👉🏽 Subscribe for thoughtful, bite-sized emails — from Liz Zhou, a neurodivergent therapist — on how to take care of your nervous system & understand your brain.
When a small accommodation makes a big difference
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This is a story about unmasking. Last fall, I visited my friend in New York City. Knowing that the place would be loud and overstimulating, I made sure to bring my earplugs. My earplugs are designed to block out noise. When I wear them, I still hear everything, but sounds are muffled as if I’m half underwater, half on earth. The earplugs allow me to participate in conversations & stay aware of my surroundings, with minimal auditory overwhelm. It’s like they stretch the battery life of my nervous system — so instead of having to head home after an hour of hanging out at a loud venue, I can linger for 2-3 hours and actually enjoy my time there. One night, we had dinner at an awesome, but fairly loud, restaurant. My friend snapped a photo of me, and I happened to be wearing my earplugs. Then he invited me to take my earplugs off, so I could get a “normal” photo. This is what we ended up with. Looking back, I love both photos. They memorialize a sweet moment in time. But the more unmasked version of me is definitely the photo with earplugs on, because that’s how I actually look in public most of the time. Those earplugs have accompanied me to busy cafés, on plane rides, and even to a rave (!!). They’re one of the best investments & accommodations I’ve ever made for my nervous system health. Choosing to be seen with earplugs on is one small example of unmasking. Because why pretend that I don’t need them, when I actually do? There are lots of different ways to unmask, and a lot of reasons why we choose to mask or unmask. I don’t believe there’s a right or wrong way — only your way, and your choice, in this moment. And in the fairly low-stakes example of wearing my earplugs in public, I choose my own comfort & sensory peace over the potential discomfort of receiving some weird looks from strangers. So, I’m curious… What is one way you’re unmasking & accommodating your needs today? Talk soon, P.S. If you need help figuring out how to unmask & accommodate your needs, I’d love to support you. I offer Nervous System Healing Intensives (short-term, accelerated work) for highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults, online worldwide. Click HERE to learn more. And if you want to get an Intensive on the books, contact me HERE. I’m scheduling Intensives for June 2025 & beyond.
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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.
While scrolling on my phone last night, I counted 26 tabs / apps open and running the background. 26!!! Favorites include: my beloved astrology app; my YNAB (You Need a Budget) app that I swear by; recipes ambitiously bookmarked for “later”; and my clock app, where I set alarms to prepare me for the next alarm. (8:00am - soft wake up, 9:00am - seriously, wake up now.) The sheer number of tabs made me realize just how many directions my attention is pulled these days. It also made me reflect...
When do you feel most like yourself? 😹 When you’re laughing with friends over an inside joke? 📚 When your nose is buried in a book, making the hours pass by like minutes? 👐🏽 When you’re creating something beautiful/messy/tactile with your hands? 🗺️ When you’re at home? Or on the road? Or waiting at airports, the ultimate in-between space? What I find fascinating is that I could ask 1,000 people this same question, when do you feel most like yourself?, and I would hear 1,000 different answers....
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “nervous system regulation”? 🧘🏻♀️ Maybe you think about breathing techniques or mindfulness skills. 🍵 Or all the teas we’re told to drink, and supplements we’re encouraged to take. 🛁 Or bubble baths, self-care products, and spa appointments. All of the above are valid, and potentially extremely helpful, options for nervous system regulation. Different things work for different people. (I, for one, love my weighted pillow that smells like...