Prepare yourself for some feelings, my friends. Part one is the story of the build up to and the experience of AuDHD (autistic and adhd) burnout while still needing to be a parent (hint, it's kinda difficult to do both), and part 2 will be strategies and things I did to feel better.
#audhd #neurodivergentparent #burnoutrecovery
00:00 Deciding to tell this story
01:33 What is "Normal"?
03:15 Early Childhood And Masking
06:00 School And Pressure To Succeed
08:19 Workplace Experiences
09:25 We All Have Things To Work On
10:31 Marriage And Parenting
14:15 2020 Impact
15:32 Diagnosis And Final Collapse
18:49 Initial Protective Measures
It's totally fine if you don't want to hear me talk about this part. It's not for everyone. I hesitated sharing it for a while, for fear it will be viewed as whining or complaining, or "too emotional". BUT I do think we heal when we share and I wish I'd had some sort of understanding of what was going on with me when this started to happen other than "you are in burnout". And? What does that mean?? Why is this happening?
So I'm presenting it here, honest, sometimes possibly cringe, not as a full and complete definition of anyone else's story nor dismissal of anyone else's experiences, but because I think it will help other late diagnosed AuDHD and Neurodivergent parents understand that they are not, in fact, making it up. You are not weak. It's real, it's more difficult that my words can convey, and you are doing your best.
I want it to be abundantly clear that my husband and I are incredible parents, and our kids were always safe and are doing great. What I went through was done safely and responsibly and what I learned from this experience has only fostered a better understanding of and relationship with my children and what it means to navigate this world as a neurodivergent person.