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People With ADHD Share Signs They Ignored, Here Are The 116 Most Interesting Ones
Many people discover, sometimes much later than expected, that they are not neurotypical, often because the signs were there, but just interpreted as, say, a fun, personal quirk. So we’ve gathered examples of neurodivergent and ADHD traits that people thought were just “normal” behaviors for the longest time.
An important note, don’t diagnose yourself from an online list, many of these behaviors are not necessarily exclusive to neurodivergence. Settle in as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your own experiences and thoughts in the comments down below.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Starting to clean an area, finding a thing that goes somewhere else, taking it there and seeing that area needs cleaning, start cleaning that area, finding a thing that goes somewhere else….
Robert Trebor 4 hours ago (edited)
Starting to.clean, finding a book, or a paper, or a map, and two hours later ...
Rick Murray 10 hours ago
Starting to clean an area, finding some old bit of rubbish and three days later there's a long rambling blog post (and maybe a YouTube video) about some bit of tech from the 80s. Deep dives are fun. I can hyperfocus on one thing *and* have an excuse nothing else gets done (cough, including dinner), so it's a win right? Plus I'm learning....a skill that might have been invaluable forty years ago. 😂
RELATED:
#2
Needing to have the captions on during a movie in order to hear better
pandamonium 8 hours ago
I believe "neurodivergent" to be one of the more misused terms lately.
Load More Replies... Rick Murray 10 hours ago
It's such a habit that subtitles are on even when I can hear the audio. I think my eyes work a lot faster than my ears.
StrangeOne 11 hours ago
If I have to put the captions on in order to hear the movie, I'm already turning it off and going for an older movie that has proper audio.
RomanceRadish 46 minutes ago
I understand movie plots better when I can fully catch all they're saying. It's also helpful for kids/ others learning to read a language.
Starbug 2 hours ago
Yes, but also when speech is recorded in HD, it captures a wider frequency range and more subtle details and this can make the recording sound different compared to lower-quality recordings, which could be perceived as quieter or less prominent.
Load More Replies... #3
“waiting mode”. if i have an appointment or something scheduled at like 3, my entire day will revolve around it. like i could wake up at 9 o clock and think no i cant watch a movie, what if it’s accidentally 8 hours long and i miss my appointment. i also will get ready for the appointment at like 11am and literally sit and wait until it’s time
Rick Murray 10 hours ago
I have a car repair at 1.30pm. I think I'm already in waiting mode (it's twenty past six in the morning).
StrangeOne 10 hours ago (edited)
I can't. It's like getting dressed up fancy just to sit on the couch or lay in bed. I fear if I start doing something else before the appointment I'll get so wrapped up that I'll lose track of time. I cannot plan any appointments after work. I'll forget about it last minute and go home, in autopilot. It has to be either during my shift hours because I'll be reminding when I have to leave, or just take the whole day off and plan the appointment for the morning, so I can get it out of the way, or plan it on the weekend.
meeeeeeeeeeee 10 hours ago
I have had to try not to cry infront of workmen who have shown up an hour later than planned because I've spent so many hours already waiting for them.
#4
Being completely calm in a crisis, but having a total meltdown over the smallest thing
#6
I realized that, when someone tells me a story or something, I immediately think of a similar experience that fits to theirs and share it as soon as they’ve finished, which may come across as „me trying to make it about myself“, when in reality it’s my ADHD attempt to make them feel seen 🥺
Nikole 11 hours ago
Oh I do this! I'm just trying to show them (and myself) that I can relate!
CT 8 hours ago
That's the tricky part. It starts with good intentions and the feeling of connecting. But on the other hand, it can be perceived as "I'm not interested in you," "My stories are more valuable than yours," and so on, and it has the opposite effect and creates a disconnect. It's not easy and it requires understanding from everyone, from people with and without ADHD. I have a genuine question about whether this is a phrase that can be used in a situation like this. If someone said this to you, would you take it well, or should we avoid it?: "I understand your need to compare it to your personal experiences, but right now, can we focus a little longer on my story? I need to. (I'd gladly like to hear the parallels with yours later.)"
