this post was submitted on 04 Sep 2026
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ADHD
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That's just another mask.
Your real self is the you when you're not trying to be something else. You have to feel safe and be calm and then that's you. You could possibly alter it with effort, but not as easily as a mask.
That's my point. A mask and a face are the same in nature. We all act differently around different people, everyone has different sides to themselves that are all real
Every mask and face you have is a part of you. It's not fake, it's a layer of communication. If you don't feel comfortable in it, it feels like a mask. That's entirely what makes it a mask
You have to examine it and figure out where it doesn't fit right, and then wear it until the changes become ingrained behavior
The final step is to accept you're not wearing a mask anymore
You've just internalized the problem and called it normal. You shouldn't need to be different around different people. That's exhausting and most people don't do that. That's the neurodivergent coping mechanism.