The Different-Functional Podcast

Do you ever feel like you get trapped in your own thoughts, spiraling out into negative rumination and worries about the future? If you do, then you know how detrimental it can be to your quality of life, your capacity to truly enjoy anything, and your ability to maintain healthy and happy relationships. In this episode, we’re discussing the concept of cognitive restructuring, a valuable tool that can help you hit the pause button on anger, fear, and rumination so that you have the opportunity to positively shift your perspective and your responses to daily life stressors. If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional Thanks so much for listening and remember, different does not mean defective.

Why, oh why, is it so hard to rest?! We know we need rest and relaxation and sleep and all of that good stuff, so why can’t we just do it? It sounds so simple, and it should be so easy, yet many of us feel like we are actively struggling to rest. If you also find it easier to multi-task a dozen projects than to relax for even 10 minutes then this episode is for you. Join us as we discuss: why rest can be so difficult; how to take the pressure off with a shift in perspective; and possible solutions that address some of the root causes of restlessness.If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional Thanks so much for listening and remember, different does not mean defective.

Mindfulness is one of those pop psychology suggestions we’re often recommended for stress relief, and while its benefits are also historically well-rooted in various cultural and spiritual practices it’s not always as easy as it seems like it should be. Similar to meditation, it’s a classic example of “simple, not easy”.  In this episode, we’re exploring the idea of mindfulness on a personal level as we try to understand why Autumn has such a contentious relationship with it, and we seek to troubleshoot ways that the practice could be adapted to be more user-friendly for an individual.If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional Thanks so much for listening and remember, different does not mean defective.

We’re starting back up after our hiatus on a more serious note, so we’ll give you the trigger warning that this episode contains discussion of suicidal ideation. It won’t be all doom and gloom though. While we are discussing depression and the struggles that lead to self-destructive thoughts our goal in this episode is to find ways to quiet the noise and find reasons to keep going. If you’ve ever experienced these thoughts yourself then you know clichés and toxic positivity generally aren’t enough, and they can even leave you feeling frustrated, invalidated, and even more alone. We’ve been there ourselves and we know how painful, difficult, and isolating it is to experience these thoughts and feelings. Join us as we react to some of the advice the internet has to offer and give our opinions on whether or not it’s actually effective. There will be some serious discussion, some heartfelt moments, and a little bit of gallows humor, and we hope it will help you feel less alone and less stigmatized.If you are struggling with suicidal ideation right now, please don’t feel like you have to suffer in silence. Please find trusted people that you can talk to and lean on for support. If that feels too intimidating or you don’t feel like you have anyone in your life you can discuss this with, please contact the suicide hotline in your area, the phone number to call or text in the USA is 988. Stay with us. There are reasons to keep going even if you can’t see them right now.

A lot has changed since we first started the podcast so we figured it was time to reintroduce ourselves.

It's time for a candid talk about where the podcast has been and where it's headed. While we're still holding true to our core values and goals we are also overhauling some things about the podcast, so we'll be taking off the month of July so that we can reset, recalibrate, and make some important changes happen. Thanks for being here and supporting us and we'll see you in August!

Join us for a romp and a rant through the five senses and explore with us all of the various ways we can become overloaded by our sensory experience of the world. If you’ve ever felt sensorily overstimulated into a state of rage, tearfulness, or catatonia you’re not alone. If you’ve ever been treated like a crazy person for feeling overwhelmed by sights, sounds, and textures that other people don’t even seem to notice then this is the episode for you.If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional Thanks so much for listening and remember, different does not mean defective.

How often do you hear that “exercise is important”, and that you should “get more active” or “work on your relationship with movement”? If you had a penny for each time you’ve heard those kinds of phrases from social media influencers, magazine covers, doctors, family, or friends you could probably for a year’s worth of gym membership fees up front. I mean, thanks for the super vague advice but what does that really mean? Even if you want to get more physically active, how do you get started? What’s classified as exercise? Do you need to go to the gym? Why is increasing activity even so important to begin with? Is the adage “no pain, no gain” true when it comes to improving your fitness?Join us as we discuss some answers to these, and many other, questions; and explore a few different types of exercise, along with their various benefits and warning labels. If you’ve ever been overwhelmed, confused, or possibly even triggered by the mere idea of exercise, we’re here to help make it all a little less daunting. If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional Thanks so much for listening and remember, different does not mean defective.