Load More Replies... meeeeeeeeeeee 10 hours ago
This is normal, what you meant to do, just sit there and stare at the walls after someone's told you a story?
CT 9 hours ago
You need to continue the conversation about their story, "tell me more", ask for details, how they've been since, etc., showing that you've listened and understood them. You should use "you" and avoid using "I" for while
Load More Replies... #7
The anger toward loud noises. It is just unbearable.
M M 8 hours ago
My partner tends to put music too loud for me, is he deaf or am I sensitive? We don't know
Don't listen to me 3 hours ago
Usually a sign that their hearing is getting worse. Get tested!
Load More Replies... #8
That not everyone’s brain was filled with random clips of music on a loop or a word repeating constantly or that sometimes… sometimes there’s SILENCE in others people’s heads… like whaaattt!? My flabbers were ghasted
Rick Murray 10 hours ago
As much as it's tiring having all the noise up there, I think *silence* would be terrifying. Where would my sanity be without my highly snarky inner monologue?
DC 43 minutes ago
It's not really silence we want. It's managable doses of the constantly revolving thoughts. Like, imagine your thoughts as being written into and read out of the same book. Our books are located on a windowsill, the window is open and there's a storm outside. We wanna close the window.
Load More Replies... #9
I wasn’t diagnosed with adhd but is it normal to be reading a book and then realising you’re just thinking about something instead of reading so you have to go back.
meeeeeeeeeeee 10 hours ago
I cannae read a book, laddie. No idea what the last paragraph said. I can read online fine tho, weird.
Robert Trebor 4 hours ago
Other way for me. Can't comprehend on line. Have to print it out.
Load More Replies... #10
The ADHD paralysis and shame spiral for my horrible, horrible housekeeping skills.
#11
Procrastinating, i honestly just thought it was something everyone struggled and I wasn’t weird for waiting to do my school assignments until the night before they are due 😭
M M 8 hours ago
I realized that yesterday 😂 Apparently when you're in a good place, you just do what you need to do
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#12
Feeling like Im being watched. Not in a paranoid "the govt is monitoring me" way, just always feeling this underlying feeling that Im being judged even when Im just standing in line at the grocery store
#13
Skipping ahead a few lines while reading then forcing myself to go back and read the now boring bit cause I spoiled the next bit for myself
StrangeOne 11 hours ago
LOL I don't remember reading it, but when I read it back I remember reading it. It's so weird.
#14
One ADHD symptom I thought was normal was needing pressure or urgency to function. I only moved when things felt critical, but went flat when things were calm.
#15
Constant music on repeat in my head. People can say certain words that are from songs I know and it triggers a new song to play in my mind. I will wake up in the middle of the night, and the music starts again. It’s really aggravating.
Nadine Debard 7 hours ago
This is exactly me. Songs I never heard for 30 years. Now I look for them (now you can sing and the phone tells you which song it is) and I hear them full blast to make them go. Otherwise they can stay up to 3 weeks stuck in my head.
#16
Getting frustrated when people don’t finish their sentences fast enough, or don’t talk fast enough
Rick Murray 10 hours ago
This. And then they have the audacity to get upset because you deliver an entire paragraph in the time they manage a few words.
StrangeOne 10 hours ago
Had to stop watching Tyler Bucket. I sped his videos up to 50x faster, and he still talks so.. sloooow.
Lucy Covington 1 hour ago
Absolutely, and my partner takes a while to get to the point. I often have to ask if there is one coming...I really do not need to know the details of the location or what colour hat someone was wearing if it's not relevant to the punchline.
#17
Piles. Piles everywhere lmao
StrangeOne 11 hours ago (edited)
This used to be me. I hated tidying and cleaning when I was growing up. My mom hounded me about it all the time. Since I've lived away from her, having to clean and tidy my whole home on my own, I do appreciate keeping it tidy on a regular basis so it's not so overwhelming when I decide it's cleaning day.
M M 8 hours ago
So the inability comes a bit from the fact that someone else demanded it?
