How to Highlight Past Strengths in the Midst of an Identity Spiral

You’re standing in the kitchen, or staring at your screen, and suddenly it hits you:

“I don’t know who I am anymore.”

Your accomplishments feel like someone else’s.
Your confidence has gone quiet.
Your mind spirals into shame, whispering,

“Was I ever really capable?”
“Have I just been pretending this whole time?”

If this sounds familiar, you’re not broken.
You’re likely caught in what many neurodivergent folks experience often:
an identity spiral.

In these moments, past strengths feel inaccessible—like someone wiped your internal record clean.
Even things you know you’ve done before feel like fiction.
And what’s worse: you may feel like you have no way back to yourself.

But you do.
And it starts not with massive effort, but with gentle anchoring.

Why an Identity Spiral Blocks Access to Past Strengths

Neurodivergent brains—especially those with ADHD, autism, or trauma history—don’t always store or retrieve memories in linear, easily accessible ways.
Add in:

Executive dysfunction
Emotional flooding
Time blindness
Low dopamine states

…and it becomes incredibly hard to recall past experiences of competence or confidence in the moment you need them most.

Even if you’ve overcome huge challenges before…
Even if you’ve succeeded dozens of times…

In a spiral, that part of your memory goes offline.
It’s not that those strengths didn’t happen.
It’s that your brain, under stress, is now filtering everything through a lens of fear or shame.

So if your internal monologue says:

“I’ve never done anything right. I always screw things up.”

That’s not a truth. That’s a symptom.

Anchoring in Evidence—Why Externalizing Matters

When your mind is in the midst of an identity spiral and can’t give you what you need, external reminders can.
These are sometimes called “cognitive offloading” tools—and they’re executive function gold.

Start with a Strength Evidence Bank:

Screenshots of affirming messages or feedback
Photos of projects you’ve completed or things you’ve created
Notes you’ve written to yourself on a good day
Journal entries or lists of past wins
“Reminders from people who love me” folder

These aren’t trophies or vanity records—they’re memory prosthetics.
Your brain, especially in a spiral, needs help remembering who you are.

That’s not weakness. That’s wise design.

When you’re dysregulated or self-critical, don’t ask your brain to prove your worth from scratch.
Instead, reach for something that already knows you.

How to Highlight Past Strengths in Real-Time During an Identity Spiral

When you’re already in the identity spiral, it’s tempting to wait until you feel better before doing anything.
But gently engaging with your past strengths in the moment can actually help shift your state.

Here are some ways to reconnect, even mid-spiral:

Ask a reframing question:

“What would someone who loves me say about me right now?”
“Have I ever gotten through something like this before?”
“If this were a friend’s story, what strength would I notice?”

Look for patterns, not perfection:

What do I always try, even when it’s hard?
What have I learned to do over time that used to seem impossible?
What makes me proud, even if no one else noticed it?

Use sensory anchors:

Revisit a playlist from a time when you felt strong
Touch a keepsake that represents a season of growth
Look at your own handwriting from a time when you felt centered

These aren’t magic switches—but they help reintroduce coherence to a dysregulated self-image.

The goal isn’t to erase the spiral.
It’s to light a match in the dark.

Create a “Strength Bookmark” Practice

You don’t need to rely on memory alone.
In fact, it’s better not to.

Set up a system that lets you track your strengths in moments of clarity, so you can come back to them later.

You might call it:

*“Things I’ve Survived” list
*“Strength Snapshots” journal
*“Evidence of Me Being a Badass” folder
Or simply: “Who I Am (When I Remember)”

Ideas for what to capture:

A decision you made that aligned with your values
A conversation where you held a boundary
A time you made someone feel safe or seen
A moment you kept going, even when it was hard
A creative idea you followed through on
A past version of you you’re proud of

This can live in your planner, your Notes app, a jar, a wall, a private Instagram archive—whatever works for your brain.

Make it visible.
Accessible.
Yours.

Because when the spiral returns, it’s not your job to remember everything.
It’s your job to design for the forgetting.

Reclaiming Self-Trust as a Gentle Practice

Most people think self-trust comes from confidence.
But for neurodivergent minds, it often comes from evidence. Repeated. Reaffirmed. Reclaimed.

You may not always feel like someone strong or consistent.
But you have been.

And you will be again.

Even in your lowest identity spiral moments, you’ve likely shown:

Courage through overwhelm
Adaptability under pressure
Creativity when cornered
Empathy in the face of misunderstanding
Resourcefulness when unsupported

That’s strength.
That’s you.

You don’t have to “figure out” who you are in one go.
You don’t have to believe in yourself fully to begin collecting proof.
You just need to start noticing—again and again—the parts of you that show up, even in the fog.

And when they feel far away?

Reach for the bookmarks.
Revisit the evidence.
Remember the spark.

Your story isn’t broken.
It’s still unfolding.