What’s the most surprising thing you learned about yourself as an adult?

[Cait]

The Americans with Disabilities Act turned 32 today. After Travis_J_Smith saw some broader autism rep on TV, he started down a rabbit-hole that led him to The Autistic Brain: Thinking across the Spectrum by Temple Grandin and Richard Panek. "And I think it's this that is the most valuable part of Grandin's book: the advice for how we should be approaching people on the spectrum."  

[Emmalita]

Like Travis, it’s my discoveries about my brain and how it works. And learning how to work with my brain instead of forcing it to comply has been life saving.

[Cait]

I've also found my place in the world of neurodiversity; my life would be SO VERY DIFFERENT if I had found this out as a teenager!

[Emmalita]

Cait wrote: "I've also found my place in the world of neurodiversity; my life would be SO VERY DIFFERENT if I had found this out as a teenager!"

I can think of at least 3 major flameouts that likely wouldn't have happened if I had better understood my brain.

[Cait]

Emmalita wrote: "Cait wrote: "I've also found my place in the world of neurodiversity; my life would be SO VERY DIFFERENT if I had found this out as a teenager!"

I can think of at least 3 major flameouts that like..."

I hear that!!!

[Emmalita]

Amy F wrote: "I'm bipolar, and I eventually discovered that I was living as if I *was* the illness, not *with* the illness. It's a shift in identity that was important."

That's a very important distinction. I'm glad you made that shift.

[Katie]

I've learned so much about how my brain is wired, and how much work I had been putting in to presenting as I thought I should, not how I was. I've also gotten better about boundaries, and that's become some of the most important work I'm doing to deal with all my neuro spiciness.

[Emmalita]

I love neuro-spicy. That’s s great phrase.

[Raven]

That I am probably on the autistic scale and learned terms to describe my sexuality. And that somedays I am really Bad-A$$ and other days my socks don't match!