Ep. 43: RSD & Me

Weirds of a Feather: An AuDHD-Adjacent Podcast

The painful sting of rejection comes for us all at some point, but when you have ADHD that rejection mighty morphs into shame’s final form, rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD), and burrows deep into your brain body and soul, waiting to gutpunch you with memories of your past failures around every corner. And if you say that description is dramatic, it will make me cry so please don’t.

In this episode we’re exploring what RSD is and how it leads to perfectionism and people-pleasing, pondering some of the theories behind why it happens to us, and sharing some of our personal RSD triggers, like being shushed, or accidentally buying tall apples.

Whether rejection sensitive dysphoria is trauma, an ADHD trait, or a third thing, we know that the pain of it is all too real. So why not think about it a bunch this holiday season? After all, it’s there with you always, so you might as well have a laugh about it with your two best buds.

References:

To keep this horse train running (but this isn’t a threat): ko-fi.com/weirdsofafeather
Is It Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria or Complex Trauma? | by Jesse Meadows | Medium

What Is Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria? ADHD and Emotional Dysregulation (additudemag.com)

Rejection Sensitivity: ADHD or Trauma? - Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (juliastamman.com)

How ADHD Ignites Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (additudemag.com)