Arden

From childhood, her feelings were treated as overreactions. She was a “drama queen”, and when she tried to tell her mother she was depressed as a teenager, an old test result was used to dismiss her concerns.

Being academically gifted made it harder for others to recognise that she could be struggling. If she fell away from the expected path, she was called lazy or told she was not trying. Partners repeated those messages in early adulthood.

Later diagnoses of ADHD, autism, anxiety, depression and CPTSD helped her understand experiences that had long been dismissed. Through intensive therapy, she is learning to reconnect with her emotions. A caring partner now takes those feelings seriously.

She works with autistic children, helping them communicate, care for themselves and have more say in their own lives. One of her favourite words to teach is “no”. She wants others to understand that her feelings are real, rather than a way of manipulating anyone, and that feeling deeply is not something she should have to apologise for.