29/12/2025
These are the only photos I have of me a a child 🥹
A girl who grew up masking, pushing, coping, and wondering why life felt so heavy, even when things looked “fine” on the outside
She learned early how to adapt, how to keep going, how to try harder
She learned to be quiet about the overwhelm
To explain away the exhaustion
To believe that everyone else was managing life better than she was
She learned to never ask for help because no one ever believed she was struggling
She believed it when people criticised her and turned it inward
At 42, I finally got my answer: ADHD and autism (as the assessor also confirmed)
Not a label I didn’t have before but language for something that had always been there and as soon as it was said out loud (especially the autism) I KNEW
& it didn’t rewrite my past, but it reframed it
The struggles made sense
The strengths made sense
The intensity, the sensitivity, the drive, the burnout, the struggles, all of it finally had context
And it turns out this wasn’t an ending at all
It was a beginning
Understanding myself has made 2025 a year of breakthroughs, not shame ❤️
Progress, not punishment ✌️
Compassion instead of constant self-correction 💕
I’ve stopped forcing myself to fit systems that were never designed for my brain
I’ve started building a life that actually works with how I’m wired
I now ask for help from coaches, therapists, friends because I’m not afraid
And the wins this year feel different, because they’re sustainable
This post is for the child in this photo
And for every adult who’s just now getting answers
If you’re late-diagnosed too, you’re not behind
You didn’t miss your moment
You’re not broken
You’re right on time and your neurodivergence makes you unique, strong and special 🫶🏻
Carly xx ❤️❤️
Ps that FRINGE, epic isn’t it? 🤣👀