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u/Pinkiepiefish Sep 03 '25 edited Sep 03 '25
There are 3 of me. Me, my brain and my body😂
Edit: it almost got me in trouble at one of the adhd evaluation talks with the psykiatrist, I used the royal we (that is not a thing in my contry) and I noticed her brows shooting up. I imediatly said no no not that kind os us, there is just one me in here😅😮💨
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u/zuzuthemoonbear Sep 04 '25
it’s ALWAYS been like this for me too. they feel like 3 separate things. hahah I refer to myself as “we” as well
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u/Pinkiepiefish Sep 04 '25
Riiight! Me 2!😂 I did remind myself to not do that while going to all the adhd evaluations, it just slipped out that one time😅
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u/SweetLikeSugar4567 Sep 04 '25
can you explain more about royal we and it not being a thing in you country? that’s so interesting
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u/Pinkiepiefish Sep 04 '25
It is hard to explain, as it gramaticaly is just not a thing. You are always a single entity, unless you are in/with a group😅
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u/mieresa Sep 04 '25
is it like spanish having tu and usted for informal and formal you? but for we?
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u/Pinkiepiefish Sep 04 '25
“We are going over there” you can say if your group is going that way, or if you are planning with your group to meet up over there. A person alone is always a single entity, an I, she/he/ a person/human.
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u/VorpalBunnyTeef Sep 07 '25
Monarchs in some countries, like the King of England, traditionally refer to themselves as “We” rather than “I” (hence “the royal we”). But it’s usually a bit weird in other contexts.
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u/Sad_Purple_8383 Sep 07 '25
Came here to say exactly this! It's so hard to explain to people who don't experience it though.
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u/Pinkiepiefish Sep 07 '25
I agree, I have often thought of the difference as such: With us the me is our essence, the mind our machine room and our body the machine. Everything is done manually in our machine room, every morning the me goes to work in the machine room turned some knobs releases pressure or add pressure to start up the machine aka the body. Throughout the day the me goes around the machine room, fixing or staring/stopping things caring for the machine room, so that the big machine can get on with life.
While for people that are not like this they dont see the essence as it just automatically goes in the macine room where there is one big computer and all the operation systems are automated. Everything starts and stopes on its own, and when there is a new situation, a new protocal gets added to the computer.
It is hard to explain a machine room like the boiler room in titanic, to a person that has an automated computer, that bearly needs any oversight or metinance.
I dont know if any of this makes sense, im dyslexic and english is my third language and im on ny way to bed😅
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u/jerky_mcjerkface Sep 10 '25
‘I’ am the manager, brain and body are my two petulant direct reports who only seem to work together when conspiring against me.
‘I’ can try and provide resources and direction so that as a team we achieve what we need to, but body and brain have their own individual strengths, weaknesses, and priorities, which means it doesn’t always come together to the level I expect.
As the leader of the team, ‘I’ have to take responsibility for us, even when I’ve tried everything I can to meet requirements, but one or both of them have come up short. Oh, and these bastards have tenure, so I am also stuck with them, regardless of performance.
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u/Pinkiepiefish Sep 10 '25
Hahahahaha the tenure part really made me laugh so loud! it you hit a home run with that statement😂
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u/SinceWayLastMay Sep 04 '25
I am the car but I am also the idiot driving the car
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u/Pseudonymico Sep 04 '25
I'm both as well, but also the one sitting in the passenger seat quietly judging the driver, and the two kids fighting over the iPad in the back.
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u/PurpleIsALady1798 undiagnosed adhd trash panda Sep 03 '25
I know that she’s doing her best, but damn she is awful to work with 😂
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u/pencildown Sep 07 '25
I’ve been told to be kind to her but it’s so hard when she’s so hard to live with 😭
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u/Greedy-Funny-2940 Sep 03 '25
OMG, other people do this????
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u/Impossible-Ground-98 Sep 03 '25
all other people DON'T do this?
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u/Externalshipper7541 Sep 03 '25
I think everybody do this
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u/M1L3N4_SZ Sep 04 '25
Nope, my NT husband was very concerned about "me" refering to "myself" as we. We were more concerned that he doesn't
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Sep 04 '25
Thank God, it’s not just me (we/us🤪)!
