asherbasher

At the moment, my skincare routine is pretty much non-existent. Back when I had a schedule and a routine in my every day life, I was actually pretty good at caring for my skin. Doing it enough as part of a routine really helped me. I am currently on sick leave and there's no stability in my every day life that helps me get into a routine, sadly.

The routine I had was facewash, tonic, and cream.

Before I got my ADHD diagnosis, I went to see my psychiatrist because I suspected I had PMDD, since I only had one week a month where I weren't depressive and perhaps even a danger to myself. She agreed that I probably have PMDD, but she asked me to take an ADHD test, which is when I got my ADHD diagnosis. Even though PMDD isn't an official diagnosis in Denmark, she still believed that I probably have it. How we figured out how to avoid my issues with PMDD was just by skipping my periods, by continuing taking my birth control pills without any breaks. This has done wonders for my mental health! No periods, no back aches, and no depressive episodes.

For me, I used to be tired all the time and I needed at least one nap a day. My brain was going so fast in my head and my executive dysfunction was overwhelming so I was just constantly exhausted. I don't even need naps anymore! And if there is something that I need to do, I do it. At the moment I do feel more lazy, but that's because it's warm and humid and I'm not built for that.

I'm so happy I have Samsung Pass on my phone. All I need is my thumb. Crossing my fingers that I'll never lose that thumb!

Lemmy in!

As a person who is lactose intolerant I can inform you that this is very true.

Thank you so much!

I didn't know you could pick more than one language. I'm a fledditor, so still figuring out the ropes around here 😅

That comment did segway in to her asking me whether or not I have any ideas of why and when I felt the need to mask, and other than that one comment I did not feel uncomfortable talking to her as a psychologist. I did feel uncomfortable due to it being a social interaction with another human being. But she didn't make me feel like I am wrong for not wanting to make eye contact. She didn't make me feel wrong for not liking last minute changes. She was accepting of the fact that I have different needs. Needs I didn't know I have. I think my brain - being as wonderful as always - zoomed in on a comment and just ran with it. She probably could have worded it better, though.

“you learned to mask really well, so the problem being hidden by it obviously doesn’t actually exist"

Yeah, it was more like "you're either REALLY good at masking OR you actually don't have a problem in social situations" which led to her asking how I felt at the moment talking to her and then she asked me if I had an idea of why and when I first felt the need to mask. So this conversation did lead to us digging in to the reasons of why and when. To be honest, I did not know I was that good at masking, because in my head I always felt like I am wrong and I am convinced that people can see that immediately.

Thank you for this one. Now that I know that I have ADHD I am 100% certain that my mother is as well. Like, as an adult seeing her acting on her rejection sensitivity - even before I knew what it was - really helped med reflect on my own rejection sensitivity. My mother suffers from this in a severe way. I've explained to her what Rejection Sensitivity Disorder is, so she knows about it. I'll probably take this image and translate on top of it, then share it to her. Her English is not her best.

We really got into why I mask after that comment. She asked me why and when I felt the need to be so convincing. The answer was that I've always felt that way. I've always felt wrong and I didn't want people to know it. But she also made me realize that I need to be aware of my own needs, and that I can't try to please everyone on the cost of my own mental health. I don't know. I guess it was a small comment that led us down a path as to why I felt the need to "pass as normal". But not only to pass as normal, but also how I set aside my own personal needs aside in order to appease everybody else.

We actually got into more of the talking of masking, and her asking me where I think this started since it seems like I am so good at it. Other than that one comment, she actually made me feel really comfortable. I think I'll try to bring this up in my next session and see how she reacts. If she reacts negatively towards me, then I'll definitely look for a new psychologist.