Welcome to Spoony Stories ❤️🥄 Sharing stories is a powerful reminder that we're not alone. Each week, we share stories from our vibrant community to hear all about their experiences being neurodivergent, chronically ill and disabled, and to get to know some of the voices that make our Spoony community so wonderful. This week, we chat with Natalie from the United States!
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Welcome to Spoony Stories ❤️🥄 It's official, Spoony has the kindest community! We're constantly wowed by the thoughtfulness and generosity that we're lucky enough to see 😍 It's such a joy to chat with some of the wonderful people on Spoony and learn more about their experiences with neurodivergence, chronic illness and disability.
This week, we chat with Natalie from the United States! Thanks for sharing your story! ❤️
Are you neurodivergent, chronically ill, and/or disabled?
Neurodivergent, chronically ill and disabled.
What health conditions do you have?
ADHD, Autism, Dissociative Disorder, Fibromyalgia, Anxiety, Depression, chronic headaches, insomnia, and extreme food sensitivities
How do you explain your health conditions to other people?
I tell people that I have delayed processing, find it hard to pay attention, I'm always low on energy physically and mentally, and that my whole body hurts all the time. How I feel so nervous, struggle with eating in public, and get overwhelmed by the feeling that everyone's watching me. How I don't mean to interrupt but my brain's going too fast and I get too excited. I explain that for me, life is genuinely exhausting.
What impact do your health conditions have on your daily life?
I barely have enough energy to even do 'basic' tasks like going to the toilet, bathing, making food, eating and brushing my teeth. When I have spoons, I end up catching up on tasks that I couldn't do before like cleaning and homework. With my combination of chronic illness and mental illnesses, it can feel impossible to get things done. I spend most of my time bedrotting or couchrotting to preserve energy.
What barriers have you experienced in making friends and connecting with people?
I don't feel comfortable around most of my friends, sometimes it doesn't feel like I really know or relate to them. I feel often end up masking because I feel alien in their presence. Constantly misinterpreting what people say and dealing with severe anxiety has made it hard to make new friends.
What's been your experience on Spoony so far?
I feel more safe on Spoony than any other social app, I've interacted with so many amazing people. It's great to talk to people who are going through similar issues and have similar interests.
Each week, we share stories from the incredible Spoony community in our newsletter, podcast, and on social media. Share your story with us.