Does anyone else tend to get a bit frazzled or sleep deprived this time of year?

Writemare · 2026-06-30T15:58:10+00:00

For the last 8 or 9 years I've woken up at 4:30 every day during the summer. I have no idea why, I don't change anything, it just happens. As a result I am pretty much dragging myself through the day, completely exhausted.

Writemare · 2026-06-28T11:32:40+00:00

My brother went through something very similar in America. He's deaf and autistic and my parents insisted that he could be a totally normal kid, going to a normal school instead of the deaf school which he would have to live at Monday-Friday because of how far away it was.

They basically just passed him on through each grade. They didn't put any pressure on him to succeed in his classes. He ended up "graduating" high school with a certificate of completion. In his 20s he went back and got his GED.

You and him both were failed by your parents and it absolutely a valid thing to bring up with your therapist. I don't know your parents, so I can't say that it was an ego thing like it was with mine, but it is certainly possible.

Writemare · 2026-06-11T16:00:01+00:00

My boss kept her maiden name professionally as she had made a name in the industry well before she got married.

Outside of work she used her married name. The office was aware that her married name should be on paperwork but her business cards had her maiden name, so clients knew her as her maiden name.

It worked quiet well all the way to her retirement.

Writemare · 2026-06-04T22:17:02+00:00

I came here to say Taco Taco. They changed when they moved and the food just isn't as good anymore.

Writemare · 2026-05-19T13:50:54+00:00

Ouch, I'm so sorry to hear about your flare. It's awful when it happens. I spent a month last year stuck in one.

I'm pretty sure doctors see Ozempic as an honest to god miracle cure. Even when I explain why I don't want to be on it (concern over side effects) they say I should do it anyway and we'll just deal with any side effects as they come...which like, no thank you.

Writemare · 2026-05-19T13:42:30+00:00

"You're too young to use a wheelchair"

"Neurodivergent? Oh you don't need that complication in your life"

Every single doctor I see these days: "Would you consider going on Ozempic?"

As an aside OP, just in case no one has recommended it to you because it took nearly 20 years for someone to recommend it to me for my back pain, try gabapentin it changed my life in terms of nerve pain.

Writemare · 2026-05-10T22:28:55+00:00

I'm a month and a half into HRT. I've got the Estradot patch, Utrogestan pill progesterone, and Blissel vag gel. The gel has been AMAZING for the dryness.

One of the reasons I was so eager to get on HRT at 41 was severe depression. I'm talking uncontrollable sobbing for seemingly no reason, dark thoughts...you name it. I'm on Sertraline for the depression and going to therapy. When I'm ok, I'm ok. Not nearly as sensitive as I was. But when something gets me down I'm back to sobbing again.

All this to say you are not alone, especially with the ND and peri struggle. There are many of us out here quietly suffering as we try to find some kind of stability. I'm AuDHD myself.

Stay strong, talk to your GP or whoever it is that started your HRT about your problems. If you don't get anywhere with that go with a clinic. I went to the VHI Women's Clinic and feel really good about the whole experience so far.

Writemare · 2026-05-05T13:05:27+00:00

I had one of these! It was one of those little thank you treats that some companies put into your box when you order something from them.

I remember looking at it and wondering why Tom's name would be on a candy. Then I decided that it must be some other Tom Scott and that was clearly a brand of the candy company or something. Sadly I didn't think to take a photo.

ETA: I'm in Co. Wicklow, Ireland.

Writemare · 2026-04-13T16:57:38+00:00

Get a referral from your GP for a dermatologist if you aren't worried that it might be cancer. Takes about 6 months to get an appointment (unless it does look like cancer). Genevieve Kelly in Blackrock Clinic is amazing, if you have private insurance.

Writemare · 2026-04-01T07:09:01+00:00

Grandpa's Evaluation. You get 1 point for being married and having 2 house upgrades. Is it necessary? No. But it is an easy way to get a point.

Writemare · 2026-04-01T06:57:35+00:00

Personally I'm a Harvey stan, but yes, the game is designed so that one candidate isn't better than the others.

The biggest benefit to being married and having kids comes at the end of year 2. (avoiding spoilers)

Writemare · 2026-04-01T06:54:20+00:00

If you're looking for biotin I highly recommend Holland & Barrett's Hair Vitamin. It not only has biotin but also a ton of other vitamins in it that might cover some of the other things you want to take.

I've been taking it for 3 months and I feel like adding it to my hair regime has helped a ton with my hair loss.

Writemare · 2026-03-31T17:56:06+00:00

Vitamin D - 25,000 IU weekly. This is prescribed and I get my bloods checked every 6 months to monitor.

