Weirdly Successful
Dedicated to helping you understand, navigate and enjoy your weird & wonderful neurodivergent life.
Decompressing refers to engaging in activities or behaviours that allow a person to relax, unwind, and alleviate stress or sensory overload.
This term is particularly significant in the neurodivergent community as we often experience heightened sensitivity to environmental stimuli, leading to increased stress and anxiety levels.
Making sure to have time to decompress after especially taxing events is an essential part of self-care.
ADHD tax is a casual term used to describe the additional costs, both tangible and intangible, that ADHD individuals often face due to their neurodivergence, especially struggles due to executive dysfunction.
The double empathy problem is a concept in neurodiversity studies that suggests a mutual misunderstanding between neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals.
It states that the perceived social communication deficits in neurodivergent people may not be due to an inherent impairment, but rather a reciprocal lack of understanding or empathy between different neurotypes.
This theory challenges the traditional deficit model of neurodivergence, emphasizing that empathy is a two-way process, and both parties bear responsibility for successful communication.
Deep pressure is a natural sensory need where firm, consistent pressure (like heavy blankets or tight hugs) helps tension melt away from your body. Many people naturally seek this through things like snug clothing or curling up under blankets - it's your nervous system's way of finding calm and comfort.
A trauma-informed approach is looking out for the needs of the individual with the effect of trauma taken into consideration.
Trauma can have a profound physical, biological, psychological and social effect on a person, and this effect cannot be discounted.
The curb-cut effect refers to the phenomenon that policies initially created to serve a marginalized group end up serving a much more significant portion of society, benefiting even more people than it was originally designed for.
Adaptations or coping mechanisms are adjustments you make for yourself or made for you to create a safe and comfortable environment for you to exist in.
Neuroaffirming or neuro-affirmative refers to practices, approaches, or environments that recognize and affirm the neurodiversity of society and the neurodivergence of individuals.
Unmasking is when you slowly learn to allow your neurodivergence to present itself and you don't try to hide yourself. However, to unmask is a privilege, as you need a safe space to do it.
Body doubling means doing a task or errand with someone else or in the presence of someone else so it's easier to start or follow through.
Their supportive presence helps create a safe, anchoring environment that makes it easier to start and follow through with tasks -- without pressure or judgment.
It is one of the strategies for managing focus and creating a flow for work, even if you feel lost and overwhelmed by executive dysfunction.
