What is the difference between being a little and being a ab to you?

I want to know what it is for you because I am trying to figure out if people who are littles have the feeling of not belonging in their adult body.

How many people don't feel like they do?

Is ABDLism a mental illness?

How do you handle not being able to associate with other adults?

How do you handle not feeling your body is the right age and you can't change what has happened?

How do you balance the little and adult side without experiencing burnout?

Hahaha definitely a metal illness. lol...nah. It just is what it is.
Coming to terms with it is just plain hard work, and no I don't think you can ever truly feel comfortable in either or both worlds. We're caught in a kind of black hole between now and then, unable to ever really separate the two. Sure we may stretch away for a bit, but sure as $4!# that bind is gonna snap you right back.

For me there is no real distinction between little and ab. I guess little is just that side of the black hole where I feel most happy, comfortable and safe (well a little vulnerable too at times) when life stretches me to that other side and I have to adult, it does get tough. It's a bit like when your at a gathering and you feel you've got to smile all day - you end up with a face ache.

So yeah sometimes I seriously feel like I'm stuck in the wrong skin, but you just learn to hack it.

As for associating with other adults, it's ok for short periods, but after a while there's that 'face ache' thing. Probably no big surprise that I have only a few close adult friends who I can fairly relax around (I don't act little as such, but I don't have to be all grown up either) kind of a mid point.

Coming to terms with having to balance it all is critical, not easy, but essential. Unfortunately there's no getting away from the fact that we are living in adult bodies and have adult responsibilities. But yes, to ignore the powerful draw of that other side is to risk burnout, but so is trying to be both, 24/7. You've just got to learn how to give each side a fair crack at expressing itself. When I don't allow time to let my little self out, it can leak out at the most inappropriate times, which can be really risky and sometimes really frightening.

So to answer you actual question. I guess ab describes the actual condition we exist in (caught between two worlds) adult and baby simultaneously. little is more just a broader description of the baby side of the coin - a feeling more than anything....always present, just sometimes carefully tucked away.

tl:dr :dunno:

I would think that there's little difference between feeling "little" or being AB. How far down the age scale we regress is also part of a spectrum, but we end in the same place, feeling either like an infant, toddler, or pre-schooler. The more important aspect is to find times that are appropriate when one can play a little bit, wearing diapers, baby clothes, using bottles or sippy cups, etc. As is said in the introduction thread, "diapers don't rule our lives". I would suggest that if regression rules your life, then yes, you have a psychological problem that should be addressed.

I'm a strong believer that as humans, we are meant to be independent, that we can support ourselves and eventually, survive on our own. When we are first born, everything must be done for us by our parents, otherwise, we would perish. But as we grow, we learn to become independent, learning life skills from many sources, parents, schools and life experiences. To not grow, mature and eventually becoming self sustaining, one would have to conjecture that there is a mental disability involved.

Some people suffer from depression which is so severe, they simply can't function. I knew a few like that when I was in college. I watched them fail out and I felt sorry for them. I wished I could have helped them, but I didn't possess those skills, nor did the school services provided to them, though they were minimal. I was one of those who suffered from depression but I found ways to escape from it and at least, get by. One thing that helped me was that I had friends and I was able to socialize.

That brings up the other half of the original thread. Not being able to socialize with others is another indicator of having some sort of mental disability. As humans, we tend to be social animals. We have survived first by being tribal. Those evolved into communities. We pooled our talents and abilities so that our collective needs were met. To not be part of the community is damaging. I believe we need each other, not just for an exchange of goods and services, but to maintain a level of happiness. When we turn inward and avoid others, we can fail to thrive, and that becomes serious, and we then need some sort of outside help.