Masking in autism, ADHD and other neurodiverse profiles is when people attempt to hide or camouflage traits to appear more neurotypical.  Although we hear about it most in autism, people with anxiety and depression can also employ masking techniques.  If you wonder about masking in your life, the CAT-Q is a validated assessment tool that helps you identify the amounts and types of masking you do.  CLICK HERE.

Comprehensive Website about adult autism with many articles including information on getting diagnosed, masking, meltdowns, sensory issues, building community and more! Click here for access. 

William Dodson, MD is a psychiatrist who has made his life's work diagnosing and teaching people about ADHD.

Most people think of ADHD as being about lack of focus and distractibility.  But Dr. Dodson explains that it is so much more complicated that that.  In fact, he explains that there are 3 features of ADHD that most people, even clinicians, don't know about.  


They are:
1. That the ADHD mind is an "interest-based nervous system"

2. That people with ADHD experience emotional hyperarousal

3. That people with ADHD experience Rejection Sensitivity

This information is so important for people with ADHD and parents of kids with ADHD, and people who love people with ADHD to understand!  Please take a moment to look over this handout from ADDitude Magazine and better yet, listen to this podcast.  The podcast has much more information. Well worth your time!

​ PODCAST:  204- How ADHD Shapes Your Perceptions, Emotions & Motivation. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/204-how-adhd-shapes-your-perceptions-emotions-motivation/id668174671?i=1000407588802

​ARTICLE: https://www.additudemag.com/symptoms-of-add-hyperarousal-rejection-sensitivity/

During this time of conflict and uncertainty, one of the best ways you can help yourself and the world at large is to take the time to meditate.  Develop a daily practice of reflection, self-compassion, compassion for others.  
 
Meditation has been shown time and again through research to improve mental health and relationships. 
 
If you are new to meditation, there are two FREE meditation classes that I recommend.  They only take 15 minutes a day—well worth the time! 
 
-Available for FREE only until Sunday, January 10th:  Ten Percent Happier.  Download the app or go to the website. https://www.tenpercent.com/challenge   
​ It’s a 21 day guided meditation course for free.  If you miss that deadline, you can purchase the many courses for a fee and there are scholarships as well.
 
-Always FREE at any time is a fantastic course by Jack Kornfield for beginners or even experienced meditators.  You can find that at https://jackkornfield.com/event/mindfulness-daily/   
 
-For more resources, look at my blog with several articles and resources on Mindfulness/Meditation :  https://www.connectscounseling.com/blog/category/mindfulness
 
May you be filled with loving kindnessMay you be safe from inner and outer dangersMay you be well in body and mindMay you be at ease and happyMay you feel kindness towards yourself and all others                                                -adaptation of Loving Kindness Meditation

We are all experiencing some degree of fear and worry during this time.  Of course we are!  The world is feeling very uncertain and loved ones are at risk!  But we can do a lot to help ourselves and the people around us stay calm and centered, even while we do what needs to be done.  

We can be brave and we can be gracious. We can be kind.We can be strong.

Here are some resources to help:

Ten Percent Happier:  Dan Harris, correspondant for ABC News, panic attack survivor and author has created a wealth of help through free articles,podcasts, an app and Youtube videos.  He interviews the most influential meditation leaders, gurus and just down right smart people of our time.  He provides free guided meditations from all sorts of teachers and styles.  Go to this site: www.tenpercent.com  to get all the latest ways to connect with Ten Percent Happier.  It's awesome!!  

Dr. Jud Brewer, doctor, scientist, author, and creator of apps like Eat Right Now to control cravings, Unwinding Anxiety and others is offering many free resources for learning how to use Mindfulness to help with anxiety and difficult habits during this time:   https://drjud.com/coronavirus-anxiety/

John Moe, podcaster and author has created the The Hilarious World of Depression podcast filled with funny and helpful information, interviews and more on how to cope with mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. Check it out: https://www.hilariousworld.org. Update: this podcast has been changed to DepreshMode with John Moe. Still great! Www.maximum fun.org.

Dan Griffin, author, speaker and podcaster,  says this in his article about men and depression: "Men today are awash in intense conflicting messages about what it means to be a man. And, they are finding that the things that they once took for granted as the rewards for following The Man Rules–the right job, financial security, sex, marriage, family–are not as easily guaranteed as they’d been taught."
 
In this episode of his podcast, The Man Rules, Dan interviews Dr. Terry Real, expert on men and relationships, author of several books including
I Don't Want to Talk About It, a revealing book about men and depression.  
  
It's no surprise to hear that men are drawn to anger as a way to deal with depression. Typically men are socialized and possibly genetically predisposed to want to take action when they feel strong emotions.  So when the underpinnings of depression come along--sadness, shame, fear--men often turn to anger or contempt, which fuels action and also feel much better in the brain.  The problem, of course, is that anger and contempt are not very helpful in relationships and often end up isolating men from the people they love--which causes more depression!  

This interview and Terry Real's book explain how this difficult pattern came to be, the impact on relationships and men's lives in general, as well as how to heal.  Definitely worth the time to listen to and read about!

​Here's the PODCAST--Episode 104. 

This article, When and How to Negotiate with Your Kids, from the website The Successful Parent, is a great resource for information on how to help children learn to communicate effectively.  The article starts off describing why to use negotiation: 

"Negotiation is a valuable tool to use with your kids because helps them develop some important skills. Most notable are:

• Increased capacity to express thoughts and feelings verbally
• Enhanced ability to think objectively and discriminatively
• Skills in cooperative problem-solving
• Self-awareness
• Consideration of other’s needs as well as their own
• Coming up with creative solutions"

Those are good skills for kids--and adults--to learn!  It's a quick and easy read, worth the time to read and definitely worth the time to learn how to do with your kids!