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neurodiverse
What is Neurodivergence?
It's ADHD, Autism, OCD, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, bi-polar, aspd, etc etc etc etc
“neurologically atypical patterns of thought or behavior”
So, it’s very broad, if you feel like it describes you then it does as far as we're concerned
Rules
1.) ableist language=post or comment will probably get removed (enforced case by case, some comments will be removed and restored due to complex situations). repeated use of ableist language=banned from comm and possibly site depending on severity. properly tagged posts with CW can use them for the purposes of discussing them
2.) always assume good faith when dealing with a fellow nd comrade especially due to lack of social awareness being a common symptom of neurodivergence
2.5) right to disengage is rigidly enforced. violations will get you purged from the comm. see rule 3 for explanation on appeals
3.) no talking over nd comrades about things you haven't personally experienced as a neurotypical chapo, you will be purged. If you're ND it is absolutely fine to give your own perspective if it conflicts with another's, but do so with empathy and the intention to learn about each other, not prove who's experience is valid. Appeal process is like appealing in user union but you dm the nd comrade you talked over with your appeal (so make it a good one) and then dm the mods with screenshot proof that you resolved it. fake screenies will get you banned from the site, we will confirm with the comrade you dm'd.
3.5) everyone has their own lived experiences, and to invalidate them is to post cringe. comments will be removed on a case by case basis depending on determined level of awareness and faith
4.) Interest Policing will not be tolerated in any form. Support your comrades in their joy!
Further rules to be added/ rules to be changed based on community input
RULES NOTE: For this community more than most we understand that the clarity and understandability of these rules is very important for allowing folks to feel comfortable, to that end please don't be afraid to be outspoken about amendments and addendums to these rules, as well as any we may have missed
Yeah boiiiii, let's fucking go!! đź’Ş
Well done. You should be proud of yourself, I'm genuinely elated to hear about these positive changes that you have already made in your life.
This might sound goofy but one thing that I allowed myself the time and space to do early on after I realised that I was autistic was to really explore my sensory experience, (a lot like a toddler would lol); for example I would touch a certain fabric and attend to my body's reaction to it, then I would touch another one and see if my response was different. Or I would smell different things. That sort of thing. I also took note of the subtle ways that I would already stim which were very concealed, even from myself, and then I would make more of a conscious effort to engage with these behaviours, especially if I instinctively started doing any of them.
This is pretty autistic of me but I also started to create a categorised list of things that I noticed that I really liked on a sensory level, the stuff that gave me sensory joy. This also helped me to understand the commonalities better, it gave me a chance to identify the core traits of certain sensory experiences, and it helped my ADHD arse remember what I liked.
I haven't even thought about this list in forever, until just now. That's because it provided me with the scaffold to (re)develop my connection to my sensory experience and since I have done that, these days I can tell you with a high degree of confidence what I'm going to really enjoy on a sensory level and what I'm going to be really averse to just by looking at it; I don't need that structure anymore.
Of course it's usually easier to identify the things that you find repellent on a sensory level so if you're not sure where to start, you can always start with the negatives and sometimes they'll provide you with indication of what you will probably like since it's often on the opposite end where you'll find those things. Not always but commonly enough.
It might be something to think about.
I am not diagnosing you here and I don't mean to cause any panic but this gives me a pretty strong sign that you might be in the early stages of burnout.
This is not a certain thing, especially not without knowing more, but this + sleep disturbances does point in that direction imo.
The most important thing that I want to impress upon you is that you're already doing the right things.
The second most important thing I want to impress upon you is if it's in the early stages of burnout then you can mitigate its severity/duration, or potentially even prevent it, if you allow yourself enough time to recover, to get your sleep back in order, to reengage with stimming, to really focus on things that give you energy and inspiration and a sense of calm, and to reduce your levels of stress and some of your committments and demands where possible.
The third thing is that I could be completely wrong about this so if the idea of autistic burnout doesn't actually fit your situation then ignore this advice.
Lastly, you're doing great and I genuinely mean it.