Do you know about ADHD masking?
“Masking” refers to the false persona that neurodivergent people put on in order to navigate neurotypical expectations.
Masking shows up in a million different ways that are personal to each ADHDer.
- It could be pretending you don’t need help when you do.
- Working way more hours than everybody else in order to get your work done.
- Gritting your teeth and bearing it when you’re in a loud restaurant.
- Pretending you like parties when you hate them.
- Pretending you don’t need to hear “I love you” when you really do.
Masking is a survival strategy, so you should never feel ashamed of doing it or having done it! You may not have even realized it’s something you do until this very moment, reading this email.
ADHD women diagnosed later in life have been unconsciously masking for DECADES. And this is a shame, because masking has a whole slew of tragic repercussions in an ADHD woman’s life.
One of the worst things about masking is that a lifetime of doing it, from when we were very little children, makes it very hard for us to identify our needs.
Being able to identify and articulate our needs to the people we love, to the people around us, is an extremely important, foundational adult human skill.
If you cannot articulate your needs, the people around you cannot meet them.
And if you cannot even identify your needs, then how could you ever articulate them?
And when you have a lifetime of masking,
of looking to other people around you
to figure out what's the right thing to do,
the right thing to say or feel or how to be,
then you have a very hard time
being in touch with the part of yourself
who knows what your needs are.
So you see, masking is a big f*cking deal.
It’s one of the big things I work on with my ADHD clients!
If you’re ready to unravel 30 years worth of hiding, and get to know your REAL SELF let’s talk.
Book a Discovery Call with me.
I can’t wait to meet you!
Warmly,
Emma