😶 Anxiety Isn’t Always Out Loud For many neurodivergent adults, anxiety doesn’t look like panic—it looks like: - Appearing calm while internally screaming (masking) - Total emotional overwhelm (meltdown) - Going completely blank or non-verbal (shutdown) 🌀 The Pressure to “Keep It Together” Many of us have spent years learning to mask. But just because you’re functioning on the outside doesn’t mean you’re okay. Masking is exhausting. It’s also one of the biggest contributors to chronic anxiety and burnout. 🔥 Meltdown & Shutdown Aren’t Behavioural Issues They’re survival responses. When you reach cognitive overload, your body and brain shut down as protection. 🧘‍♀️ Key Support Strategy Learn your early warning signs. Build in recovery time. And create environments where you don’t have to perform all the time.

🔍 Let’s Start With This: You’re Not “Overreacting” If you’re neurodivergent (ADHD, autistic, or otherwise), you’ve likely heard it all before: - “You’re too sensitive.” - “You’re always overthinking.” - “Just calm down.” But here’s the truth: you’re not broken. You’re processing differently. Anxiety in neurodivergent adults doesn’t always follow the same path as in neurotypical ones. It’s not “just worry” or “irrational thoughts”—it’s often sensory overload, task overwhelm, social exhaustion, or executive dysfunction disguised as panic. 🧠 Neurodivergent Brains, Different Wiring When we talk about anxiety in ND adults, we’re often talking about: - Overwhelm from environments that weren’t built with us in mind - Burnout from years of masking or pushing through - Rejection sensitivity that makes every interaction feel like a risk - A nervous system that never quite switches off This is not anxiety in isolation—it’s anxiety as a result of constantly navigating a world that expects you to