hey, Im a queer with ADHD and my relationship with my parents and family is amazing! I’m so lucky to have-
*realizes I only truly relax around 2 people (neither of them are related to me), I will probably never come out to my family, I don’t know if I’m masking or not because I’ve just accepted that I’ve failed at society, and school has gone from ‘hah this is easy :)’ to neurodivergent burn out + anxiety*
Executive dysfunction peeps! I've found something really helpful: Timers that beep every minute.
YouTube has tons of them. They're so nice for me because I lose time really easily. Going on my merry way and then, whoops, there went 90 minutes. Having something else counting out loud for me keeps me tied to reality.
IM GUNNA KMS ITS GUNNA COME OUT DURING MY FIRST YEAR OF HIGHSCHOOL MAYBE IT WILL GET ME THROUGH THE YEAR HALFWAY
crying. this graphic novel is the one thing that has never changed and stayed in my life since it came out. im so happy it’s still going and BRO I CANT WAIT FOR THIS TO COME OUT THE PLOT SEEMS SO GOOD THE STORY IS SO GOOD and maayyyybe we’ll learn more abt petey when he was a criminal cause in the story he has to return to villainy to help dogman
also the cover is SO GOOD im not saying 2000 fleas wasn’t good but this is sure better IT LOOKS EXCITING AND I CANT WAIT TO SEE WHAT DOGMAN AND LIL PETEY GETS UP TO
As someone with ADHD, the best way I've found to describe what it's like to be me is that my brain goes way, way faster than my everything else. Stimulants and caffeine brings everything else up to the speed of my brain.
The underlying problem with this solution is as follows:
I know when such things have worn off, as I will be in the middle of whatever I'm doing and then the anxiety will drop on my head like an anvil because suddenly, everything is slow again, and I'm trapped watching everything around me happen in excruciatingly slow motion--and my poor psychiatrist will scold me if I down another redbull to try and break out of the time stream again for the sake of my sanity
I had a long conversation with my mom today about how hard it was for me to be a neurodivergent child tracked into a gifted/talented program and all the ways that it fucking broke me. I still carry so much baggage from that time, and I wasn't even diagnosed properly with ADHD until a few years ago.
So, naturally, I'm reading this new Wired interview with Taika and experiencing great big extra large feelings:
Now, as I am not a medical doctor, it would be grossly inappropriate for me to claim any sort of binding diagnosis. I can only compare his behavior to my own lived experience, and when I say that reading this article felt like getting thrown into a full-length dressing mirror
I need the approval and affection of others in order to prevent imposter syndrome and rejection sensitivity dysphoria but can only handle so much before needing to withdraw. Everyone but my best friends see me as a pronounced extrovert, though I would characterize myself as one of the most introverted people I know. I spend so much time inside my head and so much energy masking just to get the social validation I need to not hate myself.
These are almost textbook descriptions of dopamine chasing behavior and perfectionism. A single mistake can ruin my week, and yet I still absolutely wing just about everything I do because I find following my instinct yields the best results.
Me neither, bruh. Me neither.
Sitting alone in a room at a computer working in silence is literally my idea of hell and I will get absolutely nothing done and hate myself the entire time.
Like I said, I'm no doctor, but if Taika Waititi is neurotypical then I'll eat my hat. I will eat several hats. We're talking ADHD at minimum, autism spectrum most likely. This article reads like the DSM as well as the after visit summary from my last doctor's appointment.
These are just more reasons I love this weirdo and hope he continues to thrive. It's inspiring to see someone being themselves and harnessing the myriad superpowers that come with being neurodivergent. While my brain can frequently be my worst enemy, I know it is capable of some of the weirdest and coolest shit and is frankly awe-inspiring. I wish I had Taika as a role model in my formative years, but I'm glad he can be here for the youngins learning about themselves now.