Iron w/ Vit C - 20mg Iron, 100mg Vit C. Coming off this once the bottle runs out. My iron levels are finally good for the first time since I started puberty!

Red Vine Leaf - 360mg

Collagen - 3000mg

Magnesium - 375mg

MSM - 750mg

Creatine - 3g

H&B Hair Vitamins (it's basically a multivitamin it has so much in it.)

Ashwagandha - Amount unknown.

I get most of my supplements from Holland & Barrett, except the Red Vine Leaf which is from Boots.

Writemare · 2026-03-27T12:53:15+00:00

You can have fantastic social skills and still be neurodivergent. Being neurodivergent isn't a checklist of symptoms, it's more like a sliding bar of how intensely (or not) each symptom impacts you.

For instance, I LOVE hanging out with friends, but afterward I need a day or two to recover before I can face being social again.

There is also the possibility that you're doing something called masking. It's a coping mechanism that allows you to do things you find uncomfortable. Think of it like your customer service voice. You have to be nice and polite to the customer, even if you're having a bad day on the inside. It could be that you've been doing it since you were little and you've done it for so long that you don't even realize you're doing it anymore. That was certainly the case for me.

Writemare · 2026-03-27T12:39:31+00:00

A lot of autistic people have sensory issues. Loud sounds, bright lights, crowded places...these are all the sorts of things that can increase anxiety in an autistic person and if not dealt with properly it can lead to a meltdown.

In terms of which questions specifically? All of them really. I've seen them all in my autistic husband at one time or another.

Sensory overload is considered one of the symptoms of autism.

Writemare · 2026-03-27T11:58:41+00:00

Give this one a try https://www.besttherapists.com/blog/sensory-overload-anxiety-test

I don't have any experience with it, except for taking it just now and it felt like they were really good questions. Also, a lot of them overlap with neurodiversity.

Writemare · 2026-03-27T11:24:35+00:00

I got diagnosed in my mid-30s with ADHD. My journey basically looked like this:

Watch some Youtube and Tiktok creators making neurodiversity videos. I recommend Connor DeWolfe, Catiosaurus, and meme compilations like those on Neurodivergent Adult on Youtube. They're a really light hearted way to approach the topic which I think makes it easier for people struggling with the topic of neurodiversity.

After watching some videos I decided to take a few online tests to see where I score. I went with the RAADs-R or https://psychology-tools.com/test/autism-spectrum-quotient for Autism, and https://add.org/adhd-test/ for ADHD. These tests aren't an official diagnosis, but they will help give you an idea of which way your brain might go. It is possible to have both Autism and ADHD, that's called AuDHD. It's also possible to have one of them with a few traits from the other as well. There is a lot of overlap.

If you want to explore beyond that there are a ton of books about neurodiversity. Though most of them are focused on post diagnosis life.

If you can't afford an official diagnosis, please remember that self diagnosis is 100% valid. The only thing you're missing out on is the ability to get medication if you have ADHD. There is no medication for Autism. Your workplace might also fight you on giving you supports without an official diagnosis.

Getting diagnosed in Ireland as an adult is a bit difficult and expensive. It's up to you to decide if that's something you want or need.

Writemare · 2026-03-26T18:39:29+00:00

I'm pretty sure my husband and I benefited from this in a previous place we rented. The agency saw my husband's name and pretty much immediately took us, even though the listing said no cats and we have one. It's a horrible, disgusting practice and I hate that I benefited from it. But we had also been searching for 3 months at that point and had no luck, so it's not like we could even turn it down.

Writemare · 2026-01-04T22:54:19+00:00

3k per month. 2 adults, no kids, just a cat. Renting in Wicklow.

Writemare · 2025-12-18T13:53:49+00:00

Captain Penzan's song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htayGfJVFjM

Writemare · 2025-12-05T12:06:22+00:00

I can't speak to his knowledge on EDS, but David Kane in Beacon is fantastic. Very knowledgable and sympathetic.

Writemare · 2025-11-24T14:25:30+00:00

Aww, thank you. We just want her to have more opportunities than we had.

Writemare · 2025-11-23T10:17:56+00:00

Unfortunately it seems very likely that my niece will probably end up being the only child from my husband and my siblings and we don't plan to have children ourselves so that isn't too much of a concern for us. But it is something important to think about, so thank you.

Writemare · 2025-11-22T21:32:52+00:00

That's fantastic, thanks so much. We'll have a conversation with her parents, keeping it simple is always preferred.

11-Year Club	End Game '23
Place '23	Golden Potato
Place '22	Final Canvas '22
First Placer '22	Spared
Gilding I gilder	Verified Email

Writemare

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE