What it really feels like to be neurodivergentÂ
 Â
A 12-part strengths-based series blending lived experience, neuroscience and the brilliance of All Kinds of Minds™
Come in, pull up a chair, stick the kettle on. This isn’t another dry “awareness” thing. This is twelve proper cups of tea with someone who gets it.
For years I thought I was the only one walking round with a head that felt like it was tuned to a different radio station. The lights too bright, the clocks that never made sense, the sudden crashes after a perfectly lovely lunch with mates, the guilt of forgetting a birthday even though I love the person to bits… all of it quietly convincing me I was just a bit rubbish at being human.
Then I discovered I’m autistic, ADHD (late, as usual) and have dysautonomia, and suddenly everything made sense. Not an excuse, just an explanation. And the relief? Like someone finally turned the volume down on a lifetime of white noise.
So I started writing it down. Not medical checklists, not the stereotypes, but what it actually feels like on the inside: the sensory storms, the time fog, the micro-shame lightning bolts, the nightly exhale when the world finally shuts up and I get to be me again.
And the more I wrote, the more messages landed: “You’ve just described my entire life.” “My son does that, now I understand.” “I’m sending this to my boss.” “I cried in Tesco’s car park reading Part 9.”
Turns out I’m far from the only one.
So here we are, twelve chapters that lift the lid on the hidden bits of neurodivergent life most people never talk about. The messy, beautiful, exhausting, brilliant truth of it all. Each one is short enough to read with a cuppa, honest enough to make you nod (or well up) and kind enough to remind you that none of this is a character flaw.
We’ll look at why a trip to the supermarket can feel like a military operation, why tiny mistakes can wind us for days, why night-time is when the real magic happens, and most importantly, why every single one of those “weird” things is actually the flip-side of an incredible strength.
Whether you’re neurodivergent yourself, you love someone who is, you manage someone who is, or you’re just curious, this is for you.
Read them in order, or dip in wherever. Real stories, proper science when it helps, and a whole lot of “ah, that’s why.”
Because once you see the world through All Kinds of Minds™, you can’t unsee the brilliance.
(And if one of these chapters makes you feel less alone, come and find us afterwards, we’ve got a ridiculously lovely community waiting, with biscuits)
Welcome.
đźź Caroline & the neurovision group
The constant readiness mode
Why some ND nervous systems stay one step ahead, and how this wiring becomes intuition and pattern recognition.
It’s not anxiety (though it gets labelled that a lot). It’s your nervous system running in 4K while most are on standard definition.
Masking as muscle memory (and the quiet genius behind the camouflage)
For many nd people, including myself, masking wasn’t a choice.
It was survival that became muscle memory.
Here, we explore what masking really feels like, why our nervous systems do it and the surprising strengths hidden beneath this lifelong adaptation.
Sensory overwhelm (and why it’s the source of our magic)
Sensory overwhelm isn’t personality. It isn’t preference. It isn’t mood. It's neurology.
And once you understand the neuroscience behind it, you begin to see something extraordinary: The same sensory wiring that overwhelms us is the wiring that fuels our greatest strengths.
The disconnect between intellect and executive function
People see your intelligence, talent, capability.
But they don’t see the invisible barrier between your mind and your ability to start, plan, organise or complete certain tasks. This disconnect is one of the most misunderstood experiences in nd, and one of the most important to reframe.
Social hangover
If there is one experience that nd people often recognise instantly, even before diagnosis, it’s the social hangover.
It’s not introversion. It’s not awkwardness. It’s your nervous system clocking off duty and billing you for every single layer it was running while you were “just chatting.”
The micro shame spiral
It’s the sudden, disproportionate drop you feel when you make the smallest mistake.Â
And inside it, beneath the discomfort, lies a set of strengths that are rarely acknowledged.
Let's look at those strengths...
Â
The Time-blindness trap
One of the most defining and confusing experiences for nd people. Not because we don’t care about time, we’re irresponsible or disorganised.
But because our brains process time differently and when you understand how, so much suddenly makes sense.
Health as the missing puzzle piece
For many nd people, the missing piece of the puzzle isn’t behaviour or mindset, it’s physiology.
And when you understand how neurodivergence interacts with the autonomic nervous system, everything falls into place.
The relief of knowing (and the moment the storm finally goes quiet)
When the story you’ve carried for decades suddenly rearranges itself into something coherent, accurate and compassionate.
How understanding neurodiversity softened my entire life and awakened my strengths.
The nightly exhale
The nightly exhale.
The moment your entire system finally lets go.
The moment your body stops bracing.
The moment the world quietens enough for you to return to yourself.
Â
Understanding us
When you finally see us clearly? We become the ones who spot the pattern nobody else did, solve the problem nobody else could, innovate like tomorrow depends on it, feel the shift in the room before it happens, stay when everyone else has given up.
We don’t want pity. We want partnership.
Why I’m sharing this: A call to honour All Kinds of Minds™
Because every time someone reads these words and thinks “Finally… someone sees me” a little more shame dies. A little more brilliance gets room to breathe.
A little more of the future gets built by All Kinds of Minds™.
Â
Why this series matters
Millions of neurodivergent people experience their inner world without language, explanation or validation.
What feels like “too sensitive”, “too much” or “not enough” often has clear neurological roots and powerful strengths beneath it.
This series reframes neurodivergence through:
• lived experience
• neuroscience
• nervous system insight
• self-compassion
• and a strengths-and-skills lens
So people can finally understand themselves, and be understood by others.
From lived experience to strengths
Â
A place for All Kinds of Minds™
If these chapters resonate with you, you’re welcome to join our community, a calm, strengths-led space for neurodivergent adults, parents, leaders and practitioners.
Access resources, conversations, tools and guidance designed to help you understand your mind and support others brilliantly.
🟠the neurovision group — leading the strengths-based movement for All Kinds of Minds™.
Join the Community →
