I’ve just finished the Emotional Mastery Worksheet in the six-week programme, and one thing really jumped out at me. There’s a particular cluster of emotions and situations that seem to hit a very deep nerve for me — shame, guilt, feeling unheard, being scolded, or feeling like I’m being judged as not enough, too much, inconsistent, messy, lazy, indecisive or someone who never finishes anything. And my brain's response? I want to be Alice in Wonderland. Drink the bottle. Make myself small. Disappear. Become invisible. That really made me stop and think about masking. Because maybe masking isn't always about trying to appear “normal” or hiding ADHD traits in a social situation. Maybe sometimes it's also about making ourselves smaller when we think the version of us that is showing up isn't acceptable. Hide the unfinished projects. Hide the mess. Hide the indecision. Hide the inconsistency. Hide the things we struggle with. And perhaps, over time, you get pretty bloody good at hiding the bits of yourself you think other people won't accept. The interesting bit for me is that I don't think I've ever consciously thought, “I'm masking right now.” It feels much more like: make yourself smaller, stay quiet, don't draw attention, don't give anyone another reason to think you're too much or not enough. That little Alice analogy has given me something new to notice in myself. Anyone else had one of those moments where an ADHD exercise unexpectedly shines a light on something that's been sitting there for years?

Hello my name is Tyrone Hunter the reason why I joined this group is I do have ADHD and I do have problems with talking and communicating with people and I want to learn to be more interactive around people and connect with them

📅 Daily Check-in - October 5, 2026 💭 Reflection: "I had a bit of a rough weekend as I was sick Friday night and most of Saturday, and my stomach is still not feeling great, but Sunday was a good day. I finally started doing some sketching and I enjoyed it so much! We went to church and to brunch after church, then ran a few errands. Came home and relaxed and did my sketching with prompts from a free sketch workshop. So much fun! Around 9 PM last night, my son called and needed a lift to get gasoline as his car was telling him he had 13 miles left, but he ran out. Got to see three of the grandkids when I went to pick them up. They were just about a mile from their home. He was very appreciative, which was nice. Today, will be going to see my granddaughter's track meet and then this evening there is a ceremony from the hospice that worked with my mother-in-law for all the people that passed away this past year. My brother-in-law is taking us all out to dinner afterwards, so that will be nice to commemorate my mother-in-law and to spend time with my husband's family. The whole art/creativity thing has been wonderful. It really is what I enjoy so very much, and since making the decision to make it part of my life again, I have been finding myself being more observant of various minor details, though some not so minor. One morning I got up at 6 AM to use the bathroom, and my blinds were open and I could see the most beautiful, deep, intense blue sky. I took some pictures of it, thinking the pictures wouldn't do it justice, but they came out better than expected. Not quite as blue as it was in person with the ethereal quality it had, but much closer than usual. I'd love to incorporate that color into a painting with a sky like that. It was so peaceful and beautiful. feel that I still have too many things on my plate as I have been helping my son out a lot with running the kids to activities and appointments, and my husband and I have had appointments, and I'm involved in a couple of classes with my creativity. Overall, though, everything seems to be moving in a positive direction."

📅 Daily Check-in - October 7, 2026 💭 Reflection: "Good morning, JT. My lower back is really bothering me. According to my sleep app, I had a decent sleep, but I didn't have a really good sleep. Mostly restlessness for the 8 hours slept.” I’ve been packing and moving house since mid August with sporadic to no WiFi during that time. I’ve done pretty well keeping my scores up with only one stimming episode that stayed low. Until today…. I’m feeling the blahs from my over exuberance native to Audhd. I’ve also missed interacting here and this cohort 4. I was able to do my day + night check-ins. Those and keeping strict with my sleep are what kept me sane. Glad to have steady WiFi and back here. 📊 Wellbeing Scores: 😊 Happiness: 9/10 ⚡ Energy: 8/10 🎯 Focus: 8/10 😌 Calmness: 9/10 🌙 Sleep Quality: 7/10 🔥 Motivation: 8/10 ⭐ Average: 8.2/10 ✅ Activities from yesterday: ☀️ Morning Sunlight 💧 Stayed Hydrated 💚 Gratitude Practice 💭 Affirmations ✨ Positive Mindset 📅 No Meetings

I wrote the first part of this while the panic was actually happening, to help myself settle and sort my thoughts. I had a 1 p.m. appointment at the bank to open an account. At 12:35, I started getting ready. Got my clothes. Got my shoes. No glasses. No backup glasses… when was the last time I saw those? I don’t always put my glasses on when I get up, and sometimes hours pass before I realize I’m not wearing them. Panic set in. I raced through the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. I turned the recliner over to see whether they were underneath. While hunting for the glasses, I realized I didn’t have my driver’s license either. How in the heck can I open a bank account without it? I’d been shuffling papers around during the week. Two days earlier, I had noticed that my license wasn’t back in my wallet. Did I retrieve it then? No. It was a sort of pseudo-registration in my brain. Me: “Driver’s license not in wallet.” Brain: “So noted. Carry on.” The information registered, but it never became an action. Now I really needed it to get the new bank anccount. The panic escalated. Fortunately, I was able to reschedule the appointment. Then I noticed something fascinating: I immediately wanted to play Sudoku blocks on MindPal to blank out the feelings. Instead, I stopped to settle myself. Racing around on a fruitless search was only making me more frantic. My goal was to interrupt that familiar pattern. I intentionally stopped and engaged in a breathing practice. I breathed in for four counts, held for seven, and breathed out for eight, repeating several times. This pattern is known as 478. Once I settled, my search became more calm and systematic. Within five minutes, I found both my glasses and my driver’s license. I felt exasperated and frustrated, but I wasn’t calling myself names. I was trying to understand what had happened. I still don’t understand how to get myself arranged well ahead of time before leaving. Like, when exactly does preparation start when I’m busy doing other stuff? How does that work?