Kate Herter

Been OBSESSED with these jeans lately as I’m sure you’ve noticed in my stories. Had fun making this which is the whole point of creating, right? Hands down cutest barrel jeans are from @freepeople #myfpfit #fpbarreljeans #deniminspo #momstyle #tomboyfashionstyle #momstylelife #sahmstyle #confidentstyle #momootd #tomboystyle

Anything to give my brain a second to catch up #latediagnosedautistic #hiddendisability #audhd #autisticadult #copingskills #selfawareness #adultadhd #adhd #neurodivergent #actuallyautistic #neurodiversity #neurodivergents #adhdprobs #adhdstruggles #processingdelays

Usually can’t even form the words but this is the general vibe #adhdparenting #adhdsupport #adultadhd #adhdmom #adhd #adhdbrain #neurodivergent #actuallyautistic #neurodiversity #itsokaynottobeokay #audhd #latediagnosedautistic #neurodivergents #adhdlife #autismspectrumdisorder #autistic #adhdprobs #adhdstruggles #adhdhelp

Makes sense why I’ve been a walking contradiction my whole life #neurodivergent #adhdlife #adhdbrain #actuallyautistic #neurodiversity #audhd #adhd #adhdprobs #neurodivergents

Anyone else used to spend way too much money on new hobbies and now just don’t even bother trying them? Since my late diagnosis, I’ve been trying to find my true self. The part of me that isn’t masking/mirroring behaviors or following trends. I know my few special interests, fashion, makeup and skincare, are genuine; I’ve loved them since adolescence and I don’t foresee that ever changing. That said, being focused on things that are all a part of my appearance, can’t be great for my mental health. I also really enjoy social media, but it too can be damaging, if I’m not careful. So I’m on a journey to find activities that I can do from home that fill my cup. If you happen to have any suggestions, leave them in the comments or shoot me a DM, I’d love any and all ideas! #mymentalhealthjourney #neurodivergents #latediagnosedautistic #specialinterests #adhdprobs #adhdstruggles #audhd #mentalhealthjourney #bekindtoyourself #mentalhealthmatters #liveyourbestlife #innerhealing #selfawareness #adultadhd #adhdawareness #adhdbrain #neurodivergent #actuallyautistic

Reading this hit me hard. I’m usually rushed and panicked whenever we have an appointment to make and it’s rarely because of her and yet she has to experience my anxiety secondhand. It’s not fair to her. Now I’m not out here saying never be rushed, that’s impossible, but I’m certainly going to do everything in my power to minimize how often it happens. So here’s some things I’ve decided to do going forward: 1️⃣ re-pack bags when you get home from being out: when we get home from an outing, I like to prepare the bag for the next trip as soon as we get home. This way, I know it’s empty of the last trips items and the necessary things are in there already 2️⃣ if we’re leaving after nap, I pack everything while she’s still asleep. Kind of a duhh tip but it seriously didn’t dawn on me for way too long. I’ll even grab her outfit and have it all laid out ready to put on so that when she wakes up, we can change and go! 3️⃣ recently I’ve started using timers a whole lot more: since the ADHD part of my brain struggles with time blindness, I’ll set multiple timers to help me know how much time has passed. I know it usually takes 15-20 min to get used to prepared for the weather and get out the door, so I’ll set timers for a few intervals before we have to leave to make sure we’re not behind. While these are in no way going to ensure you’re not rushing around ever, but if you’re anything like me, they may help decrease how often you’re rushed. Last thing any parent wants to do is pass down their mental health patterns to their children, so this is my way of trying to limit the stress I add to my daughter’s life. #mymentalhealthjourney #generalizedanxietydisorder #neurodivergents #goodmentalhealth #adhdhelp #adhdprobs #adhdstruggles #intrusivethoughts #anxietydisorders #mentalhealthjourney #copingskills #anxietyawareness #createyourreality #bemindful #breakthecycle #generationaltrauma #adhdmom #adhdbrain #neurodivergent #anxiety #anxietyproblems #anxietytips

