Learning to advocate for yourself is something many of us are encouraged to do more of. We’re told it’s healthy to speak up about our needs, set boundaries and be honest about what we can realistically manage. In theory it sounds empowering. In reality, it can sometimes feel a little more complicated. Recently I found […]
Why advocating for yourself can still leave you feeling rejected Read More »
For many women, work has never just been about earning a living. It’s been about identity, safety, belonging, proving you’re capable and holding everything together. Being seen as reliable, intelligent and useful – even when it costs you more than anyone realises. If you’re autistic, ADHD or both (AuDHD), midlife can quietly unsettle all
Work, identity and AuDHD in midlife – navigating careers and self-worth Read More »
I’ve written before about my own experience of friendships that have fallen away. It was a very personal piece – you can read it HERE if you’re interested. This time, though, I want to explore friendships and relationships more broadly, looking a little deeper at hormones, neurodivergence, and how, for many women in midlife, these
Friendships and relationships in midlife with ADHD or autism – what changes and why Read More »
If you’re autistic and/or ADHD and you’ve spent years collecting diagnoses that don’t seem connected – gut issues, dizziness, chronic pain, fatigue, inflammation – you’re not imagining patterns that aren’t there. For a long time, neurodivergence was framed almost entirely as a “brain thing”. Yet the nervous system isn’t just the brain. It includes
For many women, discovering the term AuDHD feels like someone has finally handed them a missing piece. Not a diagnosis they were searching for, necessarily, but a framework that explains why life has always felt intense, exhausting, contradictory, or strangely difficult to sustain – even when things looked fine from the outside. If you’re
AuDHD in women: why autism and ADHD are so often recognised after 40 Read More »
Many autistic women don’t grow up thinking there is anything fundamentally different about them. Instead, they believe they are too sensitive, anxious, intense, rigid and emotional – or simply not coping as well as they should. By adulthood, these beliefs are often deeply ingrained. So when autism is finally mentioned in midlife, it can feel
Hidden symptoms: why autistic women are often missed by GPs until midlife Read More »
For many neurodivergent women, pregnancy and early motherhood are remembered as intense, disorientating, and strangely lonely – even when they were deeply wanted experiences. Some women only recognise their neurodivergence years later, looking back and realising how much they were coping without language, understanding or support. Others enter pregnancy already aware they are autistic,
Neurodivergence and pregnancy: what to expect before, during and after Read More »
This is a question many women carry quietly, often with a layer of shame attached. Why am I struggling more now?Why do things that I used to cope with feel unbearable?Have I lost my resilience? If you’re autistic, ADHD, AuDHD, or beginning to wonder whether you might be, menopause can feel like the point
Does menopause make neurodivergence worse? Read More »
Overwhelm is one of the most common reasons women seek support in midlife – and one of the most misunderstood. It’s often described as stress, anxiety, burnout, or “not coping very well”. But for many women, especially those who are neurodivergent or hormonally shifting, overwhelm isn’t a personal failing. It’s a nervous system doing its
Managing overwhelm when your hormones and nervous system collide Read More »
Many women arrive at this question quietly. Often after years – sometimes decades – of feeling different, overwhelmed, misunderstood, or simply exhausted by life in a way that doesn’t seem to match what everyone else appears to be managing. You might be in your 40s, 50s or beyond, and wondering whether it’s “too late” to
Am I too old for an autism assessment? Understanding late diagnosis in women Read More »
