Holiday Burnout Prevention for Neurodivergent Women

Dec 10, 2024

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Welcome back to another enlightening episode of ADHD-ish! I'm your host, Diann Wingert, and my guest is burnout coach for highly sensitive and neurodivergent women, Paula Liub.

In this timely discussion, we'll explore why hydration, nutrition, sleep, and physical activity are essential for effective executive functioning and how hyper focus can sometimes lead us to neglect these basic needs.

Paula will give us practical strategies to reduce burnout, emphasizing the importance of pre-planning, simplifying tasks, and setting realistic boundaries. We'll also dissect the societal pressures to overwork and misunderstandings surrounding burnout and ADHD, and why mindfulness, often resisted by those with ADHD, can be a game-changer

Highlights of our conversation:

The Role of Interoception and Boundaries

Interoception, or the sense of internal body signals, plays a crucial role in managing burnout. Neurodivergent women often face challenges in perceiving their own needs and setting appropriate boundaries. Hyperfocus may increase productivity, but often leads to neglecting or ignoring our needs. Listen for tips for how to balance the two.

Mindfulness Over Perfectionism

Paula and I discuss the benefits of mindfulness as a preventive strategy that helps protect us from burnout. Mindfulness is not just about meditation but involves being intentional with daily actions and choices.

Paula defines mindfulness as paying attention to the present moment, understanding the benefits and consequences of actions, and adjusting habits to avoid negative side effects, such as excessive screen time.

Planning with Flexibility

The holiday season can exacerbate stress and pressure, especially for neurodivergent women. Paula suggests practical strategies such as pre-planning events with rest periods and simplifying tasks like gift shopping. I shared my favorite strategy for “stretching” our time horizon: using a wall-sized dry erase calendar that encourages us to anticipate future events and needs.

Paula Liub is a burnout coach for sensitive, neurodivergent women, who combines a degree in psychology with two decades of experience in mindfulness practices and other strategies for emotional regulation and self awareness. Here’s how to connect with Paula: Website - LinkedIn - Neurodivergent Wellness Basics Newsletter

One of the most common reasons female entrepreneurs, creatives and small business owners hire me is because “business as usual” is leading them toward burnout. Sometimes the changes we need to make involve better boundaries with clients and team members, sometimes we need to raise our prices and restrict the scope of our work.

These changes can be really hard to commit to and implement without guidance, support and accountability. Let me help. Click here to schedule a free consultation to see if we’re a fit and discuss the possibilities.