Load More Replies... 
Reemerger 5 hours ago
Out of sight, out of mind. If I put these things away, they'll be forgotten... or pass into legend. Legend passes into myth. And before you know it 3000 years will have passed and they'll form a fellowship over the thing, to return it where it ought to be to begin with. Can't have that.
Load More Replies...
#18
THE ANGER THAT BUILDS IN YOU HAVING TO REPEAT YOURSELF
Grant Slade 9 hours ago
This is my wife of 56 years. But it's not adhd, she's just impatient, especially if I didn't put the hearing aids in
Lucy Covington 1 hour ago
Yep, first repeat will be stronger, clearer. The next will be shouting, or if someone starts talking over me, instant rage.
#19
Empathy and strong sense of justice
#21
Listening to the instructions, but not listening to them- because you need to see it done first and THEN told the instructions before it can “click”. 😅
Rick Murray 10 hours ago
Oh yes, visual learning. Instructions are a waste of time, just show me once.
#22
i’ve seen other people say this who have ADHD & ADD, i don’t miss people.. out of sight, out of mind.
LB 7 hours ago
I have this one, too. My spouse knows it's not personal, but I sometimes... forget they exist, when we spend time apart. I think it's because my brain has no space for too many alternative realities. So I don't like change, but I'm always the food to adjust to the new status quo. I'm autistic though.
T'Mar of Vulcan 1 hour ago
Wow, I thought there was something wrong with me. I literally GAF about only a few people... others, I have to remind myself to check in on them, send them messages etc. It's not personal; I love them. I just 'switch off' from social mode at home and don't think about things not in my immediate vicinity.
StrangeOne 11 hours ago
I never thought of it as an ADHD thing. Throughout my life I've questioned why I don't get upset when friends move or when I move away. I eventually miss them a bit. I think of them once in a while. Wonder if they still think of me. I thought that was normal, but some people are just overly-emotional. Same with crying when very, very happy. I have felt that I need to fake reactions so others don't think I'm cold and uncaring. I hate that I have to fake showing emotions.
#23
over sharing to connect with someone. i didn't realize people thought it was being self absorbed. having multiple hobbies/projects. hyper fixation on collections, topics (reading mainly like h*******t, ancient Egypt, the tudors etc)
StrangeOne 10 hours ago
The amount of mental energy it takes to not jump in at everything people talk about should be an Olympic sport.
#24
Hearing my voice in my head when I’m reading, apparently some people don’t hear any voice….HOW CAN THEY READ 😬😬😬
StrangeOne 11 hours ago
I hear the voice I think I have, but I can also read books in other people's voices. I can envision a story into a whole movie, with the actors I think would best suit the characters.
Did I say that out loud? 4 hours ago
It's perfectly normal for some of us, just as not seeing or hearing it is perfectly normal for others.
Load More Replies...
Reemerger 5 hours ago
In a book about Richard Feynman, the physicists ran an ad hoc experiment in the university cafeteria. It turned out that some need to verbalize a problem to process it in their heads. The others visualized it. I think it was about solving a calculation in your head while reading the newspaper.
Load More Replies... RomanceRadish 33 minutes ago (edited)
Reminds me of movie "Stranger than Fiction" with Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Don't listen to me 3 hours ago
Nope. No voices, no pictures. Just understanding. But I'm old, I didn't grow up being bombarded by noisy media.
Becky Samuel 5 minutes ago
I'm not sure that those two statements are connected in any way.
Load More Replies... Did I say that out loud? 4 hours ago
I do this, I also see pictures. It's perfectly normal, just as it's perfectly normal if you don't.
#25
Not being able to focus on something if I'm not 100% interested in it
StrangeOne 10 hours ago
I call this free-will to choose to spend the time and energy on something I'm more interested in.
FlamingoPanda 9 hours ago
Bit of a problem when the thing you need to focus on is work though. She says reading BP instead of working.
