Lessons, exams, PE, people watching
School is already a full-time job. FND makes it run on hard mode — bells, crowds, PE, deadlines, people watching whether you “look ill enough.”
Corridors are loud. Canteens are chaos. Classrooms stack sensory load and social load. Exams add heat, sitting still, and panic. PE can be a trap if your body is unpredictable. Then you get home and the crash hits — and the adults only saw the bit where you “looked fine.”
If that cycle is you: you're not lazy. You're spending energy like money you don't have.
One decent lesson does not mean unlimited capacity. People love using your best twenty minutes as evidence against your worst afternoon. That's backwards.
Useful line for staff (or yourself): “It fluctuates. Looking okay earlier doesn't mean I can do the whole day the same way.”
If you push through every good window until empty, you often pay later — missed next day, bigger flare, worse fog. That's not “being strong.” That's spending savings you needed.
Access arrangements (extra time, rest breaks, smaller room, laptop/scribe if needed) need a paper trail. Starting that conversation the week before mocks is a special kind of hell — start earlier if you can.
If fog is a main character: shorter study bursts beat heroic all-nighters. One trusted person helping you prioritise is worth more than rereading notes you won't remember.
On the day: water, food, meds if you have them, and a plan for if symptoms spike mid-paper. You're allowed to use the arrangements you fought for.
Attendance systems are blunt. FND is not. If you're getting heat for absences, ask for medical evidence + a flexible plan, not a moral lecture. A reduced timetable with actual recovery can beat full-time present + full-time wrecked.
College / sixth form / uni: support teams and DSA (later on) exist for a reason. Using support is not cheating. It's how you stay in the game.
Teachers who keep you safe need enough info. Close friends can get a short version. The entire year group does not need a TED talk. You choose the circle.
If staff share your stuff casually, that's not okay — say so (or get a parent/carer to). Privacy still exists when you're ill.