Spring is here for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, and as the weather starts to warm up it becomes uncomfortably obvious just how extra dependent we were on our digital devices to get us through the cold, winter months. Honestly, regardless of the time of year, most of us are probably on our devices too much; it’s hard not to be when nearly everything we use is now digital, from our forms of entertainment to our work to the many tools we use to keep our daily lives running smoothly. We don’t want to villainize all technology, but we do still need to admit that there are some real downsides to being constantly barraged by screens at every turn. So how do we pull back a little from our digital dependency? Join us as we discuss some realistic tips and tricks that will enable you to find more balance and engage more actively with the people and world around you.If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional

There’s a lot of talk right now about autism. Unfortunately, we’re seeing a resurgence of people pathologizing the autistic experience and reinforcing social stigmas and negative stereotypes. Yes, autism comes with its challenges but to demonize it is complete and utter nonsense; it’s simple fear mongering from people who have clearly never truly known or loved an autistic person. Join us for this episode as we explore some social and experiential theories around autism. As we always say, different does not mean defective. One of us is autistic and the other has known and loved more autistic people than she can count. Neurodivergence can be challenging and often isolating, but neurodivergent people are also brilliantly loveable, unconventional thinkers who have so much to offer. We see you and we stand with all of you who are feeling even more stigmatized and unappreciated right now. If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional

We’re back again with another installment of Futile or Functional, where we explore the usefulness of the internet’s suggestions for our mental health. This time we’re diving into some ADHD life hacks. Since Autumn isn’t ADHD, we’ve welcomed Jake back for another episode to give his feedback on these suggestions. So join us as Ivy and Jake try to determine whether these hacks are futile or functional, and hear Autumn’s amusing observations as an outsider looking in on some common ADHD conundrums.If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

We’ve all heard some iteration of the serenity prayer, but what does that actually look like? What does it mean to accept the things you can’t change and work toward changing the things you can? How do you even decide what to change and what to accept? Join us as we discuss how living by the serenity prayer can positively impact your life.If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

The times are tumultuous and uncertain and, let’s be honest, it’s not exactly bringing out the best in most people. So, let’s take a stroll down memory lane, get a blast from the past, and live for a brief, blissful moment in the delusion that we’re back in the 90s. The 90s may not have been perfect either (we certainly had more than our fair share of family trauma from our childhood) but when it comes to music or music videos, we’d argue it was quite possibly the best decade of all time. Yes, there was a lot of fun, fluffy pop music like any other decade, but the 90s also produced a lot of deeply meaningful and often cathartic songs. For those of us who grew up in the 90s, the music of that era made us feel seen and understood; it got us through hard times; and it built the people we’ve become. Maybe it’s time to revisit these songs and let them bolster our strength again for the challenges ahead.If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

Music is such a powerful tool for emotional processing and personal expression; and with how crazy the world seems to have been in recent years, music seems like a more valuable resource than ever. Whether you use it to help you calm down, vent your frustrations, have a good cry, or find hope on the darkest days music is a fundamental part of our self-care regimen. Join us as we examine some of the songs that are keeping us going and explore how we use music as a coping skill. How are you utilizing music to help you survive these trying times? We’d love to hear from you so reach out to us at differentfunctional@gmail.com or you can find us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to visit the mind of someone with ADHD? Well, now you can! But we don’t recommend actually doing it because taking a tour of the ADHD brain may involve getting a head injury. We would know because as sisters, we apparently feel the need to do everything together, so we went and got matching brain injuries only a few months apart. While the research on the topic is still in largely in its infancy, there is a notable correlation between the symptoms of ADHD and those of traumatic brain injuries. For one of us, the brain injury significantly amplified pre-existing ADHD symptoms but for the other sister, who was only familiar with an autistic landscape, post-concussive syndrome left her a stranger in a mighty strange land. Join us as we discuss our experiences with post-concussive syndrome and everything it taught us about ADHD symptomology. If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like for us to cover we’d love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don’t forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

