AuDHD Flourishing

The skill no one knew you needed: how to emotionally regulate while doing a task. It's simple yet difficult. And undiagnosed neurodivergent parents were even less likely to be able to help on some fronts, if they never learned how either.
This is a skill you can practice (which the end of the episode covers), and there are many AuDHD factors complicating it for us. Even with different emotional processing or experience, it's still possible to take care of yourself during an activity.
But it requires slowing down and being willing to stop if your brain or body are too triggered.

Over time, this builds to being able to do more, more easily, with less stress. It is very, very worth it ;)

Mentioned in episode:
2 short vids explaining the Wall of Awful & strategies for going through & over it by Jessica McCabe of How to ADHD
150 The Wall of Awful with Brendan Mahan

AuDHD Flourishing resources:
Transcript Doc (often a few weeks behind, but we do catch up!)
Mattia's Newsletter
Like Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brendan Mahan's concept of The Wall of Awful has taken on a life of its own. While originally geared toward ADHD, it's also extremely applicable to other neurodivergent folks including autism, AuDHD, OCD, and PDA.

In short, there are a bunch of tough emotions built up over time between you and tasks that are difficult for you (whether or not anyone else believes they are easy). While you may instinctively figure out how to sidestep or smash through the issues, it's not really addressing the deeper problem that still affects you the next time.

Brendan's book, The Wall of Awful, comes out Sep 1 2026, and you can learn an overview of the concepts at the YouTube videos listed under #3 below

Connect with Brendan / Mentioned in episode:
The Wall of Awful book & resources, and if you're buying on Amazon here's my affiliate link
Friendship Skills for Neurodivergent Adults by Caroline Maguire, book, affiliate link
2 short vids explaining the Wall of Awful & strategies for going through & over it by Jessica McCabe of How to ADHD

AuDHD Flourishing resources:
Transcript Doc (often a few weeks behind, but we do catch up!)
Mattia's Newsletter
Like Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Consistency" can feel like a dirty word in neurodivergent land...
Consistency is a tool, not a final answer.
It can be a better fit than habits for our brains (see past 3 episodes)
It can be part of building systems that work for us (including reminders, since forgetting is a big reason for inconsistency)
Kindness and self-compassion are where consistency REALLY matters, because they build capacity over time

AuDHD Flourishing resources:
Transcript Doc (often a few weeks behind, but we do catch up!)
Mattia's Newsletter
Like Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Builds on last two episodes: Self-Awareness vs. Solutions and Habits are Hard (but also very cool)
Breaking "bad" habits is different (and more difficult) than building new habits.
I also recommend not being too aggressive about it if those coping mechanisms are load bearing psychologically ;)

AuDHD Flourishing resources:
Transcript Doc (often a few weeks behind, but we do catch up!)
Mattia's Newsletter
Like Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's some evidence that ADHD brains in particular may have trouble forming habits as they're traditionally thought of. But that doesn't mean they have no value for us!
This episode is about how to lean into the part of habit formation that may work for us (spoiler alert, you may need WEIRD rewards)
Builds on last week's episode, Self-Awareness vs. Solutions

p.s. hopefully the birdsong in the background isn't too annoying... I recorded with the windows open and didn't realize it would pick up!
p.p.s. by the time you listen to this, we'll be at 1,000,000 downloads 🥳

AuDHD Flourishing resources:
Transcript Doc (often a few weeks behind, but we do catch up!)
Mattia's Newsletter
Like Your Brain community space (Patreon/Discord)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.