When the Pieces Had Names
When the Pieces Finally Had Names
Learning that I had ADHD and was autistic did not create a new identity. It gave me language for the masking, executive dysfunction, sensory overwhelm, burnout, and contradictions I had already lived. The answers brought relief and validation, but they also brought grief, anger, doubt, and a new way of understanding my past.
Before I Knew: I Wasn’t Broken. I Was Neurodivergent.
Before I Knew: I Wasn’t Broken. I Was Neurodivergent.
For most of my life, I believed my struggles were personal failures. Before I understood ADHD, autism, masking, executive functioning, and sensory overwhelm, I thought I simply needed to try harder. This is the story of who I believed I had to become before I had better language for who I already was.