10 mindful ways for neurodivergents to destress (besides counting breaths...)

1. Take inventory of 5 esteemable acts. Example: "I didn't react impulsively during a really confusing social situation." or "I was a really responsible pet owner."

2. Recite positive affirmations for empaths such as, "I release responsibility for the outcome of this situation."

3. Don't respond to every text immediately. Example: "I just want you to know I got your message. I want to give my response my full attention. I will respond as soon as I recharge my social battery." Then, leave the messages on "unread" so you remember to respond when you're ready.

4. Create a decompression ritual. Example: 5 minutes of gratitude, 7 minutes of silent meditation, 5 minutes of mindful movement. I like to put on Mool Mantra and move and sing to the music.

5. Take a silent walk and listen to the sounds around you.

6. Write all your social worries on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope addressed to The Universe. Then shred or burn the envelope, surrendering the outcome and releasing yourself from over-responsibility.

7. Do a small favor for a friend (call to ask how their latest project turned out, wheel in the neighbor's garbage bin) to give the pesky "never doing enough" voice something concrete to latch onto.

8. Take 5 minutes to freely write out all your stressors to take inventory of your needs and let go of what is outside your control. Example "noisy neighbor, shoulder injury acting up, worried about current events."

9. Write out 5-10 gratitudes. Example: fresh pepper, clean water, soft sheets, etc.

10. Use an app such as How We Feel to track your emotional state and get caught up with yourself. It even includes a feature to track your somatic sensations for an even more detailed look at your moment. (not a sponsored ad)

And as always, slow deep breaths to signal to your brain it's okay to let go now.

#stress #neurodivergent #empath #highlysensitive