You already know why you do it
You can explain the masking now. You know why a full week at work leaves you flat on the sofa all Saturday, and why a ringing phone feels like a fire alarm. And you're probably still the one holding it all together, remembering everybody's birthday and still in the kitchen at 9pm after everyone else has stopped.
Knowing hasn't changed much yet, though. You're still doing most of it, and you're doing it on your own.
Your comfortable world starts to feel strange
The more you understand yourself, the more the life you built feels like a town you used to know your way around. You say what you need for once and somebody says "that never used to be a problem". Someone close to you suggests, half joking, that you seem more autistic or more ADHD since the diagnosis.
Nobody has done anything wrong. You've changed and the people around you haven't caught up yet. Most people stop trying after a few of those conversations, and the ones who keep going usually find somewhere safer to practise first.
Audhdistically Me
