My husband keeps talking, but I am not listening. I am turning away from him. He has said or done something completely innocent on his end — commented about the need to do the laundry, said he was too tired for sex, teased me gently for a crush on some movie star — and I am finished.
You see, my ADHD and emotional withdrawal stems from my rejection sensitivity, or rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD), which can lead me to (mis)interpret things as a referendum on my (now-perceived) general horribleness as a human being.The stew of guilt and anger, shame and misery can be totally overpowering.
So I turn away. I curl into myself, cut myself off emotionally. I know it’s not a healthy coping mechanism. But at times, it’s the only one I manage.Girls with ADHD often learn emotional withdrawal at a young age: for women, ADD and emotional withdrawal often come hand-in-hand.We can be slow to pick up on the social cues other girls learn with ease.
Read more on additudemag.com