ADHD masking
What ADHD masking looks like in adulthood, overcompensating, hiding struggle, and the cost of looking fine.
Masking means working harder than others can see, rehearsing conversations, hiding disorganization, staying late to compensate, or performing focus you do not actually feel.
It often develops as a survival strategy: fit in, avoid criticism, keep jobs, maintain relationships. Over time, the gap between public competence and private exhaustion can become enormous.
Masking can delay diagnosis, deepen self-blame, and make burnout feel sudden when it was building for years.
Therapy creates room to take off the performance, understand what you have been carrying, and explore support that does not depend on hiding how your mind works.