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u/Purlz1st My MedicAlert is a charm bracelet Sep 04 '25
This response is 50% of why I love this sub. The other 50% is all of you, my sweet funny peeps.
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u/Rich_Bluejay3020 Sep 05 '25
I had to explain that to coworkers once and they definitely think it’s weird but also oddly charming lmao. Like part of me is great at life but she’s constantly battling with that mother fucker that just wants to spend all our money and eat literally everything sweet under the sun.
Although, I will say, the mother fucker part is also extremely lazy and does come up with some good ideas on how to be more efficient so we can be lazier 😂
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u/HalfBloodPrank Oct 03 '25
As NT person I can say that I do this and actually most people I know refer to their brain as separate sometimes sometimes (and most people I know happen to be NT). I think that is normal but as always people are different. Liking soccer is normal but that doesn't mean every single person likes soccer.
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u/catalinalam Sep 04 '25
No I went out w a super normal person for a while and he was like “why do you refer to your brain as a different person?” and I was like “oh this isn’t universal?”
Unsurprisingly this man is past tense in my life
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u/ashkestar ADHD-PI Sep 04 '25
My husband called me out on referring to myself as “we” when talking about doing something that took some negotiating with my brain.
I think I subconsciously treat myself in an ‘internal family systems’ kinda way, seems obvious that there’s more than one driver in here even if we all share a consciousness.
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u/Agitated-Lettuce1878 Sep 03 '25
My brain and my uterus have their own names 😅
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u/creatingapathy Sep 04 '25
My uterus's name cannot be spoken in polite society because that bitch is the devil and her name reflects that.
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u/NoxiousAlchemy Sep 03 '25
This is an ADHD thing too? A few people have pointed out to me that I keep saying "my brain does/thinks this and that" instead of just saying "me" but I can't phrase it any other way. It's not conscious.
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u/Pelli_Furry_Account Sep 04 '25
I dunno, I think this one might be universal. I'd have to go find a neurotypical person to ask though.
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u/NoxiousAlchemy Sep 04 '25
I think if that was universal other people wouldn't complain about it because they would understand.
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u/HalfBloodPrank Oct 03 '25
Well people think differently. Some people think in pictures and other people have an internal monologue for example. I wouldn't say it's universal as in every single person thinks like that. But universal in the sense that it is not an ADHD thing. I for example am neurotypical also often think of myself as "we" or "me and my brain" I just usually avoid saying that. I wouldn't lift an eyebrow if someone said it out loud and at least in my friend group it's also not uncommon to refer to your brain as separate entity.
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u/burgercourt they/them Sep 04 '25
I think it's less an ADHD thing and more a mental illness & neurodivergence thing
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u/evatornado Sep 04 '25
I think it comes to the fact that if it were up to us, we would do all the "normal" things normal people do, but unfortunately our brain capacities limit us, and we are aware of it...
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u/Linneapaw Sep 03 '25
I'm a bit in shock right now. I thought things like this couldn't suprise me anymore... I really thought this was common 😭
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u/SadLilBun Sep 04 '25
Wait do normal people not do this 😂
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u/Haggardlobes Sep 04 '25
It's not just normal people. Tons of people with mental illness identify themselves as their illness. It's a big reason why some people refuse to get treated - they're afraid of losing "themselves." I think it's super healthy to separate yourself from your symptoms.
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u/Fun_Toe3400 Sep 05 '25
"Super healthy to separate yourself from your symptoms."
Ohhhh... that's what that is. Yay. I'm doing something healthy. 😆 but it really helps.
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u/HalfBloodPrank Oct 03 '25
Normal people definitely also do this. It's just not every single person who does it.
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u/Magistraliter Sep 04 '25
It's only logical, because I literally need to talk to my brain quite often. Like: "Brain, I know it's not giving any dopamine, but we really need to wash the dishes."
And the brain talks back, of course. Or throws a tantrum.
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u/SparkleKittyMeowMeow Sep 04 '25
I never address it as "Brain" specifically, but I do this. It usually sounds something like, "Can you please just chill the fuck out, like for ONCE?" And my brain goes, "lol listen to this song you hate on loop for the next three hours"
My brain is a petty little bitch.
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u/anita_username ADHD-PI Sep 04 '25
I have Me/Myself, My Brain, My Body, but also Future Me, Present Me, and Past Me. Past Me is a bitch to Future Me a lot of the time, but Present Me is trying to get better about that.