Load More Replies... #26
apparently there is "ADHD handwriting" where the letters look lazy at some points and sometimes it looks like it was written by different people bc we keep changing our letter style probs cuz we get bored 👀
FlamingoPanda 9 hours ago
My bank has several variants of my signature on file after my account got flagged due to signature mismatch (potential fraud since someone may be attempting to copy your signature). I love e-signing things since I have my signature saved and can just copy it in. No more people getting upset because I never sign or initial the same way.
#27
Talking to myself… it calms me down but people look at me crazy… I thought everyone did this
#28
I always have my brightness all the way down on my phone and notice how it affects my vision when it’s really bright
#29
Interrupting people when they talk because you already assumed how the story will end (most of the times right)
Rick Murray 10 hours ago
It's because talking is such an incredibly slow method of information transfer, and...some...people...are...so...much...worse ThatYouCouldFitAnEntireThoughtInBetweenTheirWords.
StrangeOne 11 hours ago
Not so much I think what they will say next, but I'll get a thought flash in my head relevant to what was just said and I want to get that thought out before the topic changes and before I lose that thought in my head.
#30
Eating the same food over and over and over again... and liking it until you're sick of it. Then moving onto another type of food.
Rick Murray 10 hours ago
Took the exact same meal to work for about six years. Then I started to feel actually ill eating it. I have settled on a different preferred meal, but the time in between was traumatic and more than a few days going hungry because I'd open it and...oh god no. Colour, texture, things too mixed, I don't know.
#31
Being able to hear electricity. ⚡️
Lost Panda 10 hours ago
Similar, but different. Tinnitus is usually constant whereas hearing electricity, you can hear the current change when a TV or light has been turned on. I have always been able to hear this but didn't know it was related to neurodivergency.
Load More Replies... #32
Getting unreasonably angry over minor inconveniences affecting your schedule (people walking slow, talking slow, blocking the metro doors, stopping in the middle of a hallway etc)
StrangeOne 10 hours ago
I get this and don't like it. I hate impatience from other people. I have it done to me when people think I'm in the way. It's a crappy feeling. So I try to remind myself to be patient and just chill. It's not easy, but I'm getting better at it.
#33
Are those ADHD signs? Been walking into door jams & corners my whole life. Who knew?
#34
Eating the same food, listening to the same songs, watching the same movies. On repeat.
Nadine Debard 7 hours ago
It gives your mind an impression of safety because you already know what will happen.
#35
Replaying arguments (from years ago) and finally having solid comebacks
#37
Running through social scenarios in my head just in case. for example "if the cashier asks why they havent seen me in a while ill explain I had lots of leftovers after going out"
RomanceRadish 27 minutes ago
I know some people may like to chat with a cashier, but I prefer simple businesslike politeness and that's it. I especially dislike questions or comments about my purchases.
StrangeOne 11 hours ago (edited)
I hate this. I get caught up in past injustices. I drum up scenarios of more injustices that may occur. Before I know it my daughter is snapping me back to the present and telling me I'm clenching my teeth again, and if we're walking, I'm way ahead of her. She's knows when I'm in my head by how fast I start walking, and I mummer.
#38
Recognizing in the moment that the thing I am stuck on doing is the thing that’s going to make me late, but not being able to stop until it’s done.
meeeeeeeeeeee 10 hours ago
and that is why we wait all day instead of starting a task if we need to be somewhere
Sentina in the swamp 5 hours ago
Doing this right now. Reading this post instead of getting ready for work. Siiiiigh.
Nadine Debard 9 hours ago
I do this in my dreams very often, but I'm fighting against it in real life
#39
Racing thoughts/music playing in my head at night that kept me awake for hours
TheElderNom 1 minute ago
For me this came with stress. That and hearing things like my niece and nephew screaming even though they were soundly asleep just as I was about to fall asleep myself.
#40
the postural sway 100% I thought everyone could do it🤣😭
StrangeOne 11 hours ago (edited)
Posture sway? I need more elaboration on this. Okay, I looked it up. It basically means more compensation for imbalance by shifting your body weight when you stand and uneven movements, so you're more clumsy.
