Neurodiversity and Brain Boosting

Are you some flavor of neurodiverse?

I personally don't consider neurodiversity to be a brain problem. I feel that neurodiversity is an advantage in many ways. You may or may not feel the same way as I do.

Neurodiverse people experience and interact with the world in a different way than neurotypical people. Some examples of neurodiverity include autism, attention deficits disorders, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia and more. There is evidence that neurodiversity stems from the brain processing information in different ways than is typical.

Embrace your superpowers

Neurodiverse people have many strengths.

For example, autistic people are better with working with different types of systems; such as computer languages, machines and mathematical systems. They also excel at recognizing repeated patterns and spotting details in complex patterns. Children on the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) outperform much older children on tests involving how a Polaroid camera works and sequencing pictures (discussion in Baron-Cohen et al. 2009, Baron-Cohen and Lombardo 2017).

Likewise, people with dyslexia have a advantage over neurotypical people when deciphering information from blurry low resolution images; talents useful in fields like radiology, astronomy, and cellular microscopy (Schneps et al. 2012).

Be fabulous. Jean-Léon Gérôme Bashi-Bazouk (1869). Oil on canvas.

Jean-Léon Gérôme, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Use brain boosters to overcome challenges

However, if you are having problems with your life or job due to challenges with your neurodiversity you can supercharge your brain. Use these brain boosters to help your brain function optimally for you.

Brain training can overcome perfectionism and anxiety

Many autistic people have issues with perfectionism and anxiety. Some types of brain training can help you control anxiety and break out of perfectionism's paralyzing grip. I did this years ago after I read a book about obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and it changed my life. I don't have OCD but I did have obsessive thought loops.

For all those wondering what book I read that changed my life; it was Brain Lock by Jeffrey M. Schwartz, M.D. I followed his simple steps to mastering control of my thoughts and rid myself of over 95% of troublesome obsessive thoughts in one week. Not only that, but I told two other people the simple steps and it worked for them without even reading the book. You do have to do the exercises and it takes a little work at first but the rewards are great. I have remained almost totally free of intrusive brain loops type thoughts since.

Eight methods for increasing your attention span and working memory

1) Set up ways to avoid distraction; such as noise canceling headphones, blocking distracting websites, avoiding the great smelling donut shop, turning off/hiding/locking up your phone and/or using a social media blocker.

Some people, such as myself, may need an optimal level of distraction to occupy the brain and function well. I use music and background noise to help me work. Silence doesn't do it for me.

2) Set defined breaks and do something different with your brain and body. Go out in nature.

3) Be aware of what you are doing and question yourself. Ask, "Do I really need to surf TikTok?" "Does using this app make me feel better or worse?" or even "Is this healing for my mental or physical health?"

This works really well if you evaluate your mood while or directly after doing the activity.

4) No multitasking, everyone stinks at it. It makes you waste time and fries your brain.

5) Work on your brain health! Check out Brain Boosters or Brain Regeneration Starter Kit. Yes, you can heal your brain.

6) Work on your overall health (sleep, exercise, food, nature).

7) Practice devoting your attention to something. The brain is like a muscle; you can teach yourself to concentrate longer by gradually upping the amount of time you spend not being distracted. Apps like TikTok and Face Book can encourage dumbing down of your attention span and your intelligence by delivering you a lot of really poor content very quickly.

Go read a book or a website written by a human. Read things that engage your brain. Create or do something - draw, learn to code, carve, sculpt, teach yourself quantum physics, write, walk, knit, hike, learn yoga with your dog - the choices are infinite. Start small and scale up as you get better.

8) Your brain wants a challenge, not lukewarm AI mush served with a side of propaganda. Learn something ...anything... and get passionate about it. Passion is attractive to your brain and to other people.

From one neurodiverse person to another; learn to use your neurodiversity as an asset not a detriment. For example, my ability to hyperfocus, remember obscure details, see an overall pattern, and make nonlinear connections helps me understand and put together information from hundreds of research papers to create this website. Often I see connections that other miss because my brain works differently than theirs. I would not trade my wonderfully useful and delightfully elegant brain for that of a neurotypical person.

I'm sure you have strong talents you can use too! You just need to focus on identifying your positive traits and playing to them. By reframing what other people consider a weakness into a strength, you can enable a new way of thinking about your abilities.

A basic plan to optimize neurodiversity

Think about and write down what you see as your strengths and weaknesses.

Achilles heels: what things, stimulus or events will derail you immediately?

