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'Tis the season for gift-giving, but for many neurodivergent individuals, the holidays can bring more stress than joy. From choosing the right gift to managing limited resources like time, money, and energy, selecting the perfect present can feel like navigating a minefield. The pressure to find something meaningful and the fear of getting it wrong can make holiday shopping overwhelming.
In this episode, we explore the often-overlooked challenges of gift-giving and share practical gift-giving tips that reduce stress and help you stay authentic to your spirit of giving. Whether you're buying for a loved one, a coworker, or someone you barely know, this episode is packed with gift ideas and strategies for managing the complexities of gift-giving with neurodivergence in mind.
And don’t forget to check out our FREE bonus content available on Patreon, where we discuss specific types of gifts and who they work best for!
If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like for us to cover we’d love to hear from you at Don’t forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.
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Thanksgiving is sneaking up on us again here in the USA, and there’s just so much to be thankful for this time of year! Or is there? That’s the question. Well, maybe not exactly. Are there things to be thankful for? Sure. If you look hard enough you can always find something, but you know what’s often even easier to find? Things you’re not thankful for. When life gets really challenging, we’re not generally overflowing with appreciation for how awful things feel. That’s why gratitude journaling is so often recommended in pop psychology. That’s pretty vague though. I mean if you’re struggling to be in a positive mind set, just sitting down with a blank sheet of paper and the expectation to be grateful you probably won’t get very far. But what about journal prompts, questions intended to make you look closer or broaden your perspective? Join us as we explore and discuss some journal prompts intended to inspire gratitude. Do they work? Let’s find out.
Also we’re starting a new series! Consider this episode a pilot. We didn’t announce it in the episode because we’re silly gooses who didn’t decide on it until after this episode was finished and we were preparing it for release. The series will be called Futile or Functional, and we’ll be reviewing pop psychology concepts, giving our thoughts as to their effectiveness as neurodivergents who have been deeply entrenched in the world of psychology for most of our lives.
If you took a fancy to the same gratitude prompts that we did you can find them here: https://christieinge.com/gratitude-journal-prompts/ We are not in any way affiliated with this creator, we just liked her list of questions.
If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like for us to cover we’d love to hear from you at [email protected] Don’t forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.
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Manglende episoder?
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This time of year is the perfect opportunity for crafting, creativity, and community! Even if you don’t think you’re “that kind of person” you might be surprised by how much fun it can be and what you can learn about yourself and others. With that in mind, we’ve decided to do something we’ve never done before on the podcast: a craft-along! And for those of you who are here for our usual mental health themed programming, you won’t be left out. This is also an opportunity to explore some therapeutic techniques: art as therapy, writing prompts, and stream of consciousness.
If you want to craft along with us here is a list of everything you’ll need: glass container, fall leaves, strong, balloon, modge podge, curly ribbon, construction/scrapbook paper, glue stick, markers.
Patreon members get some extra special content too. For thefirst time ever we’re sharing a raw, unedited video version of this episode. Watch us get covered in modge podge and see how awkward and long winded we actually are before we edit and clean up the episodes. Even if you aren’t a Patreon member you can purchase this specific post through their website (but just between us, with the minimum price requirements they set to sell an individual post, it might be worth it to join our Patreon for a month if you’re curious andcheck out all out other content too).
If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like for us to cover we’d love to hear from you at [email protected] Don’t forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.
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It’s spooky season! How are you going to spend your Halloween? Over here, we’ll be having a nice big group hug with the boogeyman and all his friends. Why? Because that’s one of the best parts of spooky season. Join us as we take a look closer at the symbols and icons of the season in order to learn from them and face our greatest fears. You can even do it dressed up as a princess or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and it doesn’t get any better than that.
If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like for us to cover we’d love to hear from you at [email protected] Don’t forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.
Happy Halloween Everyone!
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What do you do when it all falls apart? Well, you rise from the ashes like a phoenix, of course. Yes, but how? What does that look like and how do you do it? Join us for this two-part episode on what it actually means to rise from the ashes and rebuild your life. In this episode, we’re exploring what it means to rebuild your life and your sense of self after everything has fallen apart. If you missed our last episode, and rebuilding seems like too daunting of a task right now, then we recommend listening to part one, where we discuss survival mode: what it is, how to know you’re in it, and how to start stepping out of it so that you can thrive rather than just surviving.
If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like for us to cover we’d love to hear from you at [email protected] Don’t forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.
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What do you do when it all falls apart? Well, you rise from the ashes like a phoenix, of course. Yes, but how? What does that look like and how do you do it? Join us for this two-part episode on what it actually means to rise from the ashes and rebuild your life. In this first episode, we’ll be discussing survival mode: what it is, how to know you’re in it, and how to start stepping out of it so that you can thrive rather than just surviving. Tune back in next time as we explore what it means to rebuild your life and your sense of self after everything has fallen apart.
If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like for us to cover we’d love to hear from you at [email protected] Don’t forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember, different does not mean defective.
