UH WHAT

UH...... WHAT.........

This entire article is eye-opening, even as someone who has ADHD and has read a lot about it already. There's so much more there than just the bit about the glucose-craving brain. SO. MUCH.

This might have been the bit that hit me hardest, actually:

I feel SEEN. OTZ

Seriously, though. Read the whole thing. It's a good one.

I used to straight-up eat stacks of plain bread when I was a teenager. I craved BREAD. Not sandwiches, not toast, not cinnamon buns. PLAIN FUCKING BREAD. And yanno what else? RICE. And NOODLES. No toppings, just butter and salt, and scarf it down.

And suddenly that makes a lot more sense.

oh yeah don’t worry about my leg bouncing, i’m fine. that’s just a thing i do when i’m bored, or excited, or nervous, or alive

Welcome, New ADHD Followers!

Welcome to my new followers! I did not expect that last post to gain so much traction, and I am very glad to hear that the list I posted resonated with so many people, diagnosed and undiagnosed alike! If I had known that the post was going to spread as widely as it did, I would have shared sources for all of my claims, and edited it more carefully and precisely. Alas, it is too late for that, but I shared a few sources in the comments for that post, for anyone interested.

I don’t post here as often as I used to, because I frequently forget that it exists. Out of sight, out of mind (just like my bills!), and there have been far more pressing things at the forefront for the last several months. But I will say this: since I was diagnosed, the greatest thing has been finding other people who have struggled in the same exact ways that I have, after 33 years of struggling alone. Being neurodivergent truly makes you feel like an alien in this world, and that can lead to us being our own worst critics, damaging our self-esteem. So my goal, in writing about my ADHD experience, and ADHD in general, is to empower people to learn about themselves, to not feel so alone, to be kind to themselves, and to be their own advocates in a world that expects them to be something they are not.

Sending love to all of my neurodivergent friends, especially if you have struggled more than usual throughout these times of political turmoil, quarantine, and righteous racial justice uprising.

Neurotypical Parents

It drives me crazy when the parents of people with Autism or ADHD don’t bother to learn anything accurate about the conditions, and then come onto an online support group with infantilizing and insulting questions: Woman: “Did you try exercise, caffeine, and a balanced diet?” <sarcasm> OH MAN, I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT! IF ONLY I HAD KNOWN! </sarcasm>  I actually wasted a significant amount of my time trying to calmly educate a woman this morning, (she posted in the group because her 18-year-old son believes he has ADHD), but there comes a point in which you realize that someone doesn’t actually care about finding accurate information—just confirming their preconceived notions and asserting their neurotypical strategies upon neurodivergent people. I am just astounded at the idea that some people think full leaf green tea is going to “fix” someone’s ADHD.

THIS THIS THIS.  I just had a whole conversation about this yesterday. On a walk, my partner instinctively scoffed at how someone’s US flag in front of their house was at half-mast and looked weather-worn, and suggested that it was disrespectful. But then I pointed out that a few houses down, someone else had their small US flag attached to their fence, but there were several bags of trash sitting on the ground right under it. To me, that seems far more “disrespectful,” but there aren’t any “rules” about that. I explained that for me, this all seems arbitrary, because A) it’s just a symbolic piece of fabric, and B) the rules dictating how to respectfully display a flag are arbitrary, at best. It didn’t take much to convince my partner on this, but as a Marine, these ideas were drilled into his head. For what it’s worth, the flag means nothing to me, besides recognizing that it is frequently weaponized in our contemporary society as a bombastic display of outwardly supporting the status quo of oppressing vulnerable people. For me, that’s how I feel about E V E R Y T H I N G. I have ALWAYS looked for the justification of why something “should” be done a certain way, and if I can’t find a justification beyond “tradition” or “social expectations,” then I usually reject it entirely, unless fear of “trouble consequences” stops me. PS: I’ve received several messages from folks on here over the last few days, and I am just seeing them now. I promise that I have every intention of responding them to them very soon. Just trying to catch up on work things at the moment.

for some, ADHD has its perks. but for others, it can be an overwhelming and destructive force. its hard having to “clean up” and organize your life when theres a constant pushback from your own brain!

This past week has been a wild ride for me. I’ve gotten a lot of messages about medication and asking for help with diagnosis. 

I can’t help with your diagnosis, I’m not in the medical field at all. I will say that not every doctor understands ADHD, and that’s a huge problem. Unfortunately the way a medical degree is obtained doesn’t always create the best doctors, but rather the doctors that had the most endurance to get through school. If your therapist, psychologist, GP or any medical professional doesn’t take you seriously, that is on them. You shouldn’t have to work so hard to prove you need help. You deserve help because you are a human being.

