Dr. Megan Anna Neff, a clinical psychologist and founder of Neurodivergent Insights, dives deep into the nuances of neurodivergence and self-care. She shares her own late-in-life discovery of neurodivergence and the mix of emotions it brought. Megan addresses common self-care barriers for neurodivergent women and redefines self-care to be more inclusive. The discussion also highlights personalized strategies, sensory self-care practices, and the importance of community in navigating these experiences. A refreshing perspective on self-care tailored for diverse neurodivergent needs!
01:30:16
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
insights INSIGHT
Defining Neurodivergence
Neurodivergence is a brain style that significantly differs from the neuronormative.
It's an identity of pride and affirmation, allowing life to click into place.
insights INSIGHT
Right Brain/Left Brain Integration
Right-brain and left-brain concepts offer sophisticated understandings of brain function.
Integrating both is crucial, especially in a left-brain dominant society.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Late Diagnosis
Dr. Neff discovered her autism at 37 while researching her child's potential autism.
Later, she realized she also had ADHD, sparking her passion for neurodivergence awareness.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
On today’s episode we’re excited to welcome Dr. Megan Anna Neff to the podcast to chat with us about neurodivergence and self-care. Megan is a clinical psychologist, author, and the founder of Neurodivergent Insights. She’s written Self-Care for Autistic Peopleand has a new book on autistic burnout coming soon. Megan discovered her own neurodivergence at 37, which sparked her passion for raising awareness around non-stereotypical presentations of autism and ADHD. Through her work, she creates resources to support the neurodivergent community and co-hosts the Divergent Conversations podcast.
On this episode we cover:
How Megan thinks about neurodivergence, including side quests into right brain / left brain ideas and the concept of time. (Trust us, it’s relevant!)
Megan’s path to discovering her own neurodivergence, and the relief and grief associated with that.
Understanding self-care within our socio-cultural context.
A re-imagined definition of self-care.
Examples of self-care strategies and ways that we can embed self-care into our everyday functioning.
Common blocks to self-care experienced by neurodivergent women, AFAB, and parents.
The experience of transitional identity for late diagnosed folks.
De-shaming from self-care strategies that may be perceived negatively or have unwanted unintended consequences.
Find Dr Neff’s work at her website - https://neurodivergentinsights.com/ - or listen to her on the Divergent Conversations podcast. She is also on Instagram @neurodivergent_insights. Follow her through your preferred medium to be notified when her new book on autistic burnout is released!
Want polished copies of our episodes in beautiful and readable pdf article format? Grab them here.
Enjoyed the episode and want to support us further? Join our Patreon community! Patreon subscribers receive basic episode transcripts from Season 4 onwards, access to a monthly live zoom hang out, 50% off our episode articles, plus bonus monthly content (depending on subscription tier). Check out our Patreon page to support us, as we aim to make quality mental health care information accessible to everyone: www.patreon.com/ndwomanpod.