Wellness Through Fortitude

03/02/2026

Trigger warning: violence, murder

The conversations are escalating and I feel it’s time to express my stance. The autistic communities and families are currently experiencing a deep sense of grief for a family we do not personally know but on some level can identify with. However disabilities should not be a basis or justification of murder. The way we talk about this matters!

Calls to the Government to be accountable for murder in the name of fixing a known complex and often broken system to make murder more palatable or somewhat justifiable is abhorrent. It minimises the lived experience of individuals, it minimises the hard work professional services supply. Relating, empathising and understanding the parents reasoning allows the act to become relatable and imaginable, openly allowing space for others to consider this a reasonable option promoting further danger.

Additional needs parenting is extremely hard (oh heck we know) and every family or persons with a disability, I am positive would benefit from more funding and supports. However, making the murder/suicide more palatable in the name of ‘advocacy and/or education’ is harmful and a slippery slope. There is always another option. Reports of the parents after murdering children and pets which were planned for some time (police have disclosed) claiming non-violence is bewildering as the act of murder no matter the means in itself a violent act.

Once we accept the disability caring burden as a legitimate explanatory frame to assess morality, we’ve already crossed a line. Disabled lives do not become morally negotiable because care is hard.

Overemphasising the parents’ perspective and over empathising with the hardship they experienced minimises the harm done, blurs accountability, and obscures the lessons we need to learn about child safety and systemic failure.

While we can recognise that the parents may have been struggling with their own mental health, that should not reduce or shift the responsibility for what happened.

We can and should talk about systemic failure and advocate for change but not at the expense of two innocent victims memories. Collectively society is experiencing challenges on every front. The Government can simply not fix everyone and everything.

Mental health systems - broken
Housing system - broken
School systems - broken
Health systems - broken
Judicial systems - broken

If you need to empathise with the parents because of the hard life they lived to make the murder of children tolerable, I encourage you to empathise and put that energy to carers who still have children to look after. Shifting the energy of empathy from the abhorrent act to support to ongoing burnt out carers not resorting to violence.

If you or anyone you know needs help:
* Lifeline on 13 11 14
* Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support line 13YARN on 13 92 76
* Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636
* Headspace on 1800 650 890
* ReachOut at au.reachout.com
* MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978
* SANE on 1800 187 263

14/01/2026

**When My Mind Speaks Faster Than My Mouth Can Keep Up**

There is a moment in many conversations where silence falls, not because nothing is being said, but because two minds are moving at very different speeds. This image captures a reality that people with ADHD experience daily, yet struggle to explain without being misunderstood. It is not about disrespect. It is not about impatience. It is about a brain that processes information faster than the world expects it to wait.

# # # The Misunderstood Moment of Interruption

When someone with ADHD interrupts, the assumption is often immediate and harsh. People assume rudeness, arrogance, or a lack of listening skills. But the truth lives much deeper than that surface judgment. Interruption, for many with ADHD, is not a choice made out of disregard. It is a reflex born from speed.

Thoughts arrive fully formed, layered, and urgent. While one sentence is being spoken, the mind has already predicted the ending, connected it to three past experiences, and generated multiple responses. By the time the speaker reaches the final word, the listener with ADHD has already lived through the entire exchange internally.

Waiting feels unnatural, not because patience is absent, but because the brain is already far ahead.

# # # A Brain That Runs on Overdrive

The comparison to fast internet and slow connections may sound humorous, but it explains the experience with surprising accuracy. The ADHD brain often runs in constant overdrive. It jumps from idea to idea, connects dots rapidly, and processes information at a speed that feels uncontrollable.

This speed can be a strength. It allows creativity, quick problem-solving, and deep insight. But in conversation, it creates tension. The mind finishes sentences early. It anticipates outcomes. It struggles to sit still while waiting for verbal confirmation of what already feels obvious internally.

