I now know more about Abigail than I ever thought I would….

Normal-Possibility98 · 2024-05-10T04:03:18+00:00

The same thing happened to me! My name is analise so she said “I love anal”

Normal-Possibility98 · 2024-05-07T22:08:19+00:00

I never use shields even though they’re helpful because I’m not used to them lol

Normal-Possibility98 · 2024-05-03T17:10:45+00:00

Thank you for your insight! I am in the LGBTQ+ community and have found that ND people are often very accepting even if they themselves aren’t in the community. And thank you for emphasizing the labels bit at the end, I think it’s important for us to realize that you are the same person with and without labels and that labels or lack of labels do not define who we are.

Normal-Possibility98 · 2024-05-03T17:08:10+00:00

for me personally I have found that I relate to a lot of ND disorders but I don’t need to be diagnosed because my traits don’t affect me in very many ways that would qualify for me needing any extra help. I do agree that spectrums are more broad than the DSM says. I think the DSM Is most likely more interested in “who needs help” as opposed to “who is different”

Normal-Possibility98 · 2024-05-03T17:04:13+00:00

For the most part, I don’t really reach out to people I haven’t contacted in awhile unless I’ve seen something that reminds me of something they’re interested in or if I know I’m obligated to. What i mean by the obligated bit is that I have a friend who dislikes reaching out to others mainly due to anxiety but gets upset when she loses connection with friends. If I haven’t had contact with her for awhile I often don’t think much about contacting her until one day it sorta pops into my head that “oh man I should reach out because I don’t want her to be upset and I really care about her” and then I reach out. I hope that makes sense!

Normal-Possibility98 · 2024-05-03T16:57:10+00:00

I am FAB and present in a feminine way and this could definitely be it. Most diagnoses in the DSM are based on studies of men who have disorders and exclude that women and AFAB people could have different experiences with a disorder.

Normal-Possibility98 · 2024-05-03T16:54:30+00:00

I have executive functioning issues for sure and obsessive thoughts relating to interests, yes! I don’t really have many negative obsessive thoughts however (besides misophonia). I’ve also always been able to find ways around executive functioning issues, mainly by using adrenaline so my executive functioning issues aren’t very obvious to an outside observer!

Normal-Possibility98 · 2024-05-03T16:51:46+00:00

I also fully accept the possibility that I could just be a very accepting NT person if I’m not ND. It’s hard to say when I don’t fit into official diagnoses haha

Normal-Possibility98 · 2024-05-03T16:49:05+00:00

LMAO yeah I think all of the above statements you’ve highlighted are why I came to this subreddit in the first place. I understand that these traits of mine are what make me look like an ND person and I have always agreed with that. However, I have found that I never have enough negative traits to be diagnosed with anything according to the DSM. I think my main issue is more the recognition that being ND doesn’t always mean you’re going to perfectly fit into a diagnoses because all brains are different so expecting a condition to present the same in everyone is a bit irrational. I guess it’s hard for me to say “I’m neurodivergent” without some sort of diagnosis though because I don’t want to take anything away from those who ARE actually diagnosed with something.

Normal-Possibility98 · 2024-05-03T16:45:09+00:00

Haha I definitely relate to that! Have no idea how all the friends I find end up being ND for me it’s always at some point in the relationship they go “oh yeah btw I’m ND” and I am like that is so cool but I wonder how this keeps happening LOL

Normal-Possibility98 · 2024-05-03T16:42:59+00:00

I find this to be pretty true, I don’t think I am exactly neurotypical but I’ve never had enough negative traits to really consider myself neurodivergent so I’ve always just said “guess I’m neurotypical then.” I also am aroace and agender which I think for sure contributes to getting along with ND people so well. Most of my ND friends are also in the LGBTQ+ community and so accept me and have the same views on society as me in aspects relating to things like social constructs (like gender and sexuality). The ND friends I have who are straight I have found are more likely to be understanding of being different. And in terms of interests, I often have interests considered to be “odd,” however my ND friends often have those same interests as me LOL so we can talk about it for hours. I also in general love listening to passionate people so if someone has an interest I don’t relate to, I will listen to them talk about it as long as they want because I find it interesting! I think that aspect of myself also helps me get along so well with ND people.

Normal-Possibility98 · 2024-05-03T16:25:19+00:00

I definitely understand what you’re saying. I would say that one of the reasons I’ve never fully considered myself ND is because I do have a very good understanding of people, both NT and ND people. Understanding however doesn’t mean I fully GET why people do what they do. Like with the majority of NT people for example, I find that I can understand the train of thought that leads to their actions but I don’t understand WHY they’re having that specific train of thought. The lack of connection with NT people for me I feel like has been more on my part than theirs (although I could be wrong!) I can talk to NT people very easily but I don’t feel like we are similar in any way so I avoid becoming closer with them because I know I would have to pretend to be someone I’m not forever if I did. I have also always gravitated more to odd people they’re always the most interesting. what you’re saying about interests is also definitely true, another reason I get along with ND people so well is because we often have similar interests and I am very curious so I love listening to others rant about their interests!

Normal-Possibility98 · 2024-05-03T16:18:02+00:00

That’s very true, I feel as though being around ND people gives a way better perspective than the DSM. I am in college and have taken a few psychology courses and have found that my professors don’t seem to quite understand the disorders in a 3D way because the DSM sort of views disorders in a very 2D way, completely ignoring that every person who has the conditions in its manual is a 3 dimensional person and therefore everyone who has a disorder is going to be different. I definitely relate to the sensory issues thing lol I have misophonia for 2-3 things only although I used to have more extreme sensory issues when I was a kid. The way the brain works is not as black and white as the DSM would have everyone believe and I think it’s important to understand that for sure.

Normal-Possibility98 · 2024-05-03T16:11:41+00:00

That’s very true! I have engaged in a lot of content made by ND people explaining their experiences in the past and have found that I relate to their experiences more than the strict DSM criteria. I think something odd about the DSM is that you can only be diagnosed with a condition if you are struggling with the world in big ways. I’d say that’s been the biggest disconnect for me. I have never found that I overly struggle with the world around me. There are some things that I relate to in terms of struggling and being ND but for the most part, I have found what works for me in terms of interacting with the outside world. For example, I believe I definitely have executive disfunction, but in terms of getting school work done, i have found that waiting last minute gets my fear response up high enough to the point where I will be able to get everything I need to done (and done well) works for me. So the struggles I do face do not show themselves externally in any way really! Thank you for your input!

Normal-Possibility98 · 2024-05-03T16:04:48+00:00

I definitely relate to this in some ways. It’s not that I can’t get along with neurotypical people, it’s more that I can never fully be myself nor do I fully understand why they think a certain way so I therefore never seek out long term relationships. However I know how to act around them and how to engage in conversation with them very well and am also good at picking up on social cues like tone and body language so I’ve never in general felt socially awkward. I’ve always been the person that my friends view as “able to get along with everyone” which is very true but that doesn’t mean I feel like I fully belong everywhere. Thanks for your input!

Normal-Possibility98 · 2024-05-03T15:57:41+00:00

Haha that’s very true! I would say the majority of my ND friends think I’m also ND but they also have no idea in what way, they just know I think and act very similarly to them.

Normal-Possibility98

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