As we head into the holidays Aniesa wanted to explore stress and what is referred to as allostasis. She explores the concept of the allostatic load and the impact this has on the body in both the short term and long term. Aniesa also discusses the role things like sleep and trauma can play in how we manage and cope with stress. Importantly, Aniesa talks about how we can all learn to manage our stress levels and take ownership of minimising the impact as much as possible.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Allostasis is the process of trying to achieve stability through physiological or behavioural change. This is usually in response to stress.
• Your allostatic load is your chronic exposure to fluctuating and increased stress levels.
• Stress produces a spike in adrenaline and after this initial spike, the body and you relax. But this cycle of high and low adrenaline has an impact on your body.
• There is an elevated risk of chronic disease and mental health disorders from those who have long-term elevated stress levels.
• There is a very strong connection between your allostatic load and things such as your class, finances, living situation and perceived discrimination.
• Sleep, exercise and a balanced diet are simple but can help your body manage stress.
• If we can take ownership of managing our stress and learn what works for us as individuals to manage stress then we can lessen the impact it has on us.

BEST MOMENTS

"It’s self-regulating so we’re trying to keep this constant state while we are under stress”

“This constant continued strain is really going to compromise your immune function”

“That’s going to affect your overall lifespan, your cognitive function and your well-being”

“There’s a real strong association between your allostatic load and your social demographic characteristics”

“We need to be proactive in managing our stress, we need to stay informed”

CONTACT METHOD

www.instagram.com/aniesabblore/           
www.instagram.com/sensationalkidstherapyuk/    
www.facebook.com/sensationalkidslondon

ABOUT THE HOST

Aniesa completed her degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Stellenbosch, in South Africa. She has since been focusing on pediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of pediatric fields and has extensive experience in autism, specific learning difficulties, as well as anxiety and emotional regulation.

Aniesa has one teenage son with autism, and one with sensory difficulties. She herself was diagnosed at a late age as having ADHD and has found that understanding her neurodivergence has led to a greater connection with children and their parents.

Aniesa explores the reasons behind camouflaging, which has three categories: compensation, masking and assimilation. Aniesa talks about what these can look like, why so many neurodivergent people feel the need to camouflage and talks about how we can demystify and educate everyone on camouflaging.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Masking is essentially changing your personality and natural way of being to fit in, to be perceived as neurotypical.
• Camouflaging in the natural world is an evolutionary trait that has developed to help creatures protect themselves which is why it lends itself so well as a descriptor of neurodivergent masking.
• Neurodivergents are trying to camouflage themselves alongside neurotypicals, to go undetected, seen as ‘normal’ and appropriate.
• Camouflaging can be a way to avoid feeling the shame often attached to neurodiversity.
• There are consequences for camouflaging, from burnout to feeling anxious.
• Those who are neurodivergent learn that they get a negative reaction from being themselves. Many feel like if they don’t mask they will be excluded and isolated.
• Assimilation is masking on a higher level, you create untrue versions of yourself, usually multiple ones depending on who you are with.

BEST MOMENTS

"We’re really talking about changing our natural personalities so that we can fit”

“I like the idea of camouflaging as a word as it’s a really strong tactic”

“The consequences of camouflaging are huge, they are so detrimental”

“When you’re compensating you’re trying to keep up with others socially but when your masking you’re hiding key aspects of yourself, just so you can fit in”

“We all mask every single day”

CONTACT METHOD

www.instagram.com/aniesabblore/           
www.instagram.com/sensationalkidstherapyuk/    
www.facebook.com/sensationalkidslondon

ABOUT THE HOST

Aniesa completed her degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Stellenbosch, in South Africa. She has since been focusing on pediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of pediatric fields and has extensive experience in autism, specific learning difficulties, as well as anxiety and emotional regulation.

Aniesa has one teenage son with autism, and one with sensory difficulties. She herself was diagnosed at a late age as having ADHD and has found that understanding her neurodivergence has led to a greater connection with children and their parents.

Aniesa is joined by Archie in this episode to talk about what is frequently called the 8th sense, interoception. Interoception is associated with everything from pain sensitivity to decision making and Aniesa and Archie discuss why struggles with its regulation are associated with neurodivergence and the common challenges it often presents.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Your interoception is there to show you when your body has needs such as thirst but it is also there to show you when you are angry, for example.
• If an individual struggles with their interoception physical body needs signals, then that will impact their emotional regulation.
• Being able to identify your emotions is an essential step in being able to self-regulate.
• Attention and detection are the two ways we can tap into our interoception.
• Interoception is personal, it is something that you can learn about yourself and teach yourself what things impact you.
• Your body is constantly trying to reach homeostasis, to be balanced.
• Trauma can hinder or even stop interoceptive awareness, neurodivergent people almost always experience trauma and this could explain why they have difficulties with interoceptive awareness.
• When a person becomes overwhelmed, their interoception becomes so low they can no longer regulate their emotions.
• Your interoceptive awareness is positively linked with social connectivity.

BEST MOMENTS

"Interoception is strongly related to our emotional state”

“Until your interoception is fully developed you’re going to find it really difficult to manage your emotions and social interactions”

“He would try to regulate the kids when he wasn’t regulated”

“What is it that I am feeling, why am I feeling that way?”

“As a neurodivergent person, you experience trauma and that is going to lower or stop your interoceptive awareness”

“People with interoceptive issues are likely to have a higher baseline of anxiety”

CONTACT METHOD

www.instagram.com/aniesabblore/           
www.instagram.com/sensationalkidstherapyuk/    
www.facebook.com/sensationalkidslondon

ABOUT THE HOST

Aniesa completed her degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Stellenbosch, in South Africa. She has since been focusing on pediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of pediatric fields and has extensive experience in autism, specific learning difficulties, as well as anxiety and emotional regulation.

Aniesa has one teenage son with autism, and one with sensory difficulties. She herself was diagnosed at a late age as having ADHD and has found that understanding her neurodivergence has led to a greater connection with children and their parents.