ADHD Archives - Lucinda Curran, Sound Healer & Life Coach

Neurodivergent End of Year Reflection Season

by Lucinda | 24, Dec 2025 | ADHD, Autism, Boundaries, Empowerment, Energy, Masking, Neurodivergent

Neurodivergent End of Year Reflection

Honouring Your Own Rhythm in a Busy Season

The end of the year has a particular texture.

Longer days. Louder spaces. A constant hum of expectation.

For many neurodivergent adults, this season can feel less like celebration and more like endurance.

When the Season Feels Heavy

You might notice:

Sensory fatigue from crowds, noise, and social events
Emotional exhaustion from being “on” too much
Guilt for not keeping up with others’ pace
A push-pull between longing for connection and craving solitude

None of this means you’re doing the season wrong.

It means your nervous system is speaking.

Choosing Nourishment Over Obligation

One of the most powerful shifts is allowing yourself to choose differently.

Some years, nourishment looks like:

One quiet catch-up instead of multiple gatherings
A slow walk as the sun sets
A warm drink with a familiar playlist
Sitting still and noticing how far you’ve come

The end of the year can be a gentle turning of the page, not a frantic scramble.

A Sensory Grounding Practice

You can return to this anytime things feel too much.

Let your eyes close or soften.
Breathe in slowly… then exhale a little longer.

Feel the weight of your body being held by the ground.

Notice one sound nearby — not to analyse it, just to let it exist.

Now imagine:
A quiet forest, sunlight warming your skin.
Or the steady rhythm of a drum beneath you — slow, grounding, constant.

Let that rhythm remind your body: you are safe to slow down.

As you breathe, ask gently:
“What is one small choice that could bring me ease right now?”

No fixing. No forcing. Just noticing.

Watch the Video

Closing Reflection

As this year comes to a close, your rhythm matters more than tradition, productivity, or expectation.

If you’d like continued support, you might enjoy my Soothing Sounds playlist — 10-minute sound sanctuaries created for neurodivergent nervous systems.

I also have openings in January for:

Because being different isn’t broken —

It’s just another rhythm 🌙

How to Stay Motivated When Life Feels Overwhelming

by Lucinda | 10, Dec 2025 | ADHD, Autism, Empowerment, Priorities

How to Stay Motivated When Life Feels Overwhelming

Neurodivergent-Friendly Strategies

We’ve all had moments where motivation vanishes.

For neurodivergent adults, these moments can arrive suddenly, like a wave washing away plans and focus.

Staying motivated isn’t about forcing yourself harder — it’s about reconnecting with spark, meaning, and manageable steps that actually suit how your mind works.

Understanding Motivation in the Neurodivergent Brain

Motivation is sensory, emotional, and cognitive. From the inside:

Tasks may feel heavy or impossible, even when you “should” want to do them.
Excitement and engagement often appear in bursts, not steadily.
Small steps feel more achievable than long lists or big deadlines.

Recognising this pattern is the first step to working with your brain, not against it.

Practical Tips to Reignite Momentum

Micro-steps and bite-sized goals – Instead of tackling a whole project, focus on one small part. Each success fuels the next.
Engage your senses – Light a candle, play soft music, or use textured objects while working to anchor focus.
Create visual or tactile reminders – Checklists, sticky notes, or objects in your workspace act as cues for action.
Reward movement and breaks – Short walks, stretches, or sensory resets help reset the brain.
Reconnect with purpose – Remind yourself why this matters, linking tasks to meaning, curiosity, or long-term goals.

Watch the Video

Closing Reflection

Struggling to stay motivated isn’t failure — it’s about finding your rhythm.

Some days the wave carries you forward, some days it pulls you under.

By creating small, sensory-aware steps, and reconnecting with your spark, you can ride the momentum back to flow.

🌿 If you’d like guidance on building practical strategies, emotional support, or sensory-aligned routines, connect with me here.

You May Be Interested…
If you struggle to stay motivated has been a challenge, you might also enjoy my earlier posts:

Each explores different ways neurodivergent adults experience focus, flow, and overwhelm — from understanding how your mind works to creative, sensory-aligned strategies for reconnecting with momentum. You’ll find them all on my YouTube channel, Different… and Loving It!

Living With Time Blindness as a Neurodivergent Adult

by Lucinda | 26, Nov 2025 | ADHD, Autism, Hyperfocus, ND Traits, Neurodivergent, Time Blindness

Living With Time Blindness as a Neurodivergent Adult

Sensory, Study & Self-Care Strategies

When Time Feels Like It’s Slipping Away

Time blindness isn’t just a “study problem.” It touches everything—from work routines to daily tasks to emotional wellbeing. You sit down for “just ten minutes” and surface hours later, dazed, unsure where the time went.