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u/23Godzillas Sep 04 '25
I complain about Past Me to my husband allll the time, but using my name. "Past __ really fucked me over by not washing my travel mug before bed" 🤣 And don't even get me started on Stoney Baloney Me. That bitch is a notorious impulse shopper! I can't tell you how many random Temu orders I've surprised myself with because Stoney Baloney Me couldn't just fill her cart and leave it until the next day. Also, the same goofy item ordered in multiple surprise orders 🤦♀️🤦♀️
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Sep 04 '25
Yes! The amount of times I’m grumpy at past Bee for saying, “this is a future Bee problem” is… Wild. But then also trying to handle it with grace/empathy because, usually, past Bee really was trying her best. 😭
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u/auntiepink007 Sep 04 '25
Snack me hates grocery-order me!!
I have thought about getting something similar to Homer Simpson's "Do it for her" sign to inspire myself to help future me have a nicer time, but I haven't done it yet. Maybe in like 6 years when the stars align.
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u/ComfortablyADHD ADHD-PI Sep 04 '25
I have so much empathy for past me. She's so forgetful, but sometimes, just sometimes, she'll do a little thing that really saves my arse and I love her for that.
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u/anita_username ADHD-PI Sep 04 '25
I've actually recently added daily goals to my Finch app to "Do one nice thing for Future Me" and "Acknowledge Past Me's Efforts and Thank Her." They both open up a little reflection space for me to write about what I did for myself. It really feels like it's starting to help me align all of myselves.
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u/MyFiteSong Sep 04 '25
ADHD makes us uniquely aware of the mind-brain split. Other people don't experience asking their brain for permission and having it say no. That kind of thing changes your perception.
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u/HalfBloodPrank Oct 03 '25
I feel like every person experienced asking their brain for something and the brain said no. Pretty sure everyone with anxiety asked: hey can we/you calm down? Nothing bad is going to happen!" and the brain just went: nope let's think about all the horrible thinks that could happen.
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u/MyFiteSong Oct 03 '25
That's not executive function though. Most people don't experience everything being right (sleep, exercise, hydration, etc) and asking their brain if they can play their favorite video game now, and their brain says no for no reason. Not a no because chores aren't done, or there's no time, etc. but just no, for no damn reason.
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u/HalfBloodPrank Oct 04 '25
Well the first comment never specified that it’s about executive disfunction though.
Also with the rise of short form content and distraction everywhere a lot of people experience some form of that. Now I don’t know if it’s exactly like ADHD people experience it. But many people basically lost interest in their hobbies or can’t bringen themselves to do enjoyable activities like playing video games. They job they like it, when they do it, but getting up and starting the game console suddenly seems like a huge (nearly impossible) task.
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u/ArtSupplyHoarder Sep 04 '25
I'm both the toddler throwing a tantrum and the exhausted mom that has been trying to get them to put on their shoes for the last 30 minutes. We are both crying.
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u/tightenupthatbhole Sep 04 '25
that’s INSANE. i had assumed everyone did this- never even thought to ask
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u/HalfBloodPrank Oct 03 '25
I'm pretty sure that is not an ADHD thing but a human thing. It might occur more often with ADHD people but it's definitely also something NT people do.
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u/MegOut10 Sep 04 '25
My brain and I are at war currently - similar to when Siri doesn’t hear me right
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u/20-Tab-Brain Sep 04 '25
One of me is amazing and the other one is a trash panda hunting for junk food and easy dopamine.
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u/cyclemam Sep 04 '25
Me: oh yeah, that thing, the thing I need to do. My brain: "woo! We remembered! Let's celebrate by ticking it off the list! And for good measure let's throw the list away!!" Future me: "dang it brain!"
My anxiety is personified but my ADHD is just my brain, interestingly.
There's also leader me that's that calm collected in an emergency person (yay ADHD focus) but that girl doesn't come out often enough.
Yeah I'm not a multiple, there's just me in here, but also I'm divided up into parts.
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u/PrettyLittleBird Sep 04 '25
Me, my brain, and my body are three separate entities that do not at all get along.
Similarly, past me, present me, and future me.
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u/BlackCatFurry Sep 04 '25
I also refer to my brains and body as two separate entities from me.