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We would say that things have been rough lately but let’s be honest, for many of us it’s not just been “lately”. If you’re a regular listener of our podcast then chances are good that you’ve been trying to manage your mental health or neurodivergence or that you’ve been trying to heal from a significant trauma; and those overarching themes are always there no matter what happens in the world or in our personal lives on a day-to-day basis. That’s what’s most exhausting. For a lot of us, this difficult time isn’t temporary. This is just life. So, the question we pose is, does it ever get any easier? Does developing management strategies and learning self-mastery, communication, and relationship skills actually help in the long run? Join us as we share some of the management strategies and skill sets we’ve developed, and assess whether it’s been worth all the work we’ve put in over our nearly 50 years of combined experience on this mental health and trauma recovery journey.
If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like for us to cover we’d love to hear from you at [email protected] Don’t forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.
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Heeeey! So the bad news is that we don’t have a new episode because Ivy is moving. The good news is that we still have an episode for you, a compilation of some clips from our Patreon vault. The other good news is that we’re finally going to be able to record again in a few days once Ivy finishes unpacking her studio setup so we’ll have a brand spanking new episode for you next time. Thanks for your patience and thanks for listening!
If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like for us to cover we’d love to hear from you at [email protected] Don’t forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.
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We’ve got something a little special for you guys this time, since Ivy is still living that couch surfing life for now and won’t have a recording space for another couple of weeks. Autumn’s boyfriend Jake has filled in as a guest host for this episode about neurodivergence in committed relationships.
Do you ever feel like you’re hard to love? Well, if you’re any flavor of neurospicy you probably know exactly what it’s like to feel as though you’re either too much or not enough, or maybe even both simultaneously. While some aspects of neurodivergence can feel like superpowers, it’s also true that living as a neurodivergent person in a neurotypical world requires active management and can leave us feeling more than a little disconnected from other people. Join Autumn and Jake as they discuss the lessons they’ve learned over their decade-long relationship about how to cope with the fear of being hard to love and how to navigate the challenges and benefits of being neurodivergent in love.
If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like for us to cover we’d love to hear from you at [email protected] Don’t forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.
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Most of us have wondered at one time or another what impact we have on the lives of other people and what legacy we’ll be leaving behind. All too often we fall into the trap of feeling insignificant, like nothing we say or do matters; and the worst of our intrusive thoughts might even have us believing that our impact is negative, that we do more harm than good, that we’re not enough, and that other people would be better off without us. But the truth is we all touch more lives than we realize, and our influence is as varied and multi-faceted as we are. You may be a hero to some, a villain to others, a lover, a friend, family, a teacher, a sage, a kindly stranger, a random person that captured someone’s attention for a brief but memorable moment. Chances are you will never know how many lives you’ve touched, how far your influence spreads, or how meaningful your words and actions might be. But you do matter. To someone. To lots of someones. Join us as we explore the butterfly effect of human interaction and share stories about some of the people who have touched our lives in both big and small ways.
If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like for us to cover we’d love to hear from you at [email protected] Don’t forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.
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It seems like over the last several years a lot of us have been experimenting with elimination diets as a way to treat everything from hormone imbalances to autoimmune to diseases, and mental health issues to medical mysteries. While the old adage: “You are what you eat” has been around for a very long time it’s only in recent decades that science has actually been discovering just how extensively our dietary lifestyle impacts our overall health and well-being. This is all well and good, but what does it actually look like to eliminate something from your diet, especially if the removal of that food is likely to be a permanent change? Join us in this two part series as we discuss how we navigated our own elimination diets and how the lifestyle changes have impacted our lives in both the better and the worse. If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like for us to cover we’d love to hear from you at [email protected] Don’t forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.
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It seems like over the last several years a lot of us have been experimenting with elimination diets as a way to treat everything from hormone imbalances to autoimmune to diseases, and mental health issues to medical mysteries. While the old adage: “You are what you eat” has been around for a very long time it’s only in recent decades that science has actually been discovering just how extensively our dietary lifestyle impacts our overall health and well-being. This is all well and good, but what does it actually look like to eliminate something from your diet, especially if the removal of that food is likely to be a permanent change? Join us in this two part series as we discuss how we navigated our own elimination diets and how the lifestyle changes have impacted our lives in both the better and the worse.
If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like for us to cover we’d love to hear from you at [email protected] Don’t forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.
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Maybe life is always in flux but it sure feels as though this year has brought with it even more changes than usual. If you feel like your life has been completely upended and you’ve found yourself, willingly or unwillingly, on a transformative journey as a result, you’re not alone. We know what it’s like when the hits keep coming, the universe keeps throwing you one curveball after another, and you’re struggling to even find time to catch your breath. Join us as we explore the ways in which we can take comfort, inspiration, and guidance from pop culture as we close one chapter in our lives and navigate the uncharted territory ahead.
If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like for us to cover we’d love to hear from you at [email protected] Don’t forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.
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To a certain degree we all go through life wearing a mask, or a series of masks that we change out based on the social situation we find ourselves in, but when you’re neurodivergent this masking process is taken to another level. Most of us learn at a very young age that our social survivability is dependent upon our ability to read the social scripts we’re handed and slip into character; we may even become very successful at playing a variety of characters along the way. The problem arises though when we’ve been in character for so long that we’ve forgotten who and what our authentic self really is. Where does the mask end and where do we begin? And even once we figure that out, how do we give ourselves the freedom to take our mask off when every instinct we now have is screaming at us to keep it on? Join us as we explore 12 questions that can help guide you to find your own answers to those questions.