(Source: Cleveland Clinic)

How It Feels From the Inside

“I was ready to go, but then I blinked and an hour disappeared.”
“I lose myself in hyperfocus until my body feels like it’s in another timezone.”
“Clocks feel meaningless. I sense time only when I’ve missed it.”

Time becomes fluid—stretching and shrinking unpredictably—and that instability can leave you feeling overwhelmed or guilty.

I often marvel at the “stretchiness” of time – including when you slip on a wet floor and have so many opportunities to make decisions as you fall.

The Sensory and Emotional Layers

For neurodivergent adults, time blindness often merges with sensory overload and executive fatigue.

The brain can swing from hyperfocus to collapse without warning.

It’s like being on a train that speeds up and stops without explanation.

(Source: Rula)

What’s Happening in the Brain

Differences in attention regulation and the prefrontal cortex can alter how time is perceived.

During intense focus or sensory stimulation, those time circuits can “pause” or accelerate—creating a distorted sense of flow.

(Source: OccupationalTherapy.com)

Self-Care and Study Strategies That Help

🕰️ Visible Timers: Use sound or light cues that gently mark the passage of time.

🪶 Flexible Routines: Build rhythm rather than rigid schedules—allow room for variation.

💭 Body Check-Ins: Pause and ask, “What time does my body think it is?”

👥 Body Doubling: Study or work alongside another person to stay anchored.

🎧 Sensory Reset: Sound, breath, or movement breaks help re-synch time perception.

Watch the Video

Time blindness can feel like living outside of the clock — disoriented, rushed, or caught in loops of hyperfocus.

In this video, I explore what that experience is like for neurodivergent adults and share sensory-based strategies to find your rhythm again, including gentle ways to reconnect through sound and presence.

Reconnecting With Your Own Rhythm

Recognising time blindness is an act of self-understanding, not self-criticism. When you see how your brain experiences time, you can design supports that feel kind and sustainable.

If you’d like a way to reconnect with your sense of rhythm, check out my Soothing Sounds videos — short, restorative sessions designed for neurodivergent nervous systems. You can access the playlist here.

Overcoming Procrastination

by Lucinda | 12, Nov 2025 | ADHD, Autism, ND Traits, Neurodivergent, Procrastination

Overcoming Procrastination

Neurodivergent-Friendly Ways to Reignite Momentum

Overcoming Procrastination When You’re Neurodivergent

Procrastination can feel like quicksand.

You want to move forward, but the more you try, the heavier everything feels.

For neurodivergent people — especially those who are autistic, ADHD, or AuDHD — procrastination often isn’t a matter of willpower. It’s about how our nervous systems respond to overwhelm, uncertainty, or fear of failure.

Sometimes, procrastination is our body saying, I can’t right now.

Our brains might crave clarity, regulation, or the right sensory environment before action feels possible.

The key isn’t to push harder — it’s to approach ourselves with gentleness and curiosity.

Why It Happens

For many of us, procrastination is linked to executive function differences.

Planning, prioritising, and initiating tasks require a lot of cognitive energy, especially when the task feels boring or too big.

Emotional regulation plays a role, too — fear of getting it wrong can freeze us in place.

Gentle Ways to Reignite Momentum

🕯️ Start with grounding. Before tackling the task, take a moment to breathe, stretch, or listen to soothing sounds to calm your nervous system.

🎨 Make it sensory. Add a sensory cue — light a candle, diffuse an oil, or put on a focus track from my Soothing Sounds playlist.

💫 Shrink the task. Choose one tiny, doable action — even five minutes can shift your momentum.

💛 Celebrate micro-progress. Every step forward counts, even if it’s smaller than you hoped.

Procrastination doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means your body and brain are asking for a gentler way to begin.

Overcoming Procrastination – Watch the Video

In my video Overcoming Procrastination When You’re Neurodivergent, I unpack how procrastination feels from the inside and share sensory-aligned strategies to reconnect with flow.

You May Be Interested…

If procrastination has been showing up for you lately, you might also enjoy my earlier posts:

Each one explores a different facet of the neurodivergent experience — from the invisible challenges our minds face to the sensory tools that help us reconnect and find flow.

You’ll find the relevant videos, and more, on my YouTube channel, Different… and Loving It!

Working Memory and Neurodivergence

by Lucinda | 29, Oct 2025 | ADHD, Autism, Empowerment, ND Traits, Neurodivergent, Working Memory

Working Memory and Neurodivergence

Why It Feels Hard and Practical Ways to Cope

Have you ever opened your laptop only to stare blankly at the screen, forgetting why you turned it on?

Or started speaking and felt the idea vanish, like a soap bubble popping mid-air?

