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It Doesn’t Take Much to Plunge Me Into a Situation Where I’m Vulnerable
Sometimes my capacity to operate in a neurotypical world doesn’t stretch far enough
Most of the time I feel as though I’m doing okay. With the benefit of self-knowledge and a good amount of autonomy, I’ve been able to set my life up in a way that works for me.
The more I understand about my neurodivergent brain, the more I can make decisions that align with it. I’m becoming more attuned to my inner climate and alert to changes in it. I now know that emotional regulation is a neurobiological process with predictable cause and effect. Most importantly, I’ve learned that there are things I can do to support mine.
A lot goes into keeping my emotional regulation and nervous system on an even keel. Self-care is not a luxury but a need as integral to my survival as food and shelter. It’s still hard work to be me but the difference now is that I’m investing effort in the capacity to live the life I want rather than pleasing other people. That’s what resilience really means.
Left to my own devices I’m fine, but I never know what the outside world is about to send my way. I forget how precariously balanced this recalibration is; how little it takes for it to come tumbling down.
