Self acceptance can be such a difficult thing. Especially when the world isn't always accepting of us, which can especially be the case if we don't neatly fit into categories of one sort or the other.

And sometimes we don't have all the information that can be help us to be self accepting. It's hilarious to think I drew comics like An Accumulation, before my ADHD diagnosis. No wonder some folks thought I already had a diagnosis.

A doctor once suggested to me that I might have EDS (though didn't feel they could formally diagnose me), and physical therapists had been telling me I was hypermobile for decades (but never told me what else that could mean). It's very difficult to get a formal EDS/HSD diagnosis, but finding out about EDS/HSD has helped me be so much more accepting of myself. I used to get so upset with myself, not being tough enough, not working hard enough, not building enough muscle, getting injured too easily, needing so much more recovery time. Finding out about HSD helped me see what I'd overcome and how well I was doing with cards I'd been dealt.

Folks with HSD are more likely to have autism as well, and that's not something I have a formal diagnosis of, but something I may well have. I definitely had a neurodiverse brain growing up (children were baffling to me, but the Companion Dog Book helped me understand how to interact with people and myself in positive ways) and autistic burnout is something I can painfully relate to.

Self acceptance, being at ease with yourself can feel like a lifetime of work sometimes, but sparing myself from shame really helps me live more fully in the world.

At Ease Comic Transcript

A brown boot with round laces and curved leather is talking to us.

Boot: Not everything gets easier with practice.

Boot sits in silence.

Boot: But with practice you can be, at ease with yourself.

Thanks to all my patrons and a special big extra thanks to Kate Webb, Erik Owomoyela and Sandra M. Odell.