neurodivergence

“In classic neoliberal style, ADHD diagnoses shift the responsibility for distraction onto the ‘innocent’ neurobiological individual, rather than addressing an underfunded public education system, privatized healthcare, Big Pharma, unaffordable childcare, and the normalization of competitive individualism.”

we should also remember that so much of what we call ‘madness’ or ‘mental illness’ is actually just behaviour that does not lend itself well to the capitalist economic system

That’s a really exciting prospect to me – the ways that we could all be mad and weird and neurodivergent in a world that didn’t value us according to our exploitability.

This is likely one reason we see increased rates of anxiety among people with alexithymia. Because they cannot label their emotions, they aren’t as easily able to recruit their prefrontal cortex to help out and self-soothe when their fear system gets activated! So for people who struggle with emotional regulation or alexithymia, emotional labeling

In addition to identifying the emotion you're feeling, the Feelings Wheel can also help you identify the opposite emotion . The opposite emotion is located on the exact opposite side of the wheel and can give you information about what emotion might help you at any given moment. For example, if you're feeling powerless, the opposite emotion might b

When we have alexithymia, we often do not notice our feelings until they are at an eight or higher. By the time our mind registers emotions, we are typically in an urgent state. Once we are at an 8, 9, or 10 it is much more difficult to reign the emotions and calm ourselves.

This is one of the reasons people with alexithymia struggle so much with em

Emotional identification exercises can be challenging for people with alexithymia, and this can cause many of us to feel incompetent and frustrated. Try to be patient and gentle with yourself. You're practicing a skill that does not come easily to you, and it will take time, patience, and persistence.

Emotional awareness is like a muscle; the more y

Writing or journaling can be a helpful tool for those who have difficulty identifying their feelings, particularly for people with alexithymia. Many individuals with alexithymia have an easier time accessing reflective emotions, which are emotions that are processed through our prefrontal cortex, compared to routine emotions, which are emotions tha

sensory processing difficulties can affect all senses, including interoception. That means that we can have a hard time sensing these internal states and/or understanding what to do about them