Topics we covered:

Emotional Hangovers: Why they hit harder than physical ones, how neurodivergence amplifies them, and the weird guilt that comes from needing recovery time after socialising.

Overfunctioning vs Underfunctioning: How stress pushes us into opposite modes, why we switch roles depending on the situation, and how to recognise when you’ve slipped into “fix everything” or “freeze and hide” mode.

Internal vs External Performances: The difference between looking fine and being fine. The exhaustion of masking. The awkwardness of pretending to have your shit together.

Quiet Cracking at Work: The emotional version of quiet quitting – showing up as your “professional self” on the outside while your insides are screaming for a nap.

Regulation Tools: From grounding rituals to Jake’s structured self-checks and Jennie’s emotional logic loops, we share how to come back to centre when your nervous system is fried.

Key reflections from the episode:

Nobody has it together. Not a single person.

Emotional cracks aren’t weakness – they’re communication.

Overfunctioning is not a personality trait, it’s a survival mechanism.

Underfunctioning isn’t laziness, it’s overload.

The safest people in your life are the ones who can handle your real energy.

Slowing down isn’t failure – it’s self-respect.