ADHD Awareness Month Info & Meme Dump 🐿️

cuddlefaerycuddlefaery
in General

October is ADHD Awareness Month

(and yes, I know it is more than half over - procrastination and memory problems are two of the leading symptoms, so bite me 😋)

I thought it might be both educational and entertaining for those of us with ADHD to share some of our experiences, both in cuddling and life in general, so that the community can get a better understanding of how neurodiversity impacts us. There are a lot of misconceptions and stigma surrounding what ADHD actually is, so hopefully by sharing a peek into our brains and lives we can help build more empathy and improve communication.

So ADHDers, feel free to share info, resources, stories, memes, and anything else related to ADHD and/or cuddling while neurodivergent!

Note: I shouldn't have to say this, but as ADHD's most effective and commonly prescribed medications are considered controlled substances in most countries, please no discussion of illegal drug usage or anything that would break TOS. Don't get this thread shut down, ffs. Thank you.

Comments

  • cuddlefaerycuddlefaery
    edited October 2023

    I'll kick it off with two myth busting lists -

    ADHD is NOT:

    • a choice or not trying hard enough
    • something you grow out of
    • just the stereotypical little boys misbehaving and bouncing off the walls hyper
    • an easy diagnosis to get to score drugs
    • the same for everyone
    • the opposite of autism/the other end of the autism scale
    • "all in our heads" / malingering
    • an excuse to be lazy or get out of doing things
    • "everybody is a bit ADHD"
    • just a disability / mental illness

    ADHD is:

    • a neurodevelopmental condition that people are born with - think of it as brains being wired to process differently, like Mac vs PC.
    • symptomatic due to low levels of neurotransmitters, namely dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, which in turn impact nearly every system in the body
    • can vary in severity throughout life due to stress levels, hormone fluctuations, learning coping skills, gaining or losing external supports, etc.
    • a spectrum of presentations and severity with 3 main classifications currently: primarily Hyperactive/Impulsive, primarily Inattentive, and Combined
    • both more & less common than people think: currently estimated around 2.5% - 10% of the world's population depending on the country. These numbers may also not be fully accurate as current diagnostic standards are based off research on young white males, so it's estimated that females are under diagnosed and males of minority races in predominantly white countries are frequently over diagnosed.
    • frequently comorbid with other developmental and mental health issues; such as autism, depression, anxiety, OCD, dyslexia, etc.
    • starting to be seen as both a gift and a disability, due to neurodivergency's ability to think creatively, problem solve, have higher empathy, and diversify group work
    • a neurotype at least as old as civilization. It's suspected that the very traits that ADHDers find a burden in modern society would have been beneficial in hunter gatherer communities, making our current "normal" the newer adaptation.

    Some resources:
    https://www.adhdawarenessmonth.org/
    https://chadd.org/adhd-weekly/more-fire-than-water-a-short-history-of-adhd/
    https://health.ucdavis.edu/mindinstitute/research/about-adhd/adhd-myths.html

  • cuddlefaerycuddlefaery



  • stormydaycuddlestormydaycuddle Mod
    edited October 2023

    Ah, comorbidity... ☠️ It’s like kicking a squirrel while it’s down.

  • cuddlefaerycuddlefaery

    @stormydaycuddle 🤣💀🐿️

  • cuddlefaerycuddlefaery
    edited October 2023

    Cuddling with ADHD is always a mixed bag for me, being torn between sensory seeking and overstimulation. On the one hand, physical touch raises my depleted chemicals and helps soothe my nervous system, helping calm down my brain... but on the other it's incredibly easy for the wrong touch/sound/smell/person to set me off, put me on edge, and make things even worse. Working as a professional cuddler helps in a way because it involves some hardcore masking/putting on a professional persona, but it's not foolproof.

    It can be incredibly difficult for me to "just" cuddle... I'm what one would call an active cuddler: my hands are roaming, squeezing, scritching, I'll be engaging in conversation, need to watch a show, need to switch positions up regularly. If I don't multitask somehow, I'll get fidgety and more hypersensitive. Getting overstimulated sucks - sometimes I can tame it, sometimes it means I need to end the cuddles and take a sensory break.

    Example:

    cuddle partner keeps rubbing the same spot on my shoulder with their thumb, over and over again. At first it feels nice, like all pets. But then it starts feeling a bit irritating, as if they have a bit of rough skin scratching against me. I'll try to fight the urge to squirm or pull away. If they don't stop or change it up, within seconds it seems like that light scratchy feeling turns into sandpaper grinding against my skin and nails on a chalkboard inside my brain. Everything in me is screaming to get away and I cannot stop myself from flinching away. I'll try to cover it up usually by taking their hand in mine, moving positions, trying to laugh it off... but now my nervous system is on high alert and I'm in danger of flinching at every touch until it calms TF down. Lights will seem too bright, sounds too loud and annoying, that scent I barely noticed earlier will be cloying, and I'll notice every texture touching my skin acutely. Sometimes we can stop it if we act quick enough with deep pressure touch, but since my brain will be preoccupied that usually takes a partner who can read my body language and who knows what to do.

    Thankfully most people don't fixate on rubbing/scratching the exact same spot for long, and/or are good at reading body language, so that it's not too often I go into full overload. But if you have ever wondered what sensory overload is like for neurodivergent folks, that's one example.

    But mostly cuddling has been incredibly helpful and healing for me. It's done more to help me learn to communicate and uphold boundaries than years of therapy could, and the somatic/tactile therapeutic effect it has on my nervous system just can't be replicated by anything else 🤷🏻‍♀️

  • quixotic_lifequixotic_life

    @cuddlefaery ~ Soooo true!! All of that ^^^^!!!

  • SnugglyMelSnugglyMel

    Love this thread. Loooove ADHD visibility. I wasn't diagnosed until I was in my 30's and am finally treated for it and it's opened up a totally new life for me!

  • PixiePassionsPixiePassions

    Thank you for this! Gonna try to remember to come back to read everything and also share things. Wish me luck. 🤣

  • cuddlefaerycuddlefaery
    edited October 2023

    @PixiePassions OOSOOM is a b$tch. Like, having to explain to people I have the object permanence of a toddler is always SO fun. 🙄

  • PixiePassionsPixiePassions

    Amen, sister. 🥴

  • cuddlefaerycuddlefaery




  • stormydaycuddlestormydaycuddle Mod
    edited October 2023



  • cuddlefaerycuddlefaery

    @stormydaycuddle ouch, that first one hits too close to home at the end of the month 😅😭

  • cuddlefaerycuddlefaery




  • RedFox16RedFox16

    OMG! @cuddlefaery All of this 🤣🤣 I was actually one of the few girls diagnosed as a kid (in the 80s, no less). But that just shows how extremely hyperactive I was in order to even get there....as a girl....in the 80s!! ADHD is legit something that is only diagnosed because of how annoying you are to others. Makes a person feels awesome growing up feeling that way 😒 And of course, all 3 of my daughters have it too....even the youngest who is adopted and doesn't share any genetics with me LOL Nothing increases your self awareness and make you research like raising a houseful of ADHDers like you!! 😖

  • RedFox16RedFox16




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