Hmm @femmeb0t I'm not sure about actual techniques per se, but like I was always holding myself to a standard that just didn't apply. Or like, yeah I guess with stuff like 'relaxation techniques', it's always like 'sit still and be quiet' and neither of those things relax me - in fact I've found the opposite is true and I am more relaxed going for a walk or having a dance than I am tryna sit still. I'm like a shark! 🦈😋

Initial diagnosis was a bit funny actually, it happened when a uni teacher got up me for using one of my (unbeknownst to me) coping tools in class. See, if I want to properly listen to and take in information from an auditory source, I need something to fidget with - in this case it was playing games on my phone. Teacher thought this meant I wasn't paying attention and made me put it away. My classmate (who I already knew had ADHD) leaned over quietly and handed me her flippy sequin pencil case to fidget with. After class, I asked her how she knew what I needed, she said w her ADHD she needs to fidget too; I asked if I should get it looked at, she did not even hesitate when she said "Yes" 🤣

After that was about 8 months while waiting for my psych appt, spent a lot of it researching symptoms, analysing all my behaviours, and of course torturing myself with anxiety about how I must have just been faking it all for attention, special treatment, and stimulant drugs. The imposter syndrome is REAL, and I think it's soooooooo common. Legit, so many of my friends have now gone and gotten diagnosed with ADHD/ASD and every. single. one of em... all had imposter syndrome, all got diagnosed, and are coping way better now.

So yeah, totally does make it hard when you're facing those barriers to get the 'official' stamp of ND Approval, but I guess my encouragement for that would be: regardless of any official diagnosis, if it walks, talks, and quacks like a duck.... i.e. if you find ASD coping tools helpful, and if conceptualising yourself as having ASD helps you to navigate your life, then to my mind it doesn't matter whether you got the official label or not, you're one of us 😉

Found some coping tools here you can check out!!