I'm of the opinion that we shouldn't need medical labels to access accommodations or support.

If this were the way society actually functioned our relationship with medicalization and diagnosis would be very different.

The world as it is today though, requires these medical labels

Self-reflection is probably one of the most important skills to developing neurodivergent coping strategies.

Looking back on what went well, what didn't, and how we'd do things differently allows us to adapt our strategies or even discover new ones

Diagnosis can feel freeing because it allows some of us to stop blaming ourselves for our traits and refocuses us on navigating the world with them instead of fighting them.

This is a fundamental mindset shift, but it doesn't actually require diagnosis or treatment to achieve

Masking is a coping strategy where neurodivergent people hide our neurodivergent traits to conform to others’ expectations.

This is exhausting, and is a major contributor to burnout for neurodivergent people

Neurotypicals: You shouldn't label yourself. Stop using your label as an excuse!

What I hear: Any struggles you experience are your own personal failings and you should feel bad about it.

Me: *blinks* ... no...?

Hormonal changes impact how women experience ADHD and how they respond to medication.

This means women can have very different experiences of ADHD during different parts of their menstrual cycle, during puberty, and throughout (peri)menopause

Don't tell HR 🤫 but sometimes, the right approach to accessing accommodations is asking for forgiveness not permission.

This means sometimes implementing the accommodations in good faith without requesting them and making the request later, if anyone notices

Autistic burnout can be so isolating because it's the world itself that's causing the chronic stress and overwhelm.

Backing down our expectations for ourselves is necessary to heal, but that also means our world can shrink quite considerably

Relaxation and rest aren't our only self-care needs, especially if we're ADHD and/or autistic.

Self-care is also about regulating and providing the conditions to face challenges we might face in the future.

This means meeting sensory, stimulation, or social needs, for example

Because the society around us often sees neurodivergent needs as weird or strange, a lot of us learn deprioritize our own needs over time.

Unfortunately, this will never be a sustainable solution.

Over time, these unmet needs fester and poison our mental wellbeing