Resilience Wisdom from Neurodivergent and Disabled Colleagues
Adapted from Dr. Nancy Doyle and Dr. Aisha Ahmad
We Are Built to Adapt
Humans adapt. What makes us unique as a species is our ability to find new ways to survive and thrive, even under conditions we didn't choose and didn't expect. We see this in the personal transitions many of us have navigated: the experience of navigating school or work as an undiagnosed neurodivergent person, the sleeplessness of new parenthood, seasons in our work or organizations where we genuinely weren't sure we would make it through.
The people who tend to carry the most hard-won wisdom about navigating difficult systems are the ones who have been doing it their whole lives. Neurodivergent and disabled colleagues and clients have spent years, often without much support, figuring out how to flex when the world wouldn't flex to them. What they've learned is practical, honest, and useful for anyone navigating prolonged uncertainty.
Every Long Haul Has a Hard Middle
There is a predictable point in any sustained difficult season where the fuel runs out. It is normal. It is temporary. And it is not a sign that something is wrong with you.
Dr. Aisha Ahmad is a political scientist at the University of Toronto who has worked through multiple sustained crises in conflict zones around the world. She has navigated this moment many times, and her advice is practical:
“Manage your expectations. Tackle less challenging projects. It's unreasonable to expect to be sparklingly happy or wildly creative right now. If you can meet your obligations squarely and be kind to your loved ones, that's enough. Your joy and spark will return, so don't stress about it today.”
“It is not productive to try to ram your head through the wall. Beating yourself up for struggling will only lengthen the amount of time it will take to make it through. It is much more effective to simply ride out the dip naturally, trusting that you will soon be on the other side.”
This is permission to stop adding self-punishment to an already hard season. Lowering your expectations temporarily is not giving up. It's pacing yourself for the long haul. And as Ahmad puts it: "There is light and strength on the other side."
Trust Your Own History — You Have Been Here Before
We have gotten through times when the ground shifted beneath us, whether that was political, economic, personal, or all of the above. We have found ways to live, work, and stay connected under conditions that asked more of us than felt fair. That history matters. It is real evidence that we have the capacity to keep going, even when we can't see clearly what's ahead.
The strategies below come from people who have been building that kind of capacity for a long time. Their wisdom is practical and specific. Take what fits and leave what doesn't.
Coping Strategies: Wisdom from Neurodivergent & Disabled Colleagues
A quick note before you read: you'll notice we use both person-first language (a person with autism) and identity-first language (an autistic person). That's not an oversight. Language preferences vary across disability and neurodivergent communities, and we've followed the lead of the people quoted here. Both are valid. Both appear intentionally.
On managing energy: A client with chronic fatigue syndrome offers this metaphor. They know firsthand that pushing to zero doesn't work: "Never let the battery run to zero. Recharge at around three or four and set it back to ten before you get started again.”
On sensory comfort: An autistic colleague reminds us that the senses can soothe:
“Surround yourself with smells, colors, sounds, or soft clothing that makes you feel warm and safe. This is your self-care bubble."
On pace and comparison: A dyspraxic colleague advises against comparing your pace to others. Her processing speed doesn't permit her to drive fast, so rather than feeling anxious when others push her to move quickly, she has learned to prioritize her natural rhythm and drives safely with confidence.
On staying connected through hard seasons: A client who became Deaf at 45 zeroed in on her visual spatial strengths and taught herself sign language and lip reading quickly enough that she was able to start teaching others within three years. She had days when she lay on the couch and cried. She also resolved to always have one productive day per week so she could still feel like she was moving forward.
On working with your brain, not against it: An ADHDer describes learning to ride the waves of hyper-focus: "If I'm in the zone, I don't try to curtail myself because it's what I 'should' do. I let my productivity run out naturally and then rest."
On choosing safe people: A person with Tourettes chooses his allies carefully when times are rough, prioritizing connections with people for whom he does not need to mask, where he can be fully himself and know he is safe and respected.
On delegating to your strengths: A dyslexic director makes sure she delegates the tasks she finds hardest during the times she is struggling most. Some people genuinely thrive on fine detail work when bigger picture thinking feels impossible, and some need the opposite. Working to your strengths matters more than ever when resources are thin.
We Are Not Meant to Do This Alone
Your individual strategies will be different from the person next to you, and that's the point. Share ideas with your colleagues. Ask what's working. The goal isn't to find the perfect approach. It's to stay curious and stay in relationship with people who are navigating the same terrain.
Sometimes the most useful thing isn't having the right answer. It's creating space for people to feel less alone in the question. What open spaces can you hold in your team, your organization, your community, for that kind of honest connection?
Some of the most powerful resilience practices aren't things we do in isolation. They're the cultures we build together, slowly, in the everyday moments that don't always feel significant but add up over time.
Sources
Dr. Aisha Ahmad (@ProfAishaAhmad), University of Toronto — "Navigating the Six-Month Crisis Wall,” The Telegraph, September 2020.
Dr. Nancy Doyle — "Professor Ahmad's Six-Month Wall: Rehumanizing the Virtual Workplace," Forbes, September 24, 2020.