I would also add, sometimes you do need to step back
I had an event that I was worried about, where I might have to talk about something that I was struggling to mask my autism about
And I was telling a friend, and she scoffed, saying "just don't be aggy"
And then I admitted what my non-masked response would be
And she was like "oh shit, yeah, that's super aggy"
I know that I come across as a bitch when I don't mask
And I've recovered enough that I think I can mask appropriately, but whether or not I stepped back was a reasonable response in this instance
The key is that you need to be able to step back in when it's safe