In June I'm re-posting the most popular episodes from the show while I take a step back to look at the big picture (because my monotropic brain has trouble doing that while also pumping out new content).

What do AuDHDers need (beyond the obvious needs all humans have)? And why do those needs matter?

This episode covers some important ones:

• Being able to engage with our interests (in a particular way)
• Executive Function support, without trying to make the hardest things easy or enjoyable
• Autonomy
• True rest
• The narrow path of just enough stimulation
• Processing time
• To be witnessed in just the right way
• Recognition that our needs vary quite a bit day to day
• Coming to terms with disability
• Space and time throughout our self-discovery journey
• Safe enough spaces to explore what it means to be ourself

1. Executive function test post if you want to ask Qs or share your experience
2. Executive Skills Questionnaire Revised (ESQ-R)
3. Unmasking Autism book (affiliate link)
4. Experimenting Your Way to an Extraordinary Life (course)

Crisis Resources:

• USA-based anonymous crisis chat
• International crisis lines
• Various types of crisis resources in about 10 countries

Resources:

1. Like Your Brain community space
2. Transcript Doc
3. Email Newsletter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In June I'm reposting the most popular episodes from the show while I take a step back to look at the big picture (because my monotropic brain has trouble doing that while also pumping out new content).

Mentioned in outro:

Experimenting Your Way to an Extraordinary Life

AuDHD = autism + ADHD... and also I experience it as its own neurotype, and not simply two "disorders."

Here are the sets of questions I asked in the episode, if you'd like to take time with them on your own:

1. Do you feel like advice almost never works for you? Not only NT advice, but even advice from autistic OR ADHD people? That your brain either instantly knows advice won't work for you, or tries it and feels really disappointed because you did have a lot of things in common with the person who gave it to you but somehow still it felt like your body or brain were just not clicking with it?
2. Are the internal parts of you always fighting? Do you feel like the things your body and brain want are often in complete opposition and that it's literally impossible to get your needs met, because different parts of you want such different things to feel safe, regulated, and cared for?
3. Have you managed to build some modicum of success in an area through anxiety and adrenaline? This could be school, work, a creative pursuit, relationships. Have you received external validation for doing this thing well, all the while being absolutely terrified that it's all going to fall apart and you have no idea how to handle how your life feels and it all feels extremely precarious and painful at the day-to-day level? Do you feel the need to hide how much you're struggling, and/or if you've disclosed your struggles have they not been taken seriously?
4. Is your energy quite cyclical, where when you feel like your brain is working you'll push yourself really really hard, and then be totally exhausted and need time to recover? And without adequate recovery time, Is burnout, or burnout-like depression (they can be similar) a frequent experience for you? Or do you live in fear of it?

Thanks to Hanu Dixit for permission to use the song A Sitar Story.

Full Transcript here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Time the body needs to transition, meet needs, rest and recover is NOT wasted time! I don't know that it's even possible to "waste time" outside of ableist capitalist structures.

If you still have ableist thoughts, that's okay. We all do! It's worth resting anyway.

Resources mentioned:

1. Neuraluxe's post about parentification
2. Car fundraiser for DV survivor (my sibling)
3. When your abuser threatens suicide article

Note about that paid Substack link:

"If you are in an abusive relationship or other crisis and truly cannot afford to pay for a paid membership—not just would prefer to get content for free, but actually cannot pay—I offer no-questions-asked paid access to anyone who emails me. Please email [email protected], and put “Substack scholarship” in the subject line. If you use any other subject line, I may not see your email. You do not need to tell me anything specific—just that you cannot afford to pay! Please note that subscription applications can take several weeks to process."

1. Transcript Doc
2. Email Newsletter: Nothing Wrong With Us
3. Like Your Brain community space (Patreon)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you have multiple interests, realistically you probably don't have enough time to develop all of them to the degree that you'd like. And even with more targeted pursuits, many of us are busy because of real life and capitalism.

What this means is that we have to make tough choices. I talk about some of the ways I've worked through this, where I'm at with it currently, and some questions to ask yourself to guide your own process.

Also, it's the 100th episode!

I'm committed to not running ads on this podcast (for a lot of reasons).

If you'd like to support the podcast, the best ways to do so...

1. One-time donation on Venmo (email [email protected] for other methods)
2. Wish list items
3. Patreon podcast support tier

1. Transcript Doc
2. Email Newsletter: Nothing Wrong With Us
3. Like Your Brain community space (Patreon)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To change something, I've been playing with telling myself I'll do "a little more or less." It is less exciting than a huge plan... but also easier on my nervous system!

1. Transcript Doc
2. Email Newsletter: Nothing Wrong With Us
3. Like Your Brain community space (Patreon)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This year I've been trying to meet my intensity needs in more "healthy" ways, while also recognizing that sometimes that doesn't feel possible. And that's okay!

1. Transcript Doc
2. Email Newsletter: Nothing Wrong With Us
3. Like Your Brain community space (Patreon)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa Gorelkin is an Occupational Therapist who often works with ND folks. She shares about compassionate approaches to daily life tasks.

The main tool she shared is creating a crisis kit to use when experiencing distress in public, at work, or anywhere that you can't be fully unmasked. List of suggested items below.

Crisis kit items suggested in episode:

1. alcohol swabs (to smell for state change)
2. instant ice packs
3. extreme sour candies
4. lemon juice packet
5. hot sauce packet (mustard is Mattia's)
6. distress card requesting using the bathroom (or whatever's helpful for you)

1. Her website, vanessagorelkin.com
2. @otwhisperer on TikTok

1. Transcript Doc
2. Email Newsletter: Nothing Wrong With Us
3. Like Your Brain community space (Patreon)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reflecting on the interview with Anna, who shared about accommodations for her students and herself.

Learning how to build our own systems/structures is often more useful than being handed a system. Because no matter how much dopamine we get initially from a new tool or system, it inevitably becomes stale.

Instead of throwing the whole thing out the window every time, I've learned how to pull forward elements that are still working. This continuous process of experimenting and tweaking (with rest/recovery interspersed, of course!) has made my life so much easier.

Last 10m of the episode is about why I'm doing the work I'm doing, and the live round of LYB:

1. Transcript Doc
2. Email Newsletter: Nothing Wrong With Us
3. Like Your Brain community space (Patreon)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anna is an educator who has developed an incredible approach with accommodations at the core (for the student AND herself!). It makes sense pedagogically, and it's working! With a core of psychological safety, students are able to explore writing and language with their own goals in mind.

We've also known each other since I was 15... so we talk a bit about the mysterious backstory of living in a Christian sorority ;)

1. Her English 101 Online Textbook
2. Workshopping: Liz Lerman's Critical Response Process
3. All My Relations podcast

1. Transcript Doc
2. Email Newsletter: Nothing Wrong With Us
3. Like Your Brain community space (Patreon)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Coping mechanisms can be a pathologizing term. What's the difference between coping mechanisms and intensity or interests?

This episode also touches back to the interview on sobriety with Amy in ep. 92. As well as this note on a positive AA experience from a listener.

Resources:

1. Transcript Doc
2. Email Newsletter: Nothing Wrong With Us
3. Like Your Brain community space (Patreon)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.