Episode 31: Releasing Expectations Around The Neurodivergent Holiday Experience

Divergent Conversations

There are a lot of different opinions and feelings about the neurodivergent experience during the holiday season. The reality is that they will be vastly different for each individual, and there isn’t a right way to experience the holidays.

In this episode, Patrick Casale and Dr. Megan Anna Neff, two AuDHD mental health professionals, dive into the complexities of navigating the holiday season as neurodivergent individuals, offering valuable strategies for managing stress, setting boundaries, and finding moments of connection.

Top 3 reasons to listen to the entire episode:

1. Understand the challenges of masking or unmasking publicly and at holiday events, as well as the importance of setting boundaries to protect one's energy and sensory needs during gatherings.
2. Identify strategies for managing stress and anxiety during the holiday season, including ways to do self-care and prioritize value-based activities.
3. Learn how to release expectations, find compromise, and create moments of joy and connection that result in more meaningful personal experiences in cross-neurotype relationships and prioritize well-being for every neurotype.

We all have different likes and dislikes, as well as perceptions and experiences, so do your best to release any expectations around how you should experience and feel about the holiday season, and try to create an environment and experience that honors your unique wants and needs.

Resources:

One of Dr. Neff’s first blog posts ever written was on navigating their first holiday season after the discovery that they were Autistic, so if you want some more Autistic holiday musings here you go:

• Autism and the Holidays: Reflections: neurodivergentinsights.com/blog/neurodivergent-holiday-reflections

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A Thanks to Our Sponsor, Gifted Learning Lab!

✨ Gifted Learning Lab:

We would love to thank Gifted Learning Lab for sponsoring this episode.

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