If I could sit beside you on the edge of your bed after a long day of trying to be “normal,” or in the hallway after yet another moment where you felt like you messed up, I’d start with this:
You are not broken.
You’re not lazy, even if it takes everything in you to start things. You’re not rude, even if you interrupt or wander off mid-conversation. You’re not weird.. okay, maybe you are a little, but that weirdness is your magic!!
I know how confusing it is to watch other people do life with what looks like ease. How they get up, get dressed, remember everything, say the right things, and don’t seem to need a nap after a trip to the supermarket. It’s not because you’re failing. It’s because they’re not fighting their brain every step of the way… and you are. You always were. And still, you kept going.
You didn’t know the words: autism, ADHD, sensory overload, executive dysfunction. You just knew something about the way you processed the world didn’t match what was expected of you. It all seemed so easy for others! And when people don’t understand something, they label it. They called you difficult. Dramatic. Moody. Too much. Or worse…. lazy.
But now I know the truth. You were never lazy. You were navigating a world that wasn’t built for your brain, and you were doing it without a sat nav.
Here’s what I want you to know:
The things that made you feel like an outsider are the same things that make you deeply empathetic, wildly creative, and incredibly resilient. The way you felt everything so deeply? That becomes a strength. That feeling of not belonging? One day, you’ll find your people. And you’ll belong to yourself first.
You’ll stop trying so hard to be “normal,” because you’ll realise that your normal is valid. You’ll build a life that fits you, not the other way around.
And maybe most importantly, you’ll forgive yourself. For all the things you didn’t understand. For all the times you thought it was your fault. For every moment you tried to shrink yourself to make others comfortable.
You deserved kindness then. You deserve it now.
With love,
The Future You (who finally gets it)
Sensory Soul 