The Neurodivergent Psych Student

06/09/2025

TL;DR: A day in the life with PMDD
TW: PMDD / Mental Health

Living with PMDD means waking up in a body that doesn’t feel like mine.

The day might start with a tight chest, racing thoughts and tears I can’t explain. The anxiety builds before I’ve even had breakfast or can even bring myself to think about food. Small things feel impossible — the school run, replying to a message, deciding what to cook. My body feels heavy, yet my mind is on fire.

By midday it feels as though I’ve lost the version of myself I recognised yesterday. Everything is too much. The smallest frustration tips me into anger or despair. I hate the way it spills over onto the people I love, when all I really want is to curl up and hide.

Afternoons are often the worst. Panic hits from nowhere — heart pounding, hands shaking, convinced something awful is about to happen — even though nothing outside has changed. The world looks calm, while inside I’m unravelling.

Evenings bring exhaustion. My body aches, my mood crashes, and I’m left with guilt for not being “enough” that day. It’s relentless.

And still, the cycle repeats every month. A week stolen from me, like clockwork. PMDD isn’t “just PMS.” It hijacks your entire nervous system, your emotions, your sense of self.

If you live with this too: you’re not weak. You’re not broken. You’re surviving something most people will never have to understand. And that survival is strength.



Disclaimer: I use AI to help me shape and format my posts. The thoughts and experiences are entirely mine — AI simply helps me put them into clear words when fatigue or brain fog make it harder.

*For educational purposes only.

05/09/2025

03/09/2025

Does it count as being “trauma informed” if you’re just super traumatised 😅 pretty sure I’ve got that bit down 🥴 (joke. Ish)

03/09/2025

No one talks about the freeze response because it doesn't look dramatic. It looks like someone who still goes to work. Still replies to texts. Still smiles at the right moments. But inside? Numb. Disconnected. Dissociated. Your body's here, but you're not. It's the trauma response that gets praised because it looks like "resilience." But it's not resilience. It's shutdown disguised as stability.

03/09/2025

This needs to be shared far and wide 👌❤️

Unlocking the Mystery of hEDS: The Complete Diagnostic Checklist Every Patient and Doctor Needs to See!

01/09/2025

A gentle reminder to all parents whose children don't fit the system:

It's not your fault.
It's not your child's fault.

It's the system.

31/08/2025

Dear Bridget Phillipson,

As a Clinical Psychologist and parent, I'm deeply concerned by your recent comments about school attendance. You've fallen into a classic correlation-versus-causation error.

Children who miss the first week aren't absent because they "started badly" - they're likely facing underlying challenges that make school psychologically unsafe. When 1.6 million pupils are persistently absent, that's not a compliance problem - it's a design failure.

The real question isn't "How do we get children into classrooms?" but "Why are so many children unable to attend school?"

In my clinical practice, I regularly see:
• Children with neurodivergent profiles struggling with the school environment
• Pupils experiencing school-based anxiety so severe it manifests as physical symptoms
• Families forced into "elective" home education because schools can't meet their child's needs
• Children whose attendance difficulties stem from trauma responses

Fining struggling families adds pressure without addressing root causes.

Instead of focusing on compliance, let's ask:
- What makes school feel unsafe for so many children?
- How can we adapt environments to meet diverse needs?
- What support do families actually need?

Every child deserves education that supports both learning AND wellbeing. That sounds really hard for our education system, but it's exactly what our children deserve.

Dr. Natasha Holden
Clinical Psychologist & PDA Mum

30/08/2025

Apologies are so important. ❤️