Being Effective with Invisible Disabilities

People don't realize how disabled I actually am, especially in light of how much content I produce and how many people I'm able to help.

How on earth do I do so much then? Keep reading...

When It's Invisible

I would have difficulty living on my own without someone within arm's reach. That's just because of the neurodivergence. Some of the challenges I have are:

• I'm easily overwhelmed sensorily
• I couldn't understand written directions for fixing a problem if my life depended on it
• I'm unable to process directions for taking some medications
• And trying to follow a recipe with more than two steps can make me freeze from confusion.

This is a fraction of the challenges I need to navigate each day.

I often spend more time feeling confused than feeling tuned in, especially if there are multiple sounds competing for my attention.

My IQ is about 145, and I'm a genius with language, which gives the impression of generalized competence (cue buzzer) - Ehnnnnnnnnnnn!!!

That's one of the problems with having invisible disabilities. Whether they admit it or not, many people expect there to be an obvious display of lesser functioning or lower intelligence to believe you. I experience this often.

If the disability operates more behind the scenes (i.e., executive functions), we may be accused of faking, exaggerating, or making excuses. You know the routine.

Oh, and don't get me started on my physical disabilities. Not complaining, just providing context.

Speaking Up

Just this morning, I had to remind some folks that I can be in a conversation, and even though I'm told to remember something, there's a 97% chance I'll forget I was even told.

That's a working memory deficit I manage in one of three ways:

• I need to write/type it down that very moment
• The other person needs to tell me to write it down while watching me do it
• I record my conversations (when possible) to help me remember what we talked about.

The only way much of this will happen is if I self-advocate in my unique way so that the other person is actually eager to accommodate me. I demonstrated this to a client today and their response was, "WOW!"

I've spent years learning to be more flexible and solution-focused with my thinking, which has skyrocketed my resourcefulness.

I'm even experimenting with AI to accommodate many of my executive functioning gaps, and am now able to accomplish tasks I'd be unable to do on my own otherwise.

A former client referred to me as the 'king of the workaround.'

Believe It

I've adopted more empowering beliefs about what's possible for me, the options I have (like asking for help), and why those options are win-win instead of failure.

Holding tightly to all-or-nothing beliefs like:

"I tried everything,"

"I'm a total failure,"

"I'll never be good at this,"

are only a few of the ways we ride the brake throughout life.

When you're able to believe at a minimum that this thinking can change, and asking for help to change it is a courageous and loving thing to do for yourself, then you're ready for the next step.

Are you ready to take the next step? Then let's make use of your readiness to keep you moving forward.