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So I've really been reflecting on this definition of community.
I'm at this place where I know I desire to create a sense of community and belonging and a safe container for the neurodivergent mom who is walking this path, both as an individual, as a person and then also as a mother. And is feeling completely overwhelmed and maybe even a bit alone in her experience as she tries to navigate all the responsibilities and the different hats that we wear as moms while also trying to figure out some of the challenges that come up with her neurowiring that maybe are coming to a forefront at this point in her life.
Maybe you've known you've had ADHD or a different learning difference from a younger age, or maybe you're discovering it now.
Because as ADHDers we know that: when the stresses and demands increase, we become more symptomatic.
And with so many women in particular becoming aware of their neurodivergence later in life, it can be a lot to juggle and dive into and tease apart and support ourselves while we're in this position to also support so many other people who are likely dependent upon you. And so I just want to shine a light on that experience and recognize that it's real and that’s hard and there are also things we can do to make it easier.
Making our Neurodivergent experience a little easier
And one of the foundational pieces is creating a sense of community. And so that's really been at the forefront of my mind, on my heart, to create for this community because I know how impactful it is.
I know how much it can literally shift our nervous system and our feelings of safety, and then the actions we take when we feel seen, valued, connected and a sense of belonging with others who get us, who are walking a similar path.
So with that said I've been reflecting on:
How do I do this?
How do I create this?
What do I like in a community?
How do I like to show up in a community?
How do I like to receive?
What has made me feel the most safe and really calm to my nervous system? And prompted me to take more action and feel better about my life?
And that for me has ultimately boiled down to this feeling of feeling safe.
Because if we don't feel safe:
We cannot learn new skills
We cannot step into a new way of being
We are not open and receptive to even learning the strategies if we don't feel safe in our bodies.
And this safety really comes from this feeling of co-regulation. This co-regulation with other adults who feel safe, who get it, who are speaking your language and are compassionate to what you're going through.
What feels most supportive to me?
So here's the piece that I've been really sitting with: How does that look?
Does it have to be a Facebook group?
Does it have to be a zoom meeting?
Thinking about all the different containers in which we can experience community. (And as someone who is ADHD myself and juggling a lot as a mother and a person in this world.)
I'm trying to streamline this in a way that is an easy lift, that makes sense, that feels calming to our nervous system and where we're receiving the meat of what is the needle moving element of being in a community.
And I think it's that feeling of:
Feeling safe
Seeing your experience spoken and reflected in others who are walking a similar path to you
Really having your experience and your feelings validated
And then provided resources and tools that baby steps your nervous system to be a bit more joyful, relaxed, abundant, connected to the people you love.
And that starts with having a safe space and community.
What community means to me…
So for me, community means:
Feeling safe.
Feeling safe amongst others who I feel, get me understand what I'm going through
And then the added bonus is that I can learn from this container within this space where I feel safe, seen and held.
And that really is the intention of what I'm creating here on the paid side of Substack.
In this community, that's really designed for neurodivergent moms walking this path who are ready to reclaim a new way of living their lives that feels better and is more aligned for their unique way of living, being, and doing in the world.
What you can expect from me in this community
So what you won't receive from me in this space is a bombardment of:
Shoulds
Demands
Emails
Obligations
But what you will receive is:
A container with weekly resources
Where I will be showing up, honestly, vulnerably and candidly and speaking out what I'm working through in my life
What I've learned
The lessons
The topics that I think are relevant, that serve us, that support us, that uplift us, validate our experiences.
You'll have the option to partake and comment and share as much as you would like, or not like.
You will be able to access the archive of resources at your own time, on your own pace, at your leisure, at whatever feels right for you.
You can be as involved or as passive with the experience of community as feels right for you, as feels calming to your nervous system.
And I think that's lovely. And feels like so much less pressure while feeling held and safe and knowing you're not alone.
That's really my intention with this community I'm creating here.
And I would love if you:
Have any questions or comments
If this lands with you
If this resonates with you
If you know what your definition of community is
What you're hoping to receive out of this
Please feel free to drop them in the comment and share. Let's connect in that way.
And if you just want to listen and take in feeling seen through others' experiences and knowing you're working through similar things with other women who are walking your path, that is amazing too. All of that is welcome as well.
As I'm really coming back to this space of designing a community that feels aligned and right for me, that I desire as a neurodivergent mom when I'm in other spaces and what has landed and felt most supportive for me and trying to create that for all of us here- I'm just so glad you're here.
And I am really looking forward to creating this community together and making it our own.