T'Mar of Vulcan 1 hour ago
Yep. My SIL was always saying, "You're making me seasick" if I was talking to her while standing because I sway *constantly*. Also, I can't keep my eyes closed unless I'm lying down because I'll fall over. Even in church, I have to keep my eyes open when praying or I start listing sideways.
#41
asking someone what they said and then immediately knowing as soon as they start to repeat themselves 😭
#43
Thinking nobody likes me and nobody wants to be my friend and I shouldn’t call to hang out because then I’m just bothering people.
M M 7 hours ago (edited)
I have a bit of an issue with a friend like that. Some traumas brought us together but now 10 years later it seems that everytime we talk she runs in circles of the same thoughts and not really wanting my opinion or support or anything and saying that she is lonely. I got frustrated a bit thb.
#44
Unable to watch movies without subtitles. Unable to understand verbal instructions unless provided written text or making notes so I don’t forget.
#45
Always and I mean always having a song playing in my head. Even when I’m thinking of other things, the song is there.
#46
Hyper fixation on a hobby and buying EVERYTHING for it and 2 weeks later it’s in the craft closet with $1k+ of other crafting/hobbies stuff just collecting dust. I also know that I won’t ever be bored because all the stuff in the creating closet so it’s like a safety net. 🤷🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️
M M 7 hours ago (edited)
Good that you have money for it. I was fearing to draw on a piece of paper not being sure if what Im sketching is worth it.
JK 5 hours ago
Hahaha I do that too! I wanted to start painting, I got bought an awesome starter kit at Xmas, and im too scared to start in case I waste any of it 😅
Load More Replies... #48
People at work always called me “Rainman”because I remember every detail of something but I can’t remember big things. I thought they were strange. Also, I hate turtlenecks and anything that wraps up around my neck and it seems like everyone else loves it.
#49
Deciding something only takes 20 minutes (when in fact it takes hours) while at the same time avoiding tasks because your brain has decided said task takes hours, when in fact, it really is a 5 minute task. Or when you doom scroll for “5 minutes” that turns into 5 hours.
#50
Putting things in very safe places and then forgetting where that safe place was. Four years later I still can’t find the very safe place I hid my daughter’s bracelet charms.
#51
Having one specific line of a song stuck in my head so often that every morning, within five minutes of waking up, I was like “oh that’s today’s anthem”. And then it just…never goes away.
JK 5 hours ago
But then the whole song's on loop in your head and there's no space for any other thoughts 😂
Load More Replies... #52
Vocal stimming. I didn’t even know it had a name. I thought it was just a habit
#53
Forgetting to close cabinets...being tired as hell all day then doom scrolling til 2AM...having 10K tabs open on my phone's browser...
#54
Maybe not normal, because I knew other people did not do it, but knowing what is going to happen in series and movies, or guess what other people is going to say before they finish their sentence (not always right in this last one, though) because we are "aware" of patterns and just use them to fill out information.
meeeeeeeeeeee 10 hours ago
I like to blurt out the lines in a scene when it's my first time watching it, just before they say it on the screen. Makes me feel like a smug wee b***h.
T'Mar of Vulcan 1 hour ago
Yes! I remember watching an episode of "E.R." with my mother and being bored AF because I knew after 10 minutes how it was going to end. (At least CSI sometimes surprised me. Unless the guest star was famous - then they were the k!ller.)
#55
Learning everything about an activity/hobby I am interested to include buying all the required tools. Map out a routine with an end of year outcome with quarterly, weekly, daily goals. Them, never do said activity.
T'Mar of Vulcan 1 hour ago
So much me! I have so many bottles of nail polish, for example. Bought every kind under the sun. Got tired of painting my nails after 2 months. Have every type of 4-ply yarn. (Yay, I've started a new blanket so it's not going to waste!) Scrapbooking supplies that I keep replenishing even though I only do a few pages every couple of months. Etc.
#56
Apparently your mind is supposed to be quiet and think one thought at a time. My mind was FLABBERGASTED when I realized that was normal.
meeeeeeeeeeee 10 hours ago
I doubt one thought at a time is normal. That seems like a different disorder. One person I've known has said they had that and they are a psychopath - not in like a dramatic evil or bad way, just a psychopath.