If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like for us to cover we’d love to hear from you at [email protected] Don’t forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.
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When we think of our mental health, we tend to immediately start making a list of everything that is wrong; and we fall into that habit so easily because, for many of us, something has been wrong for a long time and we’ve been actively trying to sort it out and work on ourselves. Being on a healing and self-discovery journey is one of the most powerful things we’ll ever do for ourselves and for our loved ones, but sometimes we can get so focused, for so long on correcting what is wrong that we forget to take notice when things start to go right. The work is important but it’s also equally important to acknowledge our efforts and give ourselves credit for our hard-earned victories, no matter how big or small they are. We hope you’ll join us as we flip the script on our pathologies and discuss some of the “symptoms” that are proof-positive of healing and growth. If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like for us to cover we’d love to hear from you at [email protected] Don’t forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.
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The march of time never stops, the demands on our personal time never seem to wane, and there’s always more than enough stress to go around. The truth is, most of us tend to burn the candle at both ends, and that habit has a way of catching up to us in the form of burnout. Yes, sometimes we put ourselves in that position unnecessarily but there are also plenty of times when burning out is unavoidable because there’s simply too much to do and not enough time or energy to get it all done. Either way, we’re not here to judge, but we are here to help. Join us for a discussion about how to cope with burnout, lessen the impact of it on your life, and replenish your reserves.
If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like for us to cover we’d love to hear from you at [email protected] Don’t forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.
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S-E-X is almost always a taboo topic of discussion, perhaps especially among neurotypicals and “civilized society”. For those of us who are neurodivergent and already regularly struggle with the subtleties of social scripts, the topic of intimacy can feel more taboo and, at times, even confusing. The lived experience of neurodivergents is often different in surprising, wonderful, and weird little ways; and though we often can’t discuss S-E-X openly we can likely assume that the same rule applies in this arena of life as well. But how do we know for sure if we can’t talk about it? Well, we don’t know how to answer that question, but your Different Functional ladies here are pretty direct and blunt, and since we don’t know any other way to be we figured, why not go about this in a trial-by-fire sort of way. Join us as we discuss the intricacies, oddities, and awkwardness of being neurodivergent in the bedroom, and help us answer the age-old question: “Is it just me, or…..?” Thanks for listening. We very much appreciate you and the support you offer us. If you’re enjoying the show it would be wonderful if you could please like, subscribe, rate, review, and spread the word about our humble little podcast. If you’re feeling especially generous and would like to support us on Patreon you can find us as www.patreon.com/differentfunctional
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Like many other things in life, neurodivergence is a bit of a double-edged sword. Some of our neurodivergent traits are so impressive that they almost seem like superpowers, while others impair our ability to function so much that they can feel like a curse. What’s even more interesting is how our own perception of these traits may differ from the perceptions others have of us, especially the perceptions of other neurodivergent people. Join us as we explore the duality of our neurodivergence, discussing our perceptions of both our best traits and our biggest challenges through the lens of autism and ADHD. Thank you for listening, your support means the world to us! Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast. And if you’d like to support us on Patreon you can find us at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional
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Increasingly more of us are being diagnosed with some form of neurodivergence and/or are accidentally stumbling upon an unexpected sense of kinship among neurodivergent communities on social media. As our knowledge expands, both clinically and culturally, our vocabulary around neurodivergence is also evolving at a rapid rate. Clinicians have been in the process of changing diagnostic terminology for a while already and now, members of the neurodivergent community have been coming together, often via social media, to create terms and phrases that more accurately describe the full, lived experience of being a neurodivergent person in a neurotypical world. Many of us are discovering that while our struggles can indeed be described as symptoms that impair our daily function, especially in the context of societal expectations, there are also so many fascinating, beautiful, and almost superhuman qualities on the other side of the neurodivergent coin. Join us as we discuss the definitions and origins of some of these terms and explore what they may actually look like as part of the lived experience for neurodivergent people. Thank you for listening, your support means the world to us! Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast. And if you’d like to support us on Patreon you can find us at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional
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How’s everyone feeling out there? Not gonna lie, 2024 has started off as a very stressful year for us. We have our tried-and-true coping mechanisms and skills but let’s face it, sometimes you just need a little something extra to get you through the storm; so we did a little internet search to see if there were any suggestions that maybe we hadn’t thought of before. The conclusion we came to was: No, not really. Pretty much every website we came across gave the exact same basic advice we’ve all heard again and again and again, with barely even any variance in how it was packaged. And we thought, alright, if they’re all saying the same things then surely there must be some merit to these suggestions, but do they work as well for as for neurodivergents as they seemingly do for neurotypicals? Join us as we put these suggestions to the test and discuss our views on their efficacy and shortcomings as two neurodivergent women in search of some heavy duty stress busters. Thank you for listening, your support means the world to us! Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast. And if you’d like to support us on Patreon you can find us at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional
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