Member-only story
I’m often asked to explain what masking looks like. Time and time again, the best example has come from my experiences in the workplace.
I used to work in finance. Every morning, my team would meet, both in-person and hybrid, to share any updates. The conference room was always dark and stuffy — instantly making me feel sleepy no matter how many hours of sleep I’d had the night before. I could have sat at my desk, which was in a brightly lit room, and attended remotely. But I went down to the conference room. I was too afraid people would view me differently if I didn’t show my face.
For me, masking looks like performing for an audience — in this case, my work peers. I’d put my clothes on every day and give myself that pep talk. “Let’s get ready for work. Let’s try our best to stay on course.” The pep talk was my way of prepping myself to mask my ADHD. It was draining, and it made me uneasy about going into the office.
Masking my ADHD takes energy. It’s tiring to suppress your feelings and thoughts and conform to what’s considered normal. Every day that I chose to mask was just another day of not showing up as my authentic self. That didn’t feel right to me.
It didn’t feel right to hide one of the biggest parts of my identity. ADHD is a part of who I am, and it doesn’t make me any less…
