Today I listened to an interesting episode of “The L Podcast.”
The podcast (hosted by a Toastmaster from Central PA) talked about to handle the holidays. It’s supposed to be a magic time, the most wonderful time of year. But for those who are neurodivergent, this time of year can be chaotic and stressful.
Being neurodivergent is defined as someone whose brain functions, learns, processes information, and perceives the world differently from what’s considered typical. Neurodivergent people encompass conditions like autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and others. These variations are viewed as natural differences, not deficits, within the broader concept of neurodiversity.
Throughout the podcast, TJ shared his journey living with autism and was diagnosed at a young age. Fun fact: He and I are not just members of Toastmasters. Both of us also attended the Commonwealth Technical Institute. But, our paths didn’t cross until we met in Toastmasters.
It’s supposed to be a magical time of year, but it carries a price tag. If you stick to a routine and that routine gets interrupted, it can have an impact on your mental health. You may not be able to handle social gatherings without feeling run down.
For me, this hit home many times. It’s not as hard for me now as it was in my late teens and 20’s. I’ve had my moments where I’ve had to be by myself at family gatherings. Sometimes, this felt worse than being made fun of when I was younger.
Some people may have emotional weight to carry during the holidays, such as the loss of a friend or a loved one. Loneliness is another one of the feelings I’ve dealt with. I want to feel accepted in my journey and want to be my authentic self. That might explain why I’ve acted out at home sometimes.
During my college years was when I really felt a sense of being overwhelmed. I was happier to be by myself on weekends at HGA and couldn’t wait to go back after the holiday. I’ve also argued with friends and those uneasy feelings carried over into the season. It doesn’t end well when you have that anger bottled up. A great example of this happening would be in 2002 and 2012. It was bad during COVID too, but nowhere near those earlier years.
The podcast is 25 minutes and very informative. I’ll end the blog with a quite from TJ.
“Be true to yourself, because at the end of the day, you should be proud of who you are”. –T.J. Rose
Stylish 🍒 