#57
Constantly tell myself “I’ll clean the house today or imma clean the dishes (and then keep saying and saying it untill on a random day I CLEAN THE HOUSE AND THE DISHES RIGHT AWAY WITH 0 READON)
M M 7 hours ago (edited)
And once you put the energy to plan, following it feels even more like a chore. Fun thing, once I got advice to just do things as I planned and if Im not done, just stop and start the next task and apparently that was the only day I did all of them 😅
Load More Replies... #58
unexplained bruises
#59
Constantly needing stimulation but NOT TOO MUCH. if I don’t have the tv or music or podcast on in the background my mind just won’t stop.
#61
Task paralysis. I know I need to do it, and it’s not even hard but I just freaking can’t. 😭
#62
Feel energy shift in different environments, conversations and people
#63
Not wanting to wear certain type of fabrics/ clothing because it made me feel like a million tiny critters were running over my skin….now I understand 🥹
#64
Deconstructing food and not making direct eye contact with people. Also, maladaptive daydreaming.
StrangeOne 11 hours ago
Maladaptive Daydreaming is a specific mental condition. There is overlap with ADHD inattentiveness and MD, but it's not exactly the same. MD can cause an obsessive tendency to really immerse one's self in a fantasy they've created, blurring their imagination and reality, to the point the person with MD will think it's real. Basically, a state of delusion. Inattentive ADHD and MD both disassociate, hyperfocus, become unaware of their surroundings and what's going on, become angry at being interrupted, sleep problems.
#65
Rejection sensitive dysphoria. I had no idea how people could just shake it off and move on.
PunnyPanda 10 hours ago
My old doc, William Dodson, has some really great articles in Additude mag and elsewhere, if anyone struggles with this and want to know more about coping with it.
#66
Adhd handwriting, forgetting things, being hyper for no entire reason, saying random things
#67
Object permanence. But also getting blind from objects that are always in the same place because my brain doesn’t register them anymore
#69
Having my best friends tell me about the coolest things we’ve done together in past, and I have no memory of them 😔 wish I did
#70
Feeling like I’m wrong all of the time.
StrangeOne 10 hours ago
Since I work at a store, sometimes I catch shifty people doing shifty things. I have to report it to the manager. I feel like I'm doing something wrong, giving the wrong information and description. Today, I literally couldn't remember if I saw someone's purse in the colour I recall seeing it. I saw she was carrying a purse I remember as not being the one she carried, but similar. Just flipped colours of the straps and bag. It still bothers me to wonder if I gave the right information or not, and if it will get me in trouble tomorrow if I gave the wrong info.
#71
Making random noises and repeating phrases that feel nice - my latest one is pizza pie (no idea why)
Dave Reekie 2 hours ago
Yep, always sing Christmas carols coming down the stairs. Never going up.and in June - time of year makes no difference! Diagnosed autistic at 53 years old
#72
ADHD paralysis i knew i wasn't lazy just at times I couldn't get my self to do things and I didn't know why
#73
remembering all negative things that happened to me on a loop randomly through my life. multiple times a week.
#75
being able to actually read people. almost like knowing all the answers to a book...before you even open it
#77
Too much information thrown at me then shutting down as a result
#78
that some people cannot see images in their mind? like extreme disassociation or maladaptive daydreaming. I can replay entire movies in my mind and see and hear everything like I'm actually watching in real time. apparently that's not the normal 😬
T'Mar of Vulcan 1 hour ago
I remember being bored on the bus home one day and watching the entire Star Trek TOS episode "Amok Time" in my head. People I told were so amazed!
#79
All of it. All. All of it! Not wanting to cook cus it’s too many steps, not wanting to clean cus it’s too many steps, not wanting to do laundry cus it’s too many steps.. only being motivated by having to.
#80
I thought everyone had constant chatter/sounds or songs going through their head 24/7. Apparently that is not normal 😃
#81
watching people's mouths while they talk so I can 'hear' them better
StrangeOne 10 hours ago
It's less uncomfortable than the eyes. Even in cartoons, I've always looked at their mouths.
