Welcome to “Not Always Neurosparkly: Monday Musings & Meanderings”, where I explore something coming up in my recent experience as an AuDHDer and chronic illness warrior recovering from trauma. Paid subscribers get access to all my weekly Monday Musings & Meanderings plus archived posts beyond the 3-month limit (currently numbering 70 +).
Those closest to me often remind me that when I’m feeling a certain way, I’m convinced this is just How It Always Is.
I don’t always want to hear this.
If I’m down, stressed or overwhelmed by life, the light at the end of the tunnel might as well be on the moon, and staying stuck in the doom spiral feels like the only option.
Fortunately, though, it also works in reverse: when I’m full of the ecstasy of life, it feels like nothing can touch me ever again. Aah, how good that feels - while it lasts.
I’ve just spent the weekend exploring the many shades of the emotions of fear, anger, sadness, and joy through the beautiful movement practice of 5Rhythms that I’ve been enjoying for the past sixteen years.
Those two days, stacked onto the end of a tough week of moving home for the fifth time in 2 years, poor sleep courtesy of a rat infestation and a strong storm, and complicated life admin, reminded me that my body can and does move through emotions to the other side, if I do exactly that: move, rather than staying stuck in my thoughts, one of the downsides of having a neurocomplex mind.
Given the right environment and support, I can shapeshift between joy and sadness and back again in moments, a different neural pathway lit up by the shift of a music track or the atmosphere of the weather.
It’s all very well being able to do this in a dance workshop surrounded by lovely people, but I also need to take this delicate dance into my life.
So, on this Monday morning, I share with you a few things I need to remind myself of that I’m (slowly) starting to remember more. Maybe they are helpful reminders for you, too.