#adhd masking

[witchinatower]

ADHD Mabels! 🩷💚

One of them is a bit older so it looks different, but I like these!

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Inattentive ADHD Masking

The Mini ADHD Coach

[chronicsymptomsyndrome]

recovering people-pleasers say it with me:

I am not LYING, MORALLY COMPROMISED, or IN DANGER…just getting used to enforcing boundaries & saying NO.

It SUCKS that I had to live through what I did, and now that makes me feel all these negative ways as a result of positive actions. It REALLY SUCKS and it’s my reality, but it can change.

I can actually say NO without compromising my safety, security, or quality of life. It was really hard at first but now I do it all the time.

I can’t believe how much of a people pleaser I USED TO be. I’m so glad I’m NOT anymore <3

[ontheoutside-lookingin]

When people say “just be yourself” but the only you you’ve ever know is a performative calculation based on how you’ll be perceived

[fragi1eang3l]

me: “i’m so good at masking”

also me: *staring into the void with a blank face, noise canceling headphones on, fan on full blast, chewing on chewlery, and stimming by picking at my skin*

[adhdxxsdiary]

Source: @adhd-alien

[lesbianadhdchaos]

I wish someone would record me for awhile (if I asked them to) and play it back to me so I can see how I look when I'm doing things

[enby-xb-nomad]

Being off my ADHD meds is a much less painful experience this time than it usually is, partially (I think) because I'm in a better place in my life generally and have built a life that suits my brain better than the lives I was trying to live before, and partially (I think) because I've now been diagnosed and on meds for like 7 years, which means I've had seven years to build routines and mental flow charts and coping strategies and other things that will catch me when I'm off my meds so I don't go completely off the rails.

But also, the fact that I give way fewer shits about masking this time is also making the experience much more pleasant. It almost feels like a vacation from the pressure I normally put on myself to act neurotypical enough (enough for what, I'm not sure...I guess mainly enough to not be annoying? lol) because I literally can't act neurotypical enough when I'm off my meds.

So I might as well lean into the spinning thoughts and the random statements that come out of my mouth and the fidgeting and the humming and the whistling and the tapping and all the other things, instead of still trying to squash them down and making sure everyone knows how embarrassed I am about them?

I'm definitely not about to make any wild spur of the moment decisions here, but it kind of makes me wonder who I would be unmedicated now. The last time I was unmedicated I was also undiagnosed, in a work environment that was literal hell for my brain, and had no coping strategies at all except yelling at myself and panicking until I (sort of) got things done. And the stimulant I'm on isn't very strong, and I'm not on a very high dose of it. (I'm VERY sensitive to meds so it honestly doesn't take much to have the desire effect for me.)

Anyway. Just thoughts I've been having.