My ADHD Has a Name... Meet Dory. 🐟😂 · The Unmask and Reclaim Circle

June Moverley

3h • General discussion

My ADHD Has a Name... Meet Dory. 🐟😂

One of the most unexpectedly healing things I've done since my ADHD diagnosis is to give my ADHD a name.

Meet Dory... Yes... that Dory... the absent-minded fish from Finding Nemo.

She's the delightfully chaotic roommate living in my ADHD brain. 🐟💙

Even before I knew I had ADHD, she was always my favourite character. Looking back, maybe there was a reason 😄

Sure, Dory forgets everything, gets distracted every five seconds and has the attention span of...

ooh look , a jellyfish! 😂

But she's also kind, brave, fiercely loyal, endlessly optimistic, and has some pretty amazing superpowers that save the day (like unexpectedly speaking whale! 🐋)

When I started calling my ADHD "Dory," something shifted.

Now, instead of thinking, "What's wrong with me?" I catch myself saying, "Ah... Dory's driving today."

That tiny shift matters.

It sounds simple, but it's powerful.

In ADHD coaching this is used to externalise your ADHD helping to separate the condition from your real identity.

This powerful tool creates space for compassion instead of shame, and for me, it's turned many frustrating ADHD moments into something I can smile about.

It helps me laugh when I lose my phone while it's in my hand.

It helps me forgive myself when I walk into a room and immediately forget why.

Because I may have ADHD but it is not who I am.

I'm the person learning to live alongside Dory... and she's actually pretty lovable. 💙

Now, whenever Dory makes an appearance, I smile instead of spiralling (mostly).

She's still wonderfully chaotic...

But she's also part of what makes me, me.

And just like Dory...

✨ I can be forgetful and intelligent.

✨ Distractible and creative.

✨ Chaotic and deeply caring.

✨ Different and incredibly valuable.