BONUS POST: My Lifelong 'Childhood Disorder.'

The Thing That Didn't Leave.

I wrote about Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder (ASAD) as an under-recognized disorder in a recent post. I admitted that I have it; that I've always had it. 

Today's bonus for premium members is the most personal How to Live piece I've written. Not because I am typically withholding—I’m not—but because I’m exposing a struggle that, until a decade ago, wasn’t clinically recognized in adults, leading sufferers to struggle with feelings of shame and discomposure for existing outside the realm of other peoples’ possibilities.

Yet, adult separation anxiety disorder isn't just possible, it's prevalent. 

This piece is about adult separation anxiety as I experience it still, to this day, although to a lesser degree than I did in childhood.

I reveal the impact it has on my friendships and romantic relationships and how it makes things most people take for granted incredibly challenging for me.

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