#82
Auditory processing disorder. I used to call it auditory dyslexia until i found out the actual name. I can hear people, i just dont understand what theyre saying cause it sounds like gibberish
T'Mar of Vulcan 1 hour ago
I'm a teacher and the kids mumble terribly. (Also, I'm South African and we have lots of slightly different accents - plus lots of immigrants from other African countries.) If a child talks to me and I don't know what they said I get them to come to me, face me and say it again. I thought it was hearing loss!
#83
Having a conversation in my head first then blurting the other half of it out loud to my partner… or jumping to random topics
#84
I thought it was normal for people to always be thinking about something and I would ask my husband what he is thinking about and he would say nothing and I would wonder why he didn’t want to talk about what was going on in his head in the background all the time. Then I learned in therapy not everyone has an inner dialogue constantly. it’s a symptom of my ADHD. I was just diagnosed this year. I’m 27. 🖤
Dave Reekie 1 hour ago
The other day I was doing the dishes and ‘Nellie the Elephant’ was my current earworm. Halfway through I stopped to ask my wife if she knew the name of Nellie’s friend ( the head of the herd was Colin) She asked me why I was thinking of that and the answer is - well isn’t it an obvious connection?
#88
hearing absolutely everything at once and being unable to focus on singular sounds or just blocking it out which apparently is a thing neurotypical people can do
#89
Sleeping without socks
#91
Thinking so multidimensional and in layers all at once. The pattern recognition that comes w that caliber of thinking. It’s very hard for me to have conversations w “normal ppl” and I’m working on how to articulate better to ppl
MotherofGuineaPigs 4 minutes ago
One of my bosses said there was thinking in the box, out of the box, and me, that didn't even know where the box was.
#92
Remembering people's birthdays you haven't seen in 30 years. Knowing what year most movies came out.
#93
I smell everything I eat and if it even smells a tiny bit off I can not eat it. 😬😅 My mom says looking back she can clearly see the signs but I’m a 90s kid so 🤷♀️😅
#94
Needing to research something for days, weeks, months comparing each one on multiple different websites different models or years, learning everything about it. finding a YouTube video unboxing, how it looks. then how it is when it has a problem. Then if it is something that a lot of companies would make a case for that I could find that I liked. Whole time it’s a Nintendo switch. Or how it would look in my house like for tvs. I think everyone does this but after like 7 hrs straight or a couple days of that that’s it but it’s like I can’t I need to know I’m right
#95
Actually being a genuine person 😅 I learned the hard way people are not authentically kind or care about you
#97
15 conversations with myself. All in my head. All,with diff character voices & faces/bodies. Also, not officially diagnosed, but I've read a thing or two.
#98
having layered thoughts constantly, maladaptive daydreaming, listening to a song/eating the same thing over and over till i’m sick of it, having “a thing about textures”, burst of motivation that cuts short randomly. the list goes on lol…
#99
I hip check everything. I'm suuuper clumsy. Always in need of stimulation, but can't be overly stimulated.
#100
Stimming!!!! My parents used to belittle & slap me for me doing it up into my young (mid 20's) adulthood.
#101
Everything is a soundtrack. The need to overshare. Having 400 tabs open on ur iPad. Listening to the same song hundreds of times. Waiting until the last minute to do everything.
#102
Maladaptive daydreaming, being calm under enourmous stress and pressure but blowing up over tiny things that aren’t a big deal, hyper focusing on tasks I find interesting but unable to start/do tasks I loath.
#104
hearing power lines and refrigerators
#105
being clumsy. It clicked so hard when I found that out. 😭😭😭
T'Mar of Vulcan 1 hour ago
My mother always said to me, "You're so onhandig" ('onhandig' is Afrikaans for 'unhandy', so basically clumsy). Then couldn't understand why I struggled with socializing in high school, and blamed me.
#107
That normal people don't ruminate over every task for twice as long as it takes to do the task. They just do it? apparantly, I guess.