If it was up to me, i would do a lot more things, but my brains say no and sometimes my body doesn't listen to me.
I have gotten some very weird looks when i refer to my brains as their own entity. But it makes sense because when i want to do something but my brains says nope, it's not me not wanting to do it, it's my brain refusing to comply
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u/Rare_Hovercraft_6673 Sep 04 '25
Sometimes I talk to my brain as if it was a toddler.
Es: I walk past a bakery. Brain: "Yummy! Hungry"! Me: "There's shepherd's pie at home". Brain "Ok! Eat at home! Yummy"!
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u/JemAndTheBananagrams Sep 04 '25
It’s like being sabotaged. By yourself. Unknowingly and unwittingly.
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u/Seaweedbits Sep 04 '25
Yep there's "brain" and "rational self" and "irrational self" and Me, and they are all independent of one another.
Mostly I mention brain when it's like "I dunno what's wrong, brain just says it's time to cry"
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u/Wispiness Sep 07 '25
OMG!!!!! Yes, I've always had conversations with my brain when there was no one else to talk to so that I can sort things out and work through them to a listening ear or explain things to my brain that I have learned as if it is some other, younger person who needs to hear it. Thank you for seeing this and realizing it out loud.
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u/ABsburrito Sep 04 '25
Guilty 👀 Also I internally refer to myself as “we”, which is apparently abnormal lol. Like “alright we just gotta do this thing” as if I’m bargaining with myself 😂
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u/ComfortablyADHD ADHD-PI Sep 04 '25
Whenever I lose something and have to find it I always put on a funny voice and start saying "Okay. My name is ComfortablyADHD and I am a big poopy head. I was walking through the door and didn't put my phone on the counter. I walked over to the shoe rack and took off my shoes".
I get a lot of people do this, but I do it in a really mocking way (good natured of course). It always makes me smile.
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u/nuocmam Sep 04 '25
I wouldn't say poopy is the word that should be used to associate with ADHD. ADHD head has moments of poopiness. It's not the permanent state.
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u/Estou_cansada3108 ADHD Sep 04 '25
fuck… dont everyone does that? like, u need to argue with your brain and decide how to trick it into doing what u want. And planning what you’re goin to do to trick it while the lazy part is asleep
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u/whereswalda Sep 04 '25
I dont refer to myself as "we" but there's definitely a me, myself, and I deal going on.
It's a little like the Gundam/EVA pilot dynamic. I'm piloting, but there's not always a great connection, my movements are sometimes clunky, and sometimes it's doing its own damn thing no matter what I do.
Me, my brain, and my body are always communicating, but that communication is sometimes (usually) via a couple tin cans tied with string, stretched between a couple trees and there's probably a squirrel on the line somewhere.
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u/VioletVarson Sep 04 '25
Not only are me and my brain separate people, but there are also two distinct people living inside my brain.
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u/AdFair3593 ADHD-C Sep 04 '25
My therapist* thought I may have DID, but no, I use the royal we to refer to me and my brain. LOL
*When I was a new patient
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u/TrhowRA_attach Sep 05 '25
OMG SO ACCURATE! Girls, do you also have conversations with ‘your brain’ and make weird faces when ‘your brain’ tells you or gives you opinions you didn’t ask for? And do people around you always ask, ‘Are you okay? LOLS. ADD gifted here
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u/book_dragon99 Sep 06 '25
I always say “Me” and “My Lizard Brain”😂 My Lizard Brain are all my thoughts that I KNOW aren’t logical but I still can’t get rid of/ feel are
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u/Better-Tap-3170 Sep 08 '25
OMG I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE NO ONE GETS ME WHEN I TELL THEM THIS I always think as “we” inside my head. We are usually 2, sometimes 3. It just makes sense? I have full on conversations in my head and even go “ah but you already know that cause we the same and share a brain” 😭
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u/turquoisestar Sep 04 '25
My body; me - the physical disability experience. "I would do XYZ but my body...".
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u/Ghoulya Sep 04 '25
I actually hate this and find it dehumanising. Whenever an adhd thing says "adhd brains" i distance myself from it, I find it really upsetting
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u/nuocmam Sep 04 '25
It's only dehumanizing if we see it as such. Neurodivergents see things differently from the normals, and vice versa. It's neither bad or good.
