u/runningonadhd

I have ADHD, as my username says… I was diagnosed in 2019 at 36 years old and learning about myself - the who, what, and why of everything I do feels like a never ending path. I’ve long suspected that I have OCD, but I think I got my confirmation today.

I usually call my husband during the day and tell him that I have intrusive thoughts and that I need him to tell me I’m being ridiculous. I had no idea this is what reassurance looks like. I literally just learned the term a few minutes ago while Googling why I jump to worst case scenarios.

It’s dumb stuff, like today, for example - I’m sitting for 2 pets and left the door to their backyard open while I was gone so that they could access it whenever. But it’s raining and they’re wearing e-collars (I’ve never used them, I just put them on as instructed by their mom). I kept thinking that what if they get electrocuted and I’d come back to 2 dead dogs. My husband assured me that that’s not possible; e-collars don’t work like that. Still, I spent hours wondering and hoping I was wrong. Of course I was wrong!

Speaking to my husband about my new realization, he mentioned that I also have to go over my schedule several times a day with him and before going to bed, I must find my 4 cats and dog to know that they’re safe. If I’m not home, I ask him to do it for me.

Is it possible that the older I get, the more these symptoms arise? And from what I’ve read, the only solution is that he stop enabling me and I learn to sit with the anxiety - or am I missing something? I’m now almost 43 and this is eye-opening.

For the last 48 hours, I have been relentlessly harassed, stalked, defamed, and dogpiled by a woman on Threads who has followed me across multiple posts, threads, and interactions in an obsessive attempt to rewrite what actually happened.

This started because I made a comment about grief being a neurological response that varies from person to person. Somehow, that spiraled into false accusations that I said pet loss is “worse” than child loss, that I mocked the death of a child, and even that I would make false CPS reports, none of which I ever said.

Since then, she has selectively cropped screenshots, removed context, spread lies about me to strangers, weaponized outrage for sympathy, and encouraged others to pile onto me. People who have never spoken to me are now repeating defamatory claims as fact because they’ve only been shown manipulated fragments instead of the full exchanges.

I have blocked her, yet she continues monitoring me through another account. She has mocked my infertility, called me degrading names repeatedly, wished death on both me and my dog, and has openly threatened to use her alleged “connections” with Tacoma PD against me.

At this point, I am genuinely exhausted and honestly frightened by how obsessive this has become.

And yes, I have defended myself aggressively. I have cursed. I have snapped back. After being provoked, insulted, stalked, lied about, and harassed for two straight days by someone who refuses to leave me alone, I stopped trying to sound polite.

But reacting emotionally after sustained harassment is not the same thing as initiating it.

I have screenshots of everything because I now feel the need to document this behavior for my own protection. I should not have to spend my time building evidence folders and considering protective orders because someone online decided to turn me into the villain of a story they invented.

This is affecting my mental health.

I’m curious - has anyone been made fun of for being a pet sitter?

I get trolls on the Internet shit on me because I’m *just a pet sitter* all the time. Someone even assumed I didn’t even finish high school yesterday, which is pretty funny because I left my tech job to do this. I’m also at a point where I’m almost making what I used to make in my full-time job 🤞🏻

Do people think pet sitting is like working at McDonald’s? No shade to McDonald’s - I’m merely referring to the stigma that comes with working there.