In an effort to make dental hygiene more appealing and easier for my neurodivergent brain, I made a few purchases today that will hopefully help with brushing and flossing more consistently!

I wanted to share in case these will help you, too.

🧵 I already have a @getquip brush and subscription that is on autopilot for me.

I get mint toothpaste sent to my home, as well as a new toothbrush head and battery for my electric toothbrush, regularly.

This does help and I definitely recommend it if you can afford it!

Let's be clear about this. Transgender people with depression and autism already ARE being denied hormones and surgery. We already HAVE BEEN fighting for the right to access affirming interventions.

Don't let these mandates confuse you. We've been fighting this for a long time. Plenty of neurodivergent trans people have had to fight tooth and nail to get access to affirming care, without having their mental health weaponized and used against them.

I'm one of them.

First, I eat a snack that I can tolerate (usually something with a predictable and easy texture, like yogurt, apple sauce, or ice cream) to help stabilize my mood.

Then… 🧵

https://twitter.com/thedigitalyenta/status/1646540311504494594

It’s novelty to the rescue! When nothing sounds appetizing, it’s usually because I’ve lost interest in the foods that I have.

I need more exciting, new-to-me foods. So I give myself permission to go to the store or order food, even if I already have food at home.

I want to talk about the flip side of what is possible when fat people have access to competent, unbiased health care.

Here’s what happened when I visited my “health at every size” informed primary care doctor earlier this year.

🧵 🛑 I want to first include some content notes for: discussion of eating disorders, health (I will try to avoid numbers), and discussing medical fatphobia in broad terms.

Take care of yourselves first and foremost!

Things that can trigger detransition that aren’t just regret.

Adding a little nuance with a thread. 🧵 Eating disorders. Changes in one’s body, especially distribution of fat, can be a huge trigger for some trans folks and may cause them to suspend their transition.

ADHD involves so many micromoments of shame. Stepping over the pile of laundry. Re-remembering the bill you still haven’t paid. The sink full of dishes and the fridge leftovers lurking in the back.

The small but recurring “I should have” is cumulative and it’s painful. I want to encourage folks with ADHD to start noticing those moments of shame.

And instead of letting them crush you with judgment, use them as an opportunity to reaffirm your humanity.

You are not a failure or a fuckup or a mess. You’re human. So, so human.

I told my old therapist that I had a hard time telling him things that would disappoint him, because I cared a lot about what he thought of me.

He asked what I needed to start to release that fear of judgment. I told him that he’d have to do something really cringe. Something that would make me value his opinion just a LITTLE bit less.

He asked for an example.

“You’d need a secret collection of crocs.”

“Like the shoes?” he asked.

“Yes. Something harmless but still questionable.”

There is a difference between reluctant permission to be ourselves and loving permission.

The former we do in theory because we know from our healing work that we’re “supposed” to embrace authenticity.

Reluctant permission is a step. But not a destination. Loving permission is different. We give ourselves loving permission to be our whole selves because we know we deserve it — every self, from child to present day, deserves it.

This is just my anecdotal observation, but I don’t think overspending is *just* an impulsivity thing for folks with ADHD (though that’s certainly part of it!).

I think it’s kind of an identity thing, too. Let me explain.

🧵 There's research out there that shows that identity can be a source for sustaining motivation.

Meaning, if you make something part of your identity, you're more likely to sustain the action or behavior associated with that identity.

ADHDers! If you struggle with task initiation, I'd like to introduce you to the acronym "RAN." It stands for:

R: Rewards
A: Accountability
N: Novelty

Let's break down what each of these mean, and how to apply them to the tasks you're avoiding. 🧵✨ This is an acronym I came up with when doing research on task initiation strategies.

RAN (like "I ran towards the task!") can be a nifty reminder of three strategies we have to increase motivation when we're struggling to get started.

One thing I wish every ADHDer knew:

Even for neurotypical people, the average brain appears to get about ~3 hours of focus for productive, "high mental energy" work per day.

Just three hours.

Which means we need to redefine what a productive day looks like for all of us. 🧵 This Inc article is a great summary of the study that I'm talking about. It was a study of about 2000 UK office workers, on which a good/average day amounted to about 2 hours and 53 minutes of focused work.

inc.com/melanie-curtin…

CW: Eating disorders

There's been a lot of conversation (rightfully so!) about why we shouldn't talk about other people's bodies, even if it's a "compliment."

I wanted to share a little about what "compliments" did to my psyche as a person with an eating disorder. All throughout my life, I was complimented on having a thin body.

Even as a child, it started with being a "skinny minnie." And I internalized this idea that being thin was a good thing, something that the adults in my life would praise me for.

Let’s talk about the core wounds that trauma survivors with #ADHD often struggle with. 💬 Many folks with #ADHD have also experienced some kind of developmental trauma. We often see neglect and emotional abandonment especially when caregivers are unable (or unwilling) to offer competent support for their neurodivergent child.

Let’s talk about ADHD and disordered eating. 🧵 The link between disordered eating and #ADHD is strong. We face unique challenges with food that make it difficult to nourish ourselves consistently.

The trauma response “flight” can show up as keeping yourself constantly busy, not giving yourself spaciousness to feel and be.

Rest is healing. Constantly striving, self-optimizing, and working may actually be fight-or-flight. This inevitably leads to repeated cycles of burnout. Your propensity for overworking or being in constant motion is a coping mechanism that makes sense, ESPECIALLY under capitalism.

And? If you are unable to rest or uncomfortable in moments of ease, you might be stuck in a cycle of flight (overdoing) and freeze (burnout).

I want to explain what we're talking about when we say that transgender people need anti-discrimination protections in health care.

Because I think some of you really don't understand what this means, or might perceive our reaction as dramatic. But it's not.

🧵👇🏼 I remember when I lived in Michigan and a trans woman that I knew had to call 911, because a serious wound she had (from an unrelated medical condition) started hemorrhaging overnight.