neurodiverse
What is Neurodivergence?
It's ADHD, Autism, OCD, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, bi-polar, aspd, etc etc etc etc
“neurologically atypical patterns of thought or behavior”
So, it’s very broad, if you feel like it describes you then it does as far as we're concerned
Rules
1.) ableist language=post or comment will probably get removed (enforced case by case, some comments will be removed and restored due to complex situations). repeated use of ableist language=banned from comm and possibly site depending on severity. properly tagged posts with CW can use them for the purposes of discussing them
2.) always assume good faith when dealing with a fellow nd comrade especially due to lack of social awareness being a common symptom of neurodivergence
2.5) right to disengage is rigidly enforced. violations will get you purged from the comm. see rule 3 for explanation on appeals
3.) no talking over nd comrades about things you haven't personally experienced as a neurotypical chapo, you will be purged. If you're ND it is absolutely fine to give your own perspective if it conflicts with another's, but do so with empathy and the intention to learn about each other, not prove who's experience is valid. Appeal process is like appealing in user union but you dm the nd comrade you talked over with your appeal (so make it a good one) and then dm the mods with screenshot proof that you resolved it. fake screenies will get you banned from the site, we will confirm with the comrade you dm'd.
3.5) everyone has their own lived experiences, and to invalidate them is to post cringe. comments will be removed on a case by case basis depending on determined level of awareness and faith
4.) Interest Policing will not be tolerated in any form. Support your comrades in their joy!
Further rules to be added/ rules to be changed based on community input
RULES NOTE: For this community more than most we understand that the clarity and understandability of these rules is very important for allowing folks to feel comfortable, to that end please don't be afraid to be outspoken about amendments and addendums to these rules, as well as any we may have missed
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ME TOO. 🤦
I've never been diagnosed professionally either, but idk how much good it would do me at this point. I've scored really high on all the tests I've taken online, I relate to pretty much all the autism content I've seen, and I finally stopped worrying about whether I had it when I saw someone mention that people without autism don't spend all day obsessing over the possibility that they're autistic. 😂🤷
Are you me? It’s really starting to feel like I’ve always just been an alien to other people—it’s been a repeated cycle of trying to make friends but never being enough. Like, I always come on too strong somehow and can’t gauge what level of discussion makes people uncomfortable. And AGAIN a lot of this comes down to never being able to be myself growing up. Because how would I know the “right” way to behave if there was none?
All I really have is like 2 people I grew up with who I occasionally see and I’d say that fucking tracks. Like I met them in the years I was being abused/hadn’t yet fully processed how far that abuse went
Feeling like an alien who inevitably accidentally turns people off by being Too Much? Me too.
At least we know why now, and we know we aren't alone.
Now I just hope to find people like me irl, because even though I’ve found a lot online, I don’t get that closure/assurance I need until it becomes “real.” And that’s probably another issue in and of itself to be quite honest.
It really just feels like I’ll never be as emotionally mature as my peers. Been a never ending struggle of one step forward, me saying something socially inappropriate and having to restart from scratch 🥲
And the super crushing part about all of it is the realization that there are a lot of people who don’t like the unequivocal me and never will. Just because our brains are wired differently I guess 😔
I relate to every word of this. Every. Word.
I'm trying to comfort myself with consideration of the fact that people generally behave like assholes, so it's okay if people generally don't like me, what do those jerks know anyway, right?
Except there's that instinctive, crushing fear that comes with that isolation, because if something goes terribly wrong, I know having a limited social circle of people who barely like me is a dangerous situation. Unfortunately, it seems like "having a limited social circle of people who barely like me" is a pretty common situation for autistic people, so I kinda feel a little doomy about it.
Trying to determine if “unmasking” is actually worth it :/
Tried to “come out” to one of my good friends and it’s clear that those of use with relatively low support needs are seen as completely “normal”
God I hate it
Yeah this is kinda where I'm at right now. I don't know anybody who isn't married or related to me who isn't repulsed by my unmasked behavior.
I've just been isolating as much as possible and unmasking then. I know it's not a long-term solution, but it's all I've got.
I used to not need very much support, but I had a couple all-timer level traumatic events in 2022 that really fucked up my ability to deal (and tarnished some favorite coping mechanisms, like "be outdoors" and "play with dog"), and now perimenopause is hitting and the hormones are wrecking what little control and clarity I had left.
I'm still trudging along, but it does really fucking suck, and I need to see some light at the end of this tunnel sometime soon.