  • Do you get sensory overload? Are you sensitive to sounds, colors, crowds, scratchy clothes, harsh sensations, lights, traffic or other external stimulus? This is likely due to your brain not being able to ignore nonessential information.
  • Are you sensitive to social pressure or unable to know what to do in a given social situation?
  • Are you sensitive to internal pressures such as perfection, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)?

Think about your talents. Write down your strengths:

  • Do you have a superpower or super hobby?
  • Does your brain see patterns and connections in seemingly unrelated things?
  • Do you think outside the box?
  • Are you wildly creative?
  • Do you see in pictures.
  • Are you unafraid to deviate from popular opinions?

Make a plan to deal with derailing factors.

Often if you can control most of the factors you can deal with the uncontrolled factors. For example:

Problem: Farmer's Market Mayhem

If I am hungry, wearing scratchy clothing, in a crowded Farmers Market, with an off-key singer (or worse two overlapping singers), and smelling burning food I get overwhelmed.

Plan: only wear comfortable to you clothing (if this means you have a uniform of sorts it is OK), eat beforehand, go to Farmer's Market when it is least crowded, wear ear protection or go during music breaks, and keep upwind of stinky stalls.

Problem: Grocery Store Meltdown.

Shopping for food overstimulates me but I am spending too much on delivery and only getting bottom barrel vegetables.

Plan: go to grocery stores when they are least crowded NOT most crowded. Go shopping early in the mornings or late at night, most weekdays before people get off work and Sunday afternoons. Avoid Saturday, after work, and when people get their social security checks at the end of the month. Eat beforehand and have a list.

Problem: Sticky Social Situations

I don't know what to say or do in social situations. I don't want to come off as fake or as a weirdo. I would like friends.

Plan: You need to learn positive social interaction and interpersonal skills. Read articles and watch videos on how to interact positively with others.

People like to interact with positive happy useful people not whiny entitled ones. You can still be your quirky self and make friends. Some quick tips:

  • People like to talk about themselves. Have some quick questions memorized to ask people. Make sure they are not yes or no questions (you want them to talk). Here's a list of 200 ice breaker questions.
  • Don't monologue unless you are a movie villain or your audience is interested.
  • Compliment people on things they choose to wear or do (NOT on their looks). Make sure it is a true compliment. Examples: "I love your sneakers." "You are a very good speaker!" "Your cool workshop has inspired me to make my own man or woman cave." "I admire the fact that you volunteer with Big Brothers." "You are such a positive person."
  • If someone asks you a question answer it and turn it back to them. Remember you do not have to answer rude or personal questions.
  • Be open minded and nonjudgemental when meeting people.
  • Watch out for people who try to use neurodiverse people. Don't let people treat you poorly.
  • You want people to walk away from an interaction with you feeling better about themselves. They will associate that good feeling with you!

Problem: Gullibility and Unscrupulous People

Neurodiverse people can easily get sucked into unhealthy mind sets or fooled by dishonest people. I am going to be very blunt and honest below about common pitfalls.

Plan: Know your enemy.

Guys, right now there is a concentrated effort to radicalize young men into feeling they are being cheated somehow because other people succeed. Here are two totally different intelligent men talking about it:

Struthless has a great YouTube video about it called The answer isn't Online Masculinity. I recommend struthless's YouTube channel for people who want to learn more about how to overcome depression, inertia, or social media addiction and start making cool stuff.

Joe, from Be Smart, discusses the alpha male myth in The Scientific Lie That Damaged Generations of Men. Go to Be Smart if you want to learn some really awesome and fun science, biology and physics. I really recommend Joe's fun videos.

Don't watch red pill, incel, looksmaxxing, alpha or misogynic content. Don't partake in those toxic types of Reddit forums or YouTube comment sections. Avoid anybody who refers to women as 'females', talks about negging people to control them, or implies you are getting cheated because someone else has something.

That type of online content will only make you resentful and friendless. Nobody owes you dates or is stealing your jobs.

Don't let these trolls steal your happiness and agency. You are the person you make yourself into and you can take control of your life. Be the man who builds or makes things, keeps learning, has fun hobbies, and lives a full life with diverse friends.

Watch positive and fun media. Why waste time being angry when there are cool YouTube channels showing people blowing things up in slow motion; check out the Slow Mo Guys. Make your own slow motion video. Or you could learn to build a light saber, create an animated cartoon or design a battle bot. If you are into getting into shape watch and read good info about it.

Women, stop consuming media designed to make you feel helpless and bad about yourself. Don't watch content about tradwives, sugar babies, unrealistic body images, mommy bloggers, misogyny, or men-hating (misandry). The tradwife content is fake propaganda garbage fronted by women with producers and nannies who want to radicalize you into accepting an unrealistic lifestyle.