That internal waiting does not feel neutral. It feels uncomfortable, restless, and sometimes almost painful. Not because the speaker is boring, but because the mind has nowhere to place its excess momentum.

# # # The Emotional Cost of Being Misread

Over time, being misunderstood takes a toll. People with ADHD often become hyper-aware of how they are perceived. They try to hold back, to stay quiet, to suppress the urge to speak. But that suppression requires effort, and effort drains energy.

After enough corrections and side glances, many begin to question themselves. They replay conversations, analyze their behavior, and carry shame for something that was never meant to hurt anyone. The internal narrative becomes heavy. Why can’t I just wait? Why do I always mess this up? Why do people think I do not care?

The truth is, interruption often comes from engagement, not disinterest. It is a sign that the person is deeply involved in the conversation, fully present, and mentally active.

# # # Listening Looks Different in an ADHD Mind

Listening is not always silent. For many with ADHD, listening is active, fast, and layered. It involves predicting, connecting, and responding almost simultaneously. Silence does not always equal respect, and speech does not always equal dominance.

This difference in communication styles often creates friction. Neurotypical conversation values pauses, linear flow, and turn-taking. The ADHD mind values momentum, connection, and shared understanding. When these two styles meet without awareness, conflict quietly grows.

The person with ADHD may feel constantly corrected. The other person may feel constantly interrupted. Both walk away feeling unseen.

# # # Why Waiting Feels So Hard

Waiting in conversation is not just about politeness. It requires regulation. It requires the ability to hold thoughts without losing them, to delay expression without emotional discomfort. For many with ADHD, this regulation is one of the hardest skills to master.

Thoughts feel fragile. If not expressed immediately, they may disappear. This creates urgency. Speak now, or lose the idea forever. That urgency drives interruption, not a desire to control the conversation, but a fear of forgetting what mattered in the first place.

This fear is rarely visible, but it shapes behavior more than people realize.

# # # Reframing the Narrative

What if interruption was not immediately labeled as disrespect? What if it was seen as a signal to slow the conversation, not shame the person? What if curiosity replaced judgment?

Understanding ADHD requires moving beyond surface behaviors and into internal experiences. It requires recognizing that different brains communicate differently, and that difference is not a flaw.

For the person with ADHD, learning to pause takes practice, tools, and self-compassion. For others, learning to interpret interruption differently takes openness and patience. Both sides matter. Both deserve understanding.

# # # Building Better Conversations

Conversations become safer when expectations are clear and flexibility exists. Simple adjustments can change everything. Allowing moments for clarification. Inviting input rather than waiting for perfect pauses. Acknowledging enthusiasm instead of correcting tone.

When people feel understood, they regulate better. When they feel judged, they struggle more. This applies to ADHD as much as it applies to any human experience.

# # # A Story That Deserves Space

This image is not a joke. It is a reflection of lived reality. A reality where the mind races ahead, where patience is learned through effort, and where connection is deeply desired, even when expression looks different.

Interruption is not the absence of care. Often, it is the overflow of it.

If this resonates, know that you are not alone in this experience. And if it challenges your assumptions, let it open a door to understanding rather than closing one with judgment.

Some minds move fast. Some conversations move slow. The bridge between them is not silence, but empathy.

08/01/2026

Well done to all the amazing women and the men that support them

31/12/2025

Reciprocal support and love is the most important thing any family can have! So from our family to yours happy new year

29/12/2025

25/12/2025

From our family to yours!
We hope your day was filled with excitement and minimal over stimulation. We hope you don’t have toooooo much Lego to build and that the day brings on a peaceful night of crashing out and sleep xoxo

24/12/2025

22/12/2025

6/7 on a merry rizzmas
And a skibidi new year
😝

19/12/2025

From one social worker in the helping profession, to others. We are humans too with our own challenges. You are seen and appreciated

You are worth holding space for too, therapists.

14/12/2025

Senseless tragedies at Bondi today.

Take care of yourself and those around you.

Lifeline: 13 11 14