“Robin Sharma, author of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, said, “Change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous at the end.”

“The desire to belong is the heart of this movement. It encompasses the desire to feel accepted, included, and respected for who we are, without needing to rearrange our parts or hide the pieces of ourselves that don’t quite fit in. As one client said to me, “Fitting in is like cutting off parts of yourself to fit into a box. Belonging is feeling that people welcomed you, that you’re accepted for who you are.” To be welcome and to belong does not mean to fit in. We don’t need to blend ourselves according to the desires of others. To have deep authentic connections, to bond and to relate to people, you have to show them your true authentic self.”

“Connecting with people partly means understanding your natural communication style. Not everyone communicates and processes the world in the same way. My friend Jessica McCabe, founder of the YouTube channel How to ADHD, likes to say that brains, like computers, come with different operating systems. To understand each other, it is critical that we understand how our own brains work, as well as how we interface with different people. Connecting with others involves the mutual understanding of how our different “operating systems” communicate feelings, thoughts, and messages.”

Friendship skills for neurodivergent adults – Caroline Maguire