#108
Hypersensitivity, when I was younger I was diagnosed with ADHD and then I later developed 2 anxiety disorders. I thought having strong emotions and feelings towards people, environments, and words they say was normal. But I guess it wasn’t.
#109
Being able to physically feel music and sound. I never knew that wasn’t normal. Found out I have synesthesia 2 months ago. I just turned 49 🤷🏽♀️
#111
“Zoning out”. I was getting called out by teachers for disassociating during class as a young child
#112
constantly being reminded how mean people will be to me, even though I always treated them with kindness, courtesy, and friendship - including family 😔
#113
Losing a week if my daily schedule deviates from my normal routine
Grant Slade 8 hours ago
Reminds me of a cartoon I once saw. Kathy said, "I slept in so my day is ruined. My day is ruined so my whole week is ruined. The week is ruined so the whole month is ruined. The month is ruined so my whole year is ruined. The year is ruined so my whole life is RUINED !!
#114
Just being extremely fast. Whether its walking, doing an activity or task. Telling a story i’ll skip to like 5 side stories so pplnoften said I was bad at explaining things in a step by step way
#116
Knowing people’s intentions of what they’re thinking and feeling, even though they’re not acting like it, I thought everybody was able to do that until I realized that it was not normal
What do you think ?
Multa Nocte 8 hours ago
Clinical psychologist here. BP readers PLEASE do not use this list of quirky behaviours to self-diagnose. One of the biggest frustrations I have as a psychologist is having people come to me and telling me they are neurodivergent because they compared themself to something they read on the Internet. A number of these descriptions don't even technically fit in as definitions of any characteristic of neurodivergence. It is always important to know the context - when does it happen, how often does it happen, how does it impact the person's functioning versus is something that is just "quirky." If you have been diagnosed by a competent clinician who has experience with neurodivergent people and is licensed to use the DSM (or whatever diagnostic manual is used in your area of the world), that is great. However, a friend, a colleague, or an article on the Internet is just a start. Just as you shouldn't use Dr. Google to self-diagnose medical conditions, please don't use Dr. Google for this.
Did I say that out loud? 4 hours ago
But how are they going to feel special and unique without a fancy label, even if they do have to give it to themselves?
Load More Replies...
Tucker Cahooter 11 hours ago
I don't think I saw compulsive list making in this thread. One of the reasons my wife thinks I am weird
Mimi M 1 hour ago
I can do something for years and then suddenly I'm over it. This can be people as well. I've also been told that's a Sag thing - being able to walk away from something (or someone) without looking back. Btw, it's not for no reason, there's always a reason, but it just seems to trigger a 'nope', and then - that's it, I'm gone.
Multa Nocte 8 hours ago
Clinical psychologist here. BP readers PLEASE do not use this list of quirky behaviours to self-diagnose. One of the biggest frustrations I have as a psychologist is having people come to me and telling me they are neurodivergent because they compared themself to something they read on the Internet. A number of these descriptions don't even technically fit in as definitions of any characteristic of neurodivergence. It is always important to know the context - when does it happen, how often does it happen, how does it impact the person's functioning versus is something that is just "quirky." If you have been diagnosed by a competent clinician who has experience with neurodivergent people and is licensed to use the DSM (or whatever diagnostic manual is used in your area of the world), that is great. However, a friend, a colleague, or an article on the Internet is just a start. Just as you shouldn't use Dr. Google to self-diagnose medical conditions, please don't use Dr. Google for this.
Did I say that out loud? 4 hours ago
But how are they going to feel special and unique without a fancy label, even if they do have to give it to themselves?
Load More Replies... Tucker Cahooter 11 hours ago
I don't think I saw compulsive list making in this thread. One of the reasons my wife thinks I am weird
Mimi M 1 hour ago
I can do something for years and then suddenly I'm over it. This can be people as well. I've also been told that's a Sag thing - being able to walk away from something (or someone) without looking back. Btw, it's not for no reason, there's always a reason, but it just seems to trigger a 'nope', and then - that's it, I'm gone.
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