Autism, ADHD & Anxiety: Trying to Be "Good Enough" Almost Killed Me

This episode is deeply personal.

Today, I'm sharing a part of my story that I've hidden for a very long time.

Elizabeth Le Forest is walking with me through painful topics such as anxiety, perfectionism, chronic illness, masking, people pleasing, burnout, and what happens when a neurodivergent person spends their life trying to prove they are worthy of love, belonging, and support.

For years, I wore a heavy mask.

I learned to push through it all with a smile

Rejection Exhaustion Pain. Fear. Overwhelm. I learned to disconnect from my body and my needs because somewhere along the way, I absorbed the message that who I naturally was wasn't "acceptable."

So I kept trying to prove that I wasn't:

"lazy" "bad" "selfish" "annoying" "weird" "stupid" "a brat" "dramatic" I spent years chasing scraps of approval, hoping that if I achieved enough…

helped enough…

worked hard enough…

pushed through enough…

maybe I'd finally be "good enough."