be able to find and make a good friendship. It saddens me, because making friends with a lot of people my age nowadays appears so reliant on constant, tiring back-and-forth conversation that's energetic and charismatic. This discomforts me.

To me, an ideal friendship is one that in which I can feel comfortable being my quiet self almost always. I yearn for the experience of being alone, together with somebody, doing our own things, but appreciative to have each other's presence. Please, am I in the wrong for this?

Thank you.