RSD : Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria is a cluster of emotionally painful symptoms that arise in reaction to perceived judgement or rejection from others. It’s no surprise that we’re rejection sensitive. We’re sensitive about a lot of emotions, not just rejection. Emotions feel big in these bodies. Breakups make us fall to pieces but falling in love is something so euphoric too. But RSD, I’m still struggling with it. I know that people say they struggle with it and I’m not one to downplay anyone's struggles. But I guess the thing that I’m always stuck with about the RSD narrative is, is it some ..read more

To reconnect with ourselves (the sensations in our bodies), so we can understand what we might need at that moment, means we need to pause.  But pausing feels very scary to our bodies. This episode not only looks at why pausing feels so bad to us but how we can start to develop a practice of pausing in the times where we feel "safe- enough" so that when we actually do need to pause in our challenging moments, we can access that skill a little more than before. In the episode: 1. New (even if it's a good thing) is still different and uncomfortable 2. Pausing as dangerous 3. Pausing in con ..read more

When I was batching these episodes, it occurred to me that maybe some of you were like me and a little lost when it comes to trying to understand what "discomfort " might actually feel like in your body when thinking of emotions.  So this episode is a short one and it talks about how I might describe what I'm trying to feel when I think of "discomfort in the body." It also shares some more specifics around what sensations might feel like when they are uncomfortable, my thoughts about chronic pains, sensory sensitivities and why this matters for managing neurodivergence and being in this s ..read more

FYI: I use the f word in the intro! It wasn't edited out this episode. Introspection is one of the things that we hear talked about a lot but it's not really talked about when it comes to what it means for being in this society. When we live in a society that works to separate the body from the mind, reconnecting with our body becomes a radical act. Because it's in our body that holds more of our answers about what we really need in order to be at our best. and often that means doing a lot differently than society expects from us. This episode gives us reasons why working on understanding wh ..read more

I'm pleased with this episode. I've shared some introductory thoughts about the mind and body connection with neurodivergent people in mind. I talk a little about how society divides us not only from the land and each other but from ourselves. Privileging the mind over the knowledge that comes from our bodies makes me think that for us ND brained people, (who seem to be drawn to being connected to our bodies but have been forced not to be), it's even more important to start rebuilding that relationship between our mind and body. We need to get comfortable with the discomfort of making choices ..read more

I read some where that saying should to yourself was like always being in cognitive dissonance and I really felt that it made so much sense. for us ADHDers we seem to always be in cognitive dissonance because we’re always stuck between what we feel we want to be/do and what we feel we should/shouldn’t do/be. It’s such an uncomfortable place to be too. This episode looks at what I’m learning about ‘should’ about reducing the amount of ‘should-ing’ I’m doing on myself. What I’m learning: 1. It’s hard to hold two conflicting thoughts in my head at the same time on the topic about myself 2. It’s ..read more

This episode is continues my series which looks into the characteristics of white supremacist culture with the idea that there is only one right way. This is only one right way to be, to do things, to believe, to think, to live etc...The resistance, shaming and corrections we experiences with our families, schools and careers, when we impulsively give suggestions for help, sharing our ideas or even in creating a different process in doing something that is more helpful for us or even makes more sense, shows that any challenge to the way things are done, is not acceptable. We quickly learn that ..read more

GIVEAWAY!!! Leave a 5 star review and comment on Apple Podcasts or Spotify for a chance to win a copy of the book ‘Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Designed for You’ For people with ADHD, Autistic folx and those with other sensory sensitivities, the sensory impact of Neurodivergent conditions can make our day to day lives even more challenging. Jenara Nerenberg’s new book ‘Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Designed for You’ looks at the experiences of neurodivergent womxn and their challenges around sensory sensitivities. In her first book, she shares stories, str ..read more

I think this episode is might be especially helpful for the more recently diagnosed ADHDers (or maybe those folx who are just starting to do some work around their feeling about their ADHD or think they may have ADHD). This week I talk about our feelings about difference and how they can impact the ways we show up for ourselves in our lives. This is something that I’m getting to understand more about myself. We all have ideas about what it means to be different and we might say things like, ‘to be different is great and it means being unique etc…’ but in actuality we grew up witnessing folx b ..read more

One thing I tend to go on about is that when the story is told by one perspective, the problems and solutions are only seen from that perspective too. In talking about neurodivergence, we tend to be sharing the experiences from a lot about white boys, girls, men and women perspectives. No one else (because unless otherwise said, the default has always been white). Culturally competent care and support are much needed in giving those of us who are the most marginalised the kind of support we need that works well for the lives we actually lead.  Three thoughts: 1. Attribute certain behavio ..read more