Masking or camouflaging refers to attempting to appear neurotypical. People with ADHD do this in various ways and to various degrees. For examples: some people try to internalize their hyperactivity, or channel it into less noticeable fidgets, some people try to appear more bubbly or less bubbly than comes naturally to them, some people find eye contact overwhelming but try to force it anyway.

The inner neurotypicality adviser is one way to conceptualize the constant conscious effort that many neurodivergent people make to appear neurotypical in social interactions.

How heavy is it?
Do you ever get to put it down?

Masking is something neurodivergent people have learned to do in order to avoid bullying or to be accepted. The important question is: do you have places you can be accepted without masking?
There are several organizations that organize social groups for neurodivergent people, this can be a good starting point for people who don’t feel they have a space to be themselves.
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