As I grew up, I’d get overly obsessed with different ideas, characters or fantasy worlds but as soon as the dopamine rush would begin to subside, I’d move on to the next one. Then one random day in middle school a friend of mine let me borrow her metallic blue eye liner in the school bathroom and my life was changed. This one moment opened up a whole new world for me and it rarely centered around “looking better”. Since then, most of my days have consisted of playing with make up to some capacity. Whether it was applying it to myself for the day, someone else to pay bills or just trying new techniques for fun, it’s always filled my cup, calmed me down and centered me. My relationship with skin care and fashion have similar stories. The only jobs I’ve been successful in have allowed me to have my hands in at least one of my special interests. Th idea of getting ready for the day helps me get out of bed in the morning, and get my day going. Since I don’t obsess over trains, coins or other socially accepted autistic special interests that have been portrayed by the media, even I didn’t think that I these qualified as special interests. So many women are seemingly overlooked because our interests are deemed as more socially acceptable. In order to truly identify a special interest, you must look at the intensity of the interest, not the subject itself. Look for obsessive, and in some cases addictive behavior. #specialinterests #actuallyautisticadult #neurodivergents #autisminwomen #latediagnosedautistic #adhdprobs #hiddendisability #audhd #mentalhealthjourney #mentalhealthsupport #autismawareness #autismsupport #autismspectrumdisorder #neurodiversity #actuallyautistic #autismadvocate #autistic #adhdlife #neurodivergent

My brain never shuts off. It’s like the radio, the stations are always playing, but you have to tune into it properly for it to sound right. Most of the time my brain feels like there’s too many stations playing way too loud so I struggle to make sense of anything. I’m still learning how to slow down and try to tune into one station at a time. This neurodivergent brain of mine has always stumped me. At times I’ve been resentful of the way it works. Jealous of how others seemingly functioned “normally”. I think most of these negative thoughts came from not understanding it fully. Now that I finally have a diagnosis that feels like it explains so much of my life experience, I’ve, of course, been hyper fixated on learning more about it. Theres a steady stream of “oh’s” and “ah ha’s” whenever I’m reading (even Meta took a hint and now my feed is filled with neurodiversity) and while my brain is still mostly chaos, I feel more at home with myself than I ever have. If you’ve made it this far, wow, you’re truly amazing and I appreciate your interest in my journey 🫶 I desperately would love to connect more with you! My DM’s are always open and I even have a broadcast channel if that’s your thing 🩶 #actuallyautisticadult #actuallyautistic #neurodiversity #autismspectrumdisorder #autismsupport #autismadvocate #autistic #neurodivergent #adhdawareness #adhdsupport #adultadhd #adhd #mentalhealthadvocate #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthjourney #audhd #neurodivergents

How I overcome my top AuDHD icks continued! Let me know if we have any icks in common! Hoping to make more educational videos like this going forward if you find them helpful 🫶 #autismadvocate #autistic #neurodivergent #adhdawareness #adhdsupport #adultadhd #adhd #lifepurpose #createyourreality #itsokaynottobeokay #breakthestigma #mentalhealthadvocate #audhd #hiddendisability #adhdstruggles #neurodivergents

Hey! Glad you’re here! My name is Kate and I’ve always been called contrary, probably due to being AuDHD, but more on that to come, so that’s the why behind the handle! I’m a neurodivergent 30 year old mom to my feisty toddler daughter alongside my amazingly compassionate husband and needy cat. The only jobs I’ve ever been successful in have been in retail and at a salon, which of course, align with my special interests. At the moment, I’m a sahm and it has not been easy, come naturally and it definitely doesn’t feed to my strengths but it’s the best thing to have happened to me. I get to watch my daughter explore and react to the world around her while I try to facilitate learning along the way. This time with her has also highlighted to me the things I struggle with and that happened to bring me to my late diagnosis. When I was younger and began my mental health journey, I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression. And while I definitely do experience both of these feelings, they stem from my neurodivergence. I’m a classic case of AuDHD in women as I can mask the hell out of almost any situation, so much so I dodged the right diagnosis for 30 years. Luckily I found some amazing doctors who have helped me begin to understand my brain recently and I’m finally starting to feel some relief. If you’re new here, as there are quite a few of you since I last checked in, you may be wondering what to expect from me. My answer is chaos. I hope to shed light on the process of unmasking and finding my true authentic self (while sharing some tips along the way) in the hopes to help someone feel less alone. This is also an outlet for me as making silly little reels is quite fun. But in all reality, I have no idea what I’m doing or what my path looks like so I’m really just winging it. Thanks for being along for the ride! #mymentalhealthjourney #neurodivergents #trustyourpath #audhd #hiddendisability #mentalhealthjourney #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthadvocate #endthestigma #breakthestigma #neurodivergent #sahm #lifewithlittles #specialinterest