relationships Archives

Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD)

Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD) is an intense emotional and physical response to perceived rejection, criticism, or the fear of falling short — experienced by many neurodivergent people. The hot flash of shame, the spiral of "what did I do wrong," the doomsday scenarios building while the other person is simply answering their front door — these are recognisable experiences for many people who grew up having their authentic selves ignored, dismissed, or misunderstood. RSD is a pattern recognition system shaped by real history, and having language for it means you can begin to watch the reaction rather than be yanked along by it.

object constancy

communication focus memory relationships

Object constancy is the notion that you remain connected and aware of items or people even when they are not visible or physically around. Difficulties in object constancy lead to the "out of sight, out of mind" experience, which is very common with ADHD folk. Not to be confused with object permanence, which is a developmental stage in babies, and relates to them believing things genuinely stop existing when not in sight.

penguin pebbling

interests relationships

In a neurodivergent context, the expression is used to describe a common neurodivergent behaviour of people collecting and giving loved items to others - "this made me think of you, I think you'll like this, I thought this was pretty and I want you to have it".

info dumping

communication interests relationships

Info dumping is the casual name referring to the act of sharing an extensive amount of information, usually about a subject or topic the person is extremely passionate about.

unmasking

relationships self-care society support

Unmasking is when you slowly learn to allow your neurodivergence to present itself and you don't try to hide yourself. However, to unmask is a privilege, as you need a safe space to do it.