> I’d try to put myself in my colleagues position in order to understand my colleagues feelings but because we have different thought processes this didn’t work at all.
I commend you on acknowledging this. Neurodivergence changes how one experiences situations, skills, and motivations, and many well-meaning people tell neurodivergent folks that they'll magically experience things the way they're "supposed to" if they just build enough character (try harder, see things differently, adjust their attitude, etc.).
You're helping your colleague simply by reacting to them with curiosity, rather than just getting frustrated that they don't fit into the incomplete worldview you had going into the situation.
I commend you on acknowledging this. Neurodivergence changes how one experiences situations, skills, and motivations, and many well-meaning people tell neurodivergent folks that they'll magically experience things the way they're "supposed to" if they just build enough character (try harder, see things differently, adjust their attitude, etc.).
You're helping your colleague simply by reacting to them with curiosity, rather than just getting frustrated that they don't fit into the incomplete worldview you had going into the situation.