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Liz's Neurodivergent Letters

👉🏽 Subscribe for thoughtful, bite-sized emails — from Liz Zhou, a neurodivergent therapist — on how to take care of your nervous system & understand your brain.

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Featured Post

An honest answer to "how are you?" 🔥

If someone were to ask you, “how are you, really?”… what would you honest answer be right now? In times like these, when the world & current events seem to move faster than the human nervous system was designed to process, I feel grateful to know my “parts.” So, my honest response to “how are you, really?” would not be a short answer — it’d be an answer that acknowledges all of my parts. We all have parts, working inside of our nervous systems, helping us to navigate life in whatever way...

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How does your brain like to process information? By reading words on a page? Skimming a screen? Talking it out in a live conversation? Watching videos? Looking at images? 👀 Listening to podcasts? While moving your body, or while sitting still? Our brains process information in so many different ways — visually, auditorily, kinesthetically, verbally, non-verbally, sub-consciously, consciously… and more. 🎧 If you happen to be an auditory processor, you might enjoy this new resource that I’ve...

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I recently joined a pottery class, as a way to unwind, be creative, meet new people, and learn a fun new skill. 🏺 2 weeks & 1 clay-splattered shirt later… and I want to share some (neurodivergent) observations. *** My art teacher uses a lot of verbal instructions – put your hand there, put your other hand here, position your body this way. The challenge? My brain struggles to process verbal instructions. I have a much easier time with slow, experiential, and visual learning. Whether your...

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As highly sensitive & neurodivergent people, I think a lot of us are used to navigating complexities and holding dualities. For example: the complexity of masking to stay safe and unmasking to conserve energy, while learning who you are underneath the masks. The duality of experiencing deep joy and deep grief, sometimes within the same hour. Or the same breath. And the whiplash of shifting between these two states. The paradox of parts of you wanting connection, and parts of you wanting to be...

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If I had to explain “nervous system co-regulation” in simple terms, I’d say it’s the experience of two or more nervous systems talking to each other & synchronizing to the same rhythm. Whereas self-regulation refers to things you can do alone to take care of your nervous system (like meditating, going on a walk, engaging in a hobby), co-regulation refers to things you can do in the presence of others. >> Instead of meditating alone, you might meditate in a group. >> Instead of going on a solo...

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Have you heard of the 5 love languages? The idea is that each person gives & receives love in different ways – through quality time, gifts, words of affirmation, physical touch, or acts of service. When used in the context of romantic relationships, love languages might explain why you like receiving flowers from your partner (gifts), while your partner loves planning date nights (quality time). 💞 Lately, I’ve been wondering how the love languages might apply to community-building — the...

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This time of year feels like the turning of a page. Things seem to slow down (as people take time off to be with loved ones) and simultaneously speed up (the mad dash to get everything done before the holidays, the high-pressure “new year, new me” energy). Like many, I grew up setting New Year’s resolutions — like eat healthier, exercise more, improve my sleep. While there’s nothing wrong with setting these goals, this year I want to try something different (& I welcome you to join me)....

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While pondering a big decision recently, this question floated through my mind. What would my ancestors do? This question added a totally new dimension & depth to my pondering. I began to see the situation differently, in a bigger context. So I want to share this question with you, too, and let you curiously notice whatever comes up. Pick 1 decision that you’re mulling over. It can be big or small — whether to stay where you are or go somewhere else; whether to commit to project A or B;...

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What was the last thing you saw on social media (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok)? An ad, a funny post, a talking head, someone’s dreamy beach vacation? How did it make you feel? And just as curious – did you choose to see this content (because you opted to follow a specific page or account), or was it randomly put in front of you, via the algorithm? (Ah, the almighty and mysterious algorithm…) This year, I’ve been noticing how being on social media makes my head spin & my attention scatter. On...

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If I could give my 5-year-old cat, Tiger, one of those yearbook superlatives (like, Most Likely to… Be Famous, Cure a Disease, Set a World Record), hers would be... 🙌🏽 Most Likely to Not Care What Anyone Thinks 🏆 Granted, most cats don’t really care what others think. They don’t get self-conscious, the way we humans do. Somewhere in there is a lesson about how to unmask & be authentically yourself. First, let me tell you about my orange cat. When Tiger is uncomfortable, she does whatever it...