The Importance of Speaking Up

It’s scary to face the world when most of the time you feel like you are alone. Wondering why you feel like everyone around you is reading from a different handbook than the one you were given. And the time you peeked into someone else’s book, it felt like you were reading a foreign language where only a couple of words are familiar. Yet you try to continue with those recognizable words as the framework for your survival.

Even though everyone’s acquaintance with the neurodivergent experience is different, it is no secret that there are collective situations and symptoms that are more common than others. That is why having stories of people going through similar circumstances accessible could be paramount to bolster your self-discovery journey.

Sharing your story might be frightening – allowing your most vulnerable self to be exposed to the world can be. But do the pros overthrow the cons?

The surge of mental health advocacy in social media had been one of the best tools I found. Through the ableist and unhealthy advice from neurotypicals, I was able to find neurodivergent creators speaking about their circumstances and the most preeminent symptoms that prompted them or their parents to seek professional help. After months of TikTok videos popping up on my For You page, and informative content appearing on my Instagram explore page and my YouTube home feed, I realized that it was time to reach out to a psychologist.

Had it not been for those individuals revealing their lives, I would have continued blindly down the wrong path unbeknownst that I was holding the wrong handbook.

With the information I acquired through that content I was able to feel less like the odd one out in my groups. Knowing that other people out there were going through something similar as I was and had also struggled for so long was comforting and made looking for help less daunting.

Sharing your story could not only be beneficial for yourself but for others as well. You might doubt the importance of your narrative or the significance of having it out there – that maybe one more telling won’t make any difference. Had it not been for the people that had already spoken out, I would have never thought to find help. Your story could be the catalyst for others to do the same.

Whether diagnosed or not, every piece of the puzzle matters. It helps bring awareness to mental health conditions and disorders that have been stigmatized and vilified by the misinformation that reigned in the media. As more cases come to light, more information and research are published. Openly discussing the mysteries of the brain helps pulverize the stigma around it, reminding others that there are resources available to those who need it and that they are not alone. This creates a unity in a community that is often misjudged and misinterpreted oftentimes.

When you have other points of view from the same mental conditions, society is forced to reevaluate how they are perceived. As much as it helps the neurodivergent community, it helps neurotypicals to understand what we are going through. This information is crucial for parents, families, and friends of neurodivergents – allowing for a safer environment for neurodiverse individuals to exist in. Due to the lack of diverse information regarding these disorders, many grow up undiagnosed and are forced to mask to detrimental levels. They feel alienated and oftentimes criticized for actions they can’t control.

That is why I created the “Our Voice” page. I want it to be a safe haven for neurodivergents to tell their stories – for others or themselves. If you are a neurodivergent, write me how you found out; if you’ve been diagnosed since childhood, have recently been diagnosed, or are in the process of it. Tell me how it felt after you started connecting those dots and the wires seemed to finally attach themselves. How your life changed after knowing your actions and thoughts had names. If you are a neurotypical, tell me about a close experience you’ve had with a neurodivergent friend or family member, and if you’ve taken any steps to further understand these conditions. Or just pass by and say hello. It can be anonymous, under a pen name, or your own – I will only post your story with your permission.

There are a few things you must remember:

• You don’t owe anyone an explanation for the mental health journey you are on.

• You don’t owe anyone a detailed report of your story – only if you feel it to be necessary.

• We are not here to appease the minds of the people that don’t understand how our brain works. You don’t owe anyone an explanation of your priorities.

• You don’t owe anyone a relationship – family, friends, parents, etc.

• You choose who and what to tell. This is your life, this is your story.

Go to "Our Voice"