Even if the tradwife content was true, what do you think happens to old tradwives in a world where youth and fertility are traded for temporary financial security? Is there a farm or pasture they get taken to to live out their golden years when they get replaced by the prettier younger model? I don't think so.

If you are into that kind of thing, there are women and men who grow their own food, build their own houses, make their own bread, milk their own goats, and sew their own clothes without being in the tradwife community. Others even make cool YouTube videos about color changing toilet seats and fun cat toys (Evan and Katelyn) or 3D print a boat (Emily the Engineer).

This website is written by a person (Susan) who grew up on a homestead with all the fun doing it yourself parts and none of the weird religious cult fake 1950's overtones. Bonus: everyone, no matter their gender, got to do whichever duties they liked while wearing whatever they wanted.

On the other side of the coin, most people are not cut out to be sugar babies or to make spicy Only Fans content; it is harmful to your mental health and glamorizes an unequal power dynamic. People who gravitate towards that type of work often have complex post traumatic stress disorder (cPTSD) from abusive childhoods. Realistically it also pays little for most people, ends when their attractiveness declines, and stays on the internet forever.

You are more than your looks and fertility. There is nothing wrong with marriage, children, or one parent staying home if you want it but don't get sucked into hateful religious beliefs disguised as 'traditional' values. Be the woman who makes and builds things, keeps learning, has fun hobbies, and lives a full life with diverse friends.

Rainbow 2 by Susan Fluegel

Problem: Poor Hygiene Skills

It is hard to make friends if people think you stink. To make it worse, most neuronormal people won't tell you that you stink due to social stigmas. They will just awkwardly avoid you.

Plan: If you are too depressed to shower get treatment or work on it. If you forget to shower make yourself a schedule and set up reminders.

Also check for the following:

  • Dirty clothes or moldy washing machine can make clothes stinky and you smell.
  • Clothes can hold sweat smell due to bacteria in armpit or crotch area. Smell those area to see if they are clean after washing. Use borax to help get rid of smell.
  • Tonsil stones make your breath smell like death.
  • Use a bar soap and a washcloth if you are particularly stinky. Wash everywhere especially crotch and butt areas.
  • Put on clean clothes after you shower.
  • Being in a smoky environment makes you stink and is harmful to your health.

Problem: Too Sensitive for the World

You can't go outside, everything hurts, and you have constant anxiety attacks.

Plan: Work on developing your resilience. Just because your brain works differently doesn't mean you can't teach it to be more adjustable. Start training your brain to be more flexible.

Improve your coping skills by making sure you:

Check for:

George Grie Panic Attack or Anxiety PTSD 2007 oil on canvas.

George Grie, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Kick yourself into gear to get over panic attacks

Brief intermittent intense exercise (BIE) can significantly reduce the severity of panic disorder (PD). Muotri et al. 2026 looked at two different 12-week protocols for people with PD.

1) Jacobson's Relaxation training: most treatment for PD uses cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with interoceptive exposure (IE). IE strategy repeats the symptoms associated with panic attacks such as shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and dizziness in order to increase tolerance and reduce distress.

  • Muscles are tensed for 5-8 seconds
  • Muscles are relaxed for 10-15 seconds
  • A mental check scans for remaining tension
  • Mental relaxation with visualizing a relaxing scene

2) BIE: Brief structured bursts of intense activity (sprinting) designed to trigger and safely resolve the symptoms of a panic attack.

Both groups improved but the BIE group improved more as measured by lower panic severity, fewer panic attacks, better mood, and greater engagement in activity.

Here was the BIE plan:

  1. Warm-up: light stretching followed by 15 minutes of brisk walking.

  2. High-intensity sprints: One 30-second session of very high-intensity running (either on treadmill or outdoors) followed by 4 1/2 minutes of slow walking. People gradually built up to six sprints per session.

  3. Recovery and cool-down: 15 minutes of relaxed slow walking People focused on watching their heart rate and breathing return to normal.

High intensity sprinting teaches your body and brain that a racing heart doesn't always signal an impending catastrophe!

  • Most people with panic disorders have a fear of being afraid.
  • Observing your body naturally calming itself after 30 seconds of sprinting retrains the brain.
  • The brain learns to interpret/read anxiety symptoms as temporary and manageable.

This plan could be implemented with other forms of high intensity short term exercise as well.

By Susan Fluegel PHD Nutritional Biochemistry

*Names and some minor identifying details in all stories in this website are changed to protect people's privacy.

This information is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

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