👉🏽 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.
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...
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...
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...