That’s working memory at play — and for many neurodivergent adults, it’s a daily challenge.

What Is Working Memory?

Working memory is the brain’s short-term holding space.

It’s what keeps information “on hand” just long enough to use it — like remembering a recipe step while you stir the pot.

But for many autistic and ADHD people, that sticky note is unreliable.

It’s like trying to write on misted glass — words fade before you finish.

The Sensory Experience Inside

Working memory slips aren’t just cognitive — they’re sensory and emotional too.

A thought disappears with a pop, leaving silence where words should be.
Static buzzes through the mind, drowning out clarity.
A forgotten step sparks a rising flutter of panic in the chest.
Sometimes it’s like chasing a slippery fish through water — you almost catch it, then it’s gone again.

These experiences can feel embarrassing, overwhelming, and isolating.

Strategies That Actually Help

The good news? We can support ourselves with tools and habits that reduce the load on working memory.

Externalise your brain. Use apps, calendars, sticky notes — anything to capture information outside your head.
Lean on visual cues. Leave your cup by the kettle, your bag by the door, your notebook on the desk. Objects become memory triggers.
Break things down. Focus on one step at a time. A checklist can be grounding and calming.
Time in chunks. Short bursts of focused time (like 15–20 minutes) with breaks in between can keep overwhelm at bay.
Build supportive routines. Automatic habits reduce the need for remembering. Always putting your keys in the same bowl = less stress.

Reframing the Narrative

Working memory difficulties aren’t laziness or lack of care.

They’re part of how some brains work.

When we stop blaming ourselves and start creating supports, life flows more smoothly.

View the Video

In this video, I share personal experience and insights — and share tips that help me stay on top of things!

Final Reflection

If you’ve ever struggled with working memory, know this: you are not broken.

You’re simply wired differently, and that difference comes with its own rhythms and wisdom.

🌿 If you’d like to explore ways to make life gentler — through Radiance Coaching, Sound Healing, or building supportive strategies — connect with me here.

Deficit-Based Language in the DSM

by Lucinda | 15, Oct 2025 | ADHD, Autism, ND Traits, Neurodivergent

Deficit-Based Language in the DSM: A Neurodivergent Perspective

Have you ever read your own diagnostic report and felt it was more of a critique than a reflection of who you are?

Many adults describe the experience as confronting — even painful.

The DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) is considered the “gold standard” in diagnosis for autism, ADHD, and other neurodivergences.

Yet the way it describes us is overwhelmingly deficit-based.

What the DSM Gets Wrong

Phrases like:

Deficits in executive functioning.
Restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour.
Persistent deficits in social communication.

Each one suggests a shortcoming, a failure, a lack. But this is not how neurodivergent people actually live and experience life.

When Diagnosis Hurts

For many of us, diagnosis comes with mixed emotions.

There’s relief in understanding why we feel different.

But alongside it comes the heavy message: “Here’s everything you’re not good at.”

It shapes how others see us.

And, more dangerously, it can start to shape how we see ourselves.

Why Understanding Matters

Misreading shutdown as daydreaming (or vice versa) can lead to frustration, shame, or unnecessary pressure. Many neurodivergent adults grew up hearing:

Stop being lazy.
Pay attention.
You’re off in your own world again.

This creates a cycle of self-doubt and hypervigilance.

By learning to recognise and respond with empathy, we offer something better — validation and safety, which fosters recovery and re-engagement.

What the DSM Misses Entirely

No diagnostic manual captures the full reality of neurodivergence, the –

Flow state of immersing in a deep interest
Clarity and honesty that bypasses superficial small talk
Empathy, loyalty, and creativity that enrich relationships and work
Sensory joy of noticing subtle patterns others overlook

None of this is a deficit. This is humanity.

Why Reframing Matters

The harm of deficit-based language is that it boxes us into limitation.

Reframing allows us to see the truth: we are not broken.

Yes, challenges are real.

But alongside them exist strengths, gifts, and perspectives that the DSM was never designed to capture.

Watch the Video

Watch this for more information and inspiration.

Final Thoughts

Recognising whether it’s daydreaming or shutdown isn’t just about managing behaviour.

It’s about honouring experience — your child’s and your own.

When we meet these moments with empathy, we shift from frustration to understanding, from correction to connection.

Every time we pause and see what’s really happening beneath the surface, we’re breaking old patterns and building safer spaces for neurodivergent minds to thrive.

Closing Reflection

A diagnosis can provide clarity and community — but it should never be the whole story.

As neurodivergent adults, part of our healing is learning to reclaim the narrative. To see ourselves not through the lens of deficits, but through the richness of lived experience.

🌿 If you’re ready to explore ways of reconnecting with your inner self — through coaching, sound healing, or simply conversation — I’d love to walk alongside you.