Sensory overload happens when your brain receives more sensory input than it can process. This can come from one overwhelming source – like a blaring alarm – or from multiple inputs at once, such as a crowded shopping centre with fluorescent lights, background music, and the buzz of conversations. When your brain struggles to filterContinueContinue reading “Sensory overload: How to navigate a world that feels too much”
Tag Archives: autism
How to have happier holidays when you’re autistic
The holiday season can be especially challenging for autistic people, making it hard to have the happy holiday experience others seem to expect. From Thanksgiving and through Christmas to New Year’s, there’s a nonstop stream of holiday events, sensory overload, and social expectations, creating an environment that can feel overwhelming and exhausting. With a fewContinueContinue reading “How to have happier holidays when you’re autistic”
Self-compassion secrets for neurodivergent people
Developing self-compassion can be particularly important for neurodivergent people, who may face unique challenges, such as misunderstanding from others, internalised stigma, or struggles with traditional standards of productivity or social behaviour. This can be really helpful if we’ve recently realised we’re neurodivergent, as later-life realisations can bring a tsunami of feelings and emotions. Self-compassion helpsContinueContinue reading “Self-compassion secrets for neurodivergent people”
How to identify emotions when you can’t find the words
Being able to identify emotions can be tricky, especially for neurodivergent people. It’s not that we don’t feel emotions—we do, often, and they can be really intense—but naming them can be a challenge. This difficulty isn’t limited to specific neurodivergent identities like autism, ADHD, AuDHD and dyslexia, neurotypical people can struggle with this too. However,ContinueContinue reading “How to identify emotions when you can’t find the words”
Is neuro-identity important when choosing neuro-affirming support?
Identity matters for all sorts of reasons. If we start with ourselves, knowing our identity is important because it provides clarity on who we are, our values, beliefs, strengths and weaknesses. This self-awareness shapes every aspect of our lives, including relationships, career, goals, and our sense of direction. The more you understand yourself, the betterContinueContinue reading “Is neuro-identity important when choosing neuro-affirming support?”
How to create your own personal user manual
A personal user manual is a bit like the instruction manual for your smart TV. The manual tells you how to operate the telly, how to get the best from its features, and what it needs in order to function at its best. It also tells you the things that are gonna lead to lessContinueContinue reading “How to create your own personal user manual”
How to choose autism-affirming counselling
Autism-affirming counselling can be a lifeline and game-changer for autistic people and people with AuDHD (autism and ADHD together). It can be a struggle to find the right counselling and mental health support for a number of reasons: Lack of awareness and understanding from counsellors and mental health professionals who may not have had sufficientContinueContinue reading “How to choose autism-affirming counselling”
Looking back with new lenses: late diagnosis of neurodivergence
Late diagnosis of neurodivergence can lead us to questioning key events of our past, as we reframe things through new lenses. Different conditions have different characteristics, and being multiply neurodivergent can add layers of complexity. In this post I focus on innate forms of neurodivergence, including but certainly not limited to ADHD, autism, AuDHD, dyslexiaContinueContinue reading “Looking back with new lenses: late diagnosis of neurodivergence”