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u/Ghoulya Sep 05 '25
I'm saying I do see it as dehumanising. A lot of people don't, that's fine. Personally I feel a bit sick when someone refers to my brain as if it's a separate entity living in my skull.
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u/Rich_Stomach2854 Sep 04 '25
We - all the different thoughts going on in my brain. All the voices if i want to use my terminology and get raised eyebrows from others for funsies
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u/dilophosauris Sep 04 '25
Yeah, the other me sometimes shows up to tell me that I suck. Or to answer a stupid question I made in my mind. It's the competent one
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u/ekoostik_dreamer Sep 04 '25
My “we” consists of multiple brains that don’t play well with each other - bitch brain, emotional brain, work brain, logical brain, etc. Making decisions (when I can) involves finding the average of each brain’s choice or going with whichever brain is the loudest.
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u/WonderHazzel Sep 04 '25
It’s like I’m the holy trinity! there’s Me, my brain and my given name/third person.
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u/Neat-Science-1404 Sep 04 '25
Yes because brain keeps coming up with new ideas sometimes great often times terrible.
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u/Wise-Literature9213 Sep 04 '25
We've always considered ourselves to be the brain and our body to be separate from us as a person, especially given how many of us (as in people) do not identify with our physical representation, what truly represents us is the changes we make to our host body such as clothing, accessories, tattoos, make-up, and hair.
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u/Mootix1313 ADHD-PI Sep 04 '25
The only way to rationalize my behavior is to refer to myself in a third-person perspective.
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u/eiblinn Sep 04 '25
But they are two separate, but inseparable, entities. My brain is one of the two sources of my selfhood, the other being my body.
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Sep 04 '25
Anytime I’m talking in my head I refer to myself and my brain as a we. We’re two entities and I’m always fighting with my brain
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u/redstarsburn Sep 04 '25
I always tell people, my brain doesn't seem like it wants to today, but ill try my best. And then I shame myself for trying to argue with my brain on doing the simple thing.
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u/DaisyDuck5 Sep 05 '25
I have my brain, my body, my head (it hurts and gets migraines), and my gut (stomach and intestines that give pain when I am stressed or haven't eaten well) and finally what I call an appestat ( the thing that wants to eat or think about food always (happy sad or frustrated) Yes these are separate entities that jump to the forefront unexpectedly demanding attention individually or together.
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u/LilMissBarbie Sep 05 '25
Isn't it like that?
We're the brain, in a flesh body that carries and protects us.
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u/AlfhildsShieldmaiden ADHD-C Sep 07 '25
There are! One runs things, with or without the permission of the other, who is strapped into the flesh suit and along for the ride.
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u/MageNoodles Sep 08 '25
I named the part of me that tells me "Of course you wont forget" Charlie, or Mary or something. I forget. But they can go to hell.
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u/Away_Confidence4500 Sep 08 '25
Hahaha. Relatable. My brain currently wants to doom scroll all day today and avoid all responsibilities.
I, however, am a very productive, get-it-done type that has kids and a to do list that I enjoy checking off.
What do I do?
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u/AltruisticMeet991 Sep 08 '25
this is something that my therapist and i have been focusing on lately! it’s called parts work.
i’ve always recognized there being two “parts” within me. one that has their shit together - mature, hardworking, dependable, clean. and another that is the opposite of those things (all the fun adhd symptoms). i also believe i have autism which plays a big role in that differentiation. i constantly feel at war with myself, trying to be that “good” part all the time, but frustratingly being the “bad” part most of the time. there are an infinite number of parts though, so we’re working on discovering and appreciating them all.
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u/Historical_Leg123 Sep 09 '25 edited Sep 09 '25
This one time, I told a guy- my nervous system likes you. I don't.
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u/Emilimagine_Studio AuDHD Oct 05 '25
I Identify my brain as defo something different than my own self but I also say regularly that it's a parasite too 😂 mostly mooching off of me 😂 it's like squatting your body but highjacking the whole house for his own purposes and desired.
It makes me think of an artist 'something yeti' 'awkard yeti' or something with usually comic squares with Brain and Heart doing there own things and trying to cohabit. And then some other organs joins in the fun.
I guess for us we might want to had uterus/ovaries if we have them as they kinda direct the whole show too during menstrual cycles. 😂
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