👉🏽 Subscribe for thoughtful, bite-sized emails — from Liz Zhou, a neurodivergent therapist — on how to take care of your nervous system & understand your brain.
How does your brain process information? 🧠
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There’s a book on my shelf that I’ve been reading for... what feels like forever. Every week or so, I’ll pick it up & read through another chapter. The content of the book is complex, so I can only process one chapter at a time. Then, my brain gets tired and needs a break. (The book, for the record, is called A Disability History of the United States, and it’s definitely not a “light read.”) My point is: the slow pace of reading a physical book - feeling the material in my hands, turning each page & hearing the rustling of the paper - is exactly what my nervous system needs in order to actually digest the information. Something about the physicality of a book helps information sink into my brain in a deep way. Your brain might be different or similar from mine, and that is what I want to highlight here: Each brain processes information in a unique way. Sometimes, it’s easier to process information when it’s delivered through a certain medium. For example: 🧠 Maybe you don’t like reading books in physical form, because your body doesn’t want to sit still, and your brain gets tired processing the words on the page. So you listen to podcasts instead - because your brain loves auditory processing, and you can move your body, do laundry, or cook dinner at the same time. 🧠 Your brain might struggle with verbal directions (turn left, take the 3rd right, drive half a mile), but if you can get your hands on a map (visual information), then you’re good to go. 🧠 Maybe you become dysregulated when you read the news on your phone, alone & doom-scrolling in your room - but you feel grounded when you discuss the news in a conversation with friends. It’s worth asking yourself: How does my brain like to process information? There is no right or wrong answer. But your answer might inform the way that you take care of yourself. To staying curious, P.S. Know someone who needs to hear this? Forward it along. New readers can subscribe here. P.P.S. If you’re interested in working together, I’d love to support you. 🌻 For folks who are overwhelmed & burnt out, but too busy for weekly therapy, I offer Nervous System Healing Intensives — three 90-minute sessions, using brain-body modalities (Brainspotting, IFS, EMDR) that go deeper than talk therapy & help you feel better, sooner.
Intensives are a type of short-term, accelerated therapy — for folks who prefer a hyper-focused approach to healing; who need longer than 50-min sessions to warm up & process deeply. 👉🏽 If you want to get an Intensive on the books, click here to book an intro call. I help highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults heal their nervous systems & connect with their authentic selves. 💗 Need a nervous system reset? —> Join me for a Calm Place meditation. |
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.
While on a hike recently, I came across a sign that said: 🚫 If you see a bear, don’t make eye contact (which the bear may perceive as a sign of aggression) Which was right next to another sign: 👀 If you see a mountain lion, DO make eye contact (which shows the lion that you are aware of its presence & not afraid) These signs made me feel a bit spooked, reminding me of the possibility of encountering these creatures. (Though, to my relief, a third sign in the vicinity stated that the last...
Every single day, our brains are processing countless pieces of input. Notifications from five different apps. The ping of incoming text messages The microwave timer going off. Emails piling up in your inbox. The physical pile of letters & bills on your desk. Phone calls & voicemails. The to-do list that keeps growing. 🧠 Due to the sheer amount of stimulation around us, it can be hard for our brains to discern what is actually urgent vs. what seems urgent but is not a true emergency. The...
Someone recently asked me, “What’s your favorite type of flower?” My answer: “Roses and unicorn baby’s breath.” Then, I spent the next minute trying to explain what unicorn baby’s breath flowers look like. 😅 The simplest description? They’re like rainbow-colored stars, except in flower form. Here’s what I mean👇🏽 These flowers seem to sparkle and smile when you look at them. They remind me that we don’t have to look far in order to find traces of magic on earth. Flowers are just as magical as...