Hey there, MisWired here. And today, I want to start with a question. How many of us fear working? Like legit fear. I know whenever I sit down to do anything, I'm downright terrified about how it will be perceived by others, and whether I look like I'm working hard enough. And recently I came to a sort of a realisation. I'm not necessarily scared of my work, I'm more afraid that part of myself will come across in what I do. And this has to do with masking.
Masking is a common tactic deployed by ADHDers and Autistics to allow us to "blend in" with NDs. And that's down to because we're brought up believing that we're unacceptable and not good enough the way we are. Instead of being shown how to harness our uniqueness, we're shown how to be like everyone else.
And that carries into our work. We're constantly looking for ways to blend in, that we get scared when our true self shows. And don't get me started on the double standard between NT and ND. If we're being honest, how many times have you seen something that you've been criticized for over and over again get praised when it’s something else? The fact that this happens time and time again, yet we’re told that we should speak up when we need something, why would we in this scenario. Companies like to share the fact that they’re employee friendly, yet any employee with ND or a physical disability will tell you otherwise. Most buildings aren’t friendly towards us, work hours aren’t friendly towards us, and don’t even get me started on the benefits.
So it gets to a point where we end up feeling like we’re not appreciated in what we do. And because of that, we try to be a perfectionist in everything we do trying to please everyone. And we often go under the radar trying to stand out.
Comments