How do you feel about Valentine’s Day? Personally, we don’t love it, but we also don’t hate it. What we do hate is that the current state of the world is kinda lousy and the long, slow trudge through winter is starting to feel like a real Debbie Downer. So with that in mind, we thought the Love holiday might be a perfect excuse to do something fun and fluffy. Join us as we play a little word association game, taking Valentine’s themed vocabulary words and cramming as much unhinged rambling about each one as we can in our allotted amount of time. Hold onto your little heart-shaped butts because we get a little wild, a tiny bit spicy, kinda creepy, and sometimes even sickeningly sentimental.If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like for us to cover we’d love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don’t forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

Are you a fashionista? Us too! Not really. We lied. We’re not even good at faking it, but we’re trying. Is fashion supposed to be so hard? What are the rules? How do you know you’ve committed a fashion faux pas? Is that person staring at you because they like your style or because they think you look vaguely unhinged? How are you supposed to tolerate wearing things that touch you in weird ways, are super scratchy, or make a lot of noise and not lose your mind? Is fashion just part of yet another social script that neurodivergent people have to struggle to understand or is it a safe haven for self-expression? These are the kinds of questions we’d like some answers to. We don’t have the answers but we’re going to talk about it anyway, so join as we try to figure out what neurodivergent fashion looks and feels like (sensory issues, anyone?).If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast,and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like for us to cover we’d love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don’t forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

We’re starting to settle into 2025 but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ve left the hardships of 2024 behind us (or the previous years for that matter). If you’re anything like us you may find that you’re still a little shell-shocked and unsure of how to move forward. We’re still processing the lessons from the past and the horizon ahead is a little hazy, but we’re here in this moment and there’s power in simply putting one foot in front of the other. Sometimes the best thing you can do is simply to focus on your feet. Join us as we discuss how we can move forward one moment, one breath, one step at a time.If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like for us to cover we’d love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don’t forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

Here we are, yet again, at the start of another year. If you’re anything like us, 2024 must have put you through the wringer too. We’re ready to put last year behind us, but we’re also giving 2025 that wary, suspicious side-eye until it proves it can play nicer and be more reasonable than its predecessor. So instead of revisiting the usual new year celebratory rituals and plans, we’re sitting down for a humorously serious conversation about how challenging it is sometimes to just…adult. Join us as we discuss how the heck anyone is supposed to take care of their body, clean their house, find a good mechanic, and file paperwork even at the best of times. Even without life’s curveballs, adulting is already kinda confusing and often really f***ing annoying, and the truth is none of us really know what we’re doing. Even when we think we know we usually end up finding out that we were wrong somehow. In reality, most of us are really just out here…winging it.If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like for us to cover we’d love to hear from you at differentfunctional@gmail.com Don’t forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.

'Tis the season for gift-giving, but for many neurodivergent individuals, the holidays can bring more stress than joy. From choosing the right gift to managing limited resources like time, money, and energy, selecting the perfect present can feel like navigating a minefield. The pressure to find something meaningful and the fear of getting it wrong can make holiday shopping overwhelming.In this episode, we explore the often-overlooked challenges of gift-giving and share practical gift-giving tips that reduce stress and help you stay authentic to your spirit of giving. Whether you're buying for a loved one, a coworker, or someone you barely know, this episode is packed with gift ideas and strategies for managing the complexities of gift-giving with neurodivergence in mind.And don’t forget to check out our FREE bonus content available on Patreon, where we discuss specific types of gifts and who they work best for!If you’re enjoying the podcast we’d love it if you could help us spread the word by telling your friends, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a rating or review. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like for us to cover we’d love to hear from you at Don’t forget to follow us on social media, on TikTok and Instagram as different_functional and on Facebook as different functional. If you’d like to support us on Patreon we are at www.patreon.com/differentfunctional As always, thank you for listening and remember: Different does not mean defective.