 As for medication, what I take (Vyvanse) might not work for you. I feel like I got very lucky with my meds, they happened to be the first that I tried and they happened to work. Some people go years trying to sort out something that works. Or can’t take meds at all because of other health risks. Whether I can keep taking them for the rest of my life, I don’t know. I have a family history of heart disease. The pills didn’t change my life because I could get more done in a day. The pills changed my life because it was validation. It was confirmation that I wasn’t making this up. I don’t feel the need to be as “productive” as a neurotypical person. I think the idea of productivity is a harmful thing in general.

 Overall, I can’t tell you how touched I am that so many people have identified with my comic. The warmth and support from the comments has been overwhelming. Thank you so much!

I figure out I had ADHD last year, but I didn’t seek an official diagnosis and medication until this year. I’m 30 years old, my school days are long behind me. I slipped through the cracks because I have predominately inattentive type and I was a quiet little girl. Having ADHD does not mean you have to be hyperactive and loud, it means you have a processing problem in your brain that doesn’t allow you to regulate your focus or emotions. 

Mental health even now is still taboo to talk about. People are more open now than ever about it however and that gives me hope. 

This is a profoundly personal comic and it only reflects my own experience with ADHD. It is on a spectrum with a wide range of personalities. But if my story connects with someone else and helps them, that would mean the world to me.

howdy folks it’s time for

-MASTERPOST RESOURCE GUIDE- or,

HOW TO GET DIAGNOSED AND/OR STOP FEELING GUILTY WITH CECIL

Step 1- don’t ignore your feelings! if you think you’re struggling that’s ok! even if you think you used to be able to deal with it, my doc said sometimes we reach a breaking point, where the struggles we are facing bc of our brains outweigh our coping mechanisms and we need help! and that’s ok, it’s ok to need help

Step 2- research! looking up symptoms, reading articles, watching videos- all of that helps to familiarize yourself with symptoms and what might be happening! One of the biggest tells for me was actually scrolling tumblr and seeing how other people expressed little symptoms or dealt with things in their daily lives, and i was like “oh woah you mean it’s Not normal to act like this??” “this is an adhd thing??”

Step 3- Not everyone knows a lot about ADHD and it’s symptoms! Often times when parents doubt the validity of your symptoms, it’s because when most people think adhd, they think “little boy running around and yelling in the classroom” when that doesn’t even begin to cover what all ADHD is! Symptoms present themselves in a myriad of ways in a lot of different people, and also, adhd is Super hereditary! So if your parents brush you off saying “oh everyone’s like that” it could be because… they might have it too and never knew it! The important thing is for you to know your own self and symptoms, and maybe educate people along the way!

Step 4- Make a list! I always talk about making lists but they’re really helpful, ok? Writing down your symptoms, (even copying them from a symptoms website!) can help you A-remember what you want to tell your therapist/doctor/parents, B-have sources to back up your claims, and C-organize your thoughts! I wrote down everything I was feeling and just read my doc a list of symptoms until he was like “ya i got you” (and i also made him call my parents about getting tested because i was too nervous to tell my parents- and how can you doubt a legit doctor right?)

Step 5- Don’t be afraid to reach out! Talking to your doctor might be a scary first step, but talking to people on the internet, your friends, parents, therapists- all of that is good and on the way to helping you get recognized and/or diagnosed! Even if you end up not having adhd, knowing some of the ways we deal with executive dysfunction can help in anyone’s day-to-day life, or maybe you had a different problem you would’ve never discovered if you didn’t reach out! Nobody is going to get mad at you for wondering and asking. (and if they do, then they suck)

good luck to everyone i believe in you!!

Once again I’m putting this old post in the rounds bc I’ve got a lot more asks about this!

Another really important note about seeking help or a diagnosis, if you’re worried your parents won’t take the term ADHD seriously, or you have doubts yourself- don’t mention it by name!

You can mention wanting to see a psychologist or a therapist to help manage things like stress, work, organization, or other symptoms you struggle with but that can lead to diagnoses or things you can bring up with a psych one on one

Having ADHD is that your brain either feels like

Or

And it can switch in a matter of seconds.

Edit: I can't believe my most popular post was a minute idea I had in a day where I was utterly depressed and like the left one.

Hi, over-empathy is a huge fucking problem and here's why:

Yeah, so over empathy sucks.

Yeah. Everything has feelings.

I have Baby Yoda pajamas, with their face on the shirt. I always try to cover its eyes when I'm looking at something especially gruesome. It's incredibly inconvenient, and yet I do it anyway.

I feel so sorry for my stuffed animals, all my old toys. I can't give them all attention, and I've forgotten about so many of them. It's horribly sad.

adhd is a disability and if that makes you upset you’re probably ableist

shut up

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Never related to anything more

Oh.

This is what I've been missing.