Phases of neurodivergent self-acceptance:

1) Denial. You're not one of "those people". You're normal! You've never really fit in and feel like you're broken, but everyone feels like that, right?
2) Wonder. You relate to real life experiences of ND people a little too much.

3) Avoidance. You forget about those relatable experiences shorty after, despite the nagging feeling that there's something important there.
4) Repeat points 2 and 3. Maybe. A lot.
5) Breakdown. You finally succumb, after fighting for years, cannot deal any more.

6) Enlightening. You start researching neurodivergency. That's you, there's no denying it anymore. It explains everything. Oh fuck.
7) Relief. You're not an outcast nor broken, there's more people like you! Everything finally makes sense. You feel comforted, understood. Relieved

8) Frustration. Why did I not know this sooner? It could have prevented so much pain and suffering. Why? Why?*
9) Community and growth. You learn more about yourself, and find others like you. You learn and grief together.

*note from author: this stage might last a lifetime.

10) Journey towards an official diagnosis. Might happen at any point between 1 and 10. Not universal.
- 10.a) Try to figure out the best approach. Realizing there is no social awareness. Groan.
- 10.b) If you're lucky, you'll learn most psychs have no idea BEFORE you meet them.

- 10.c) Prepare thoroughly before your appointment, writing down your traits. Panic.
- 10.d) If you get lucky, yay! You're officially diagnosed. Proceed to point 11. If you're unlucky, go back to point 10, or proceed to 11 if official diagnosis is no longer desired.

11) Imposter syndrome. You wonder if you're really neurodivergent. Other people seem to have it worse. What if you're just so good at faking you've convinced everyone you are, but you aren't? What if you're just broken? Repeat at irregular intervals.

12) Coping. Find new ways to cope, to improve your quality of life. Keep learning from others. Find out the kind of support you need.
13) Share. Consider sharing your ND status with your local NTs, so they can accommodate you better. Results might be highly inconsistent.

14) ND invasion. Your perspective has changed, the door to another realm has been revealed to you and you now see life through another lens. You realize many of your friends, partners and family members are or were neurodivergent.

15) Anger. The more you realize the poor social awareness about neurodiversity, the more mad and frustrated you get. You start perceiving the mistreatment, under diagnosis and lack of support, towards yourself and others. Frustration escalates. Often becomes chronic.

16) Wondering, again. You start relating to neurodivergent people with different conditions from yours. It's like going through all the steps all over again, but at a faster pace. The overlap makes it confusing. Rinse and repeat.

Our journeys are different, there's no universal experience. This is a semi humorous description of some of the most common experiences found on ND Twitter. Some people might not experience them at all, and they might also happen in a different order. Feel free to add your own!