Hi Reader,

Monday was... a lot.

You might have noticed the massive AWS outage that took down Zoom, Slack, and basically half the internet.

No warning, no heads up, just suddenly everything stopped working.

LinkedIn lost its collective mind.

I was getting ready for a disability impact training session when I realised I couldn't access any of my usual tools.

And look, I have backups – so I'm not completely unprepared.

But having backups doesn't make the change easy.

My systems exist for a reason.

The predictability of using the same platforms, in the same way, at the same times helps me manage getting overloaded.

This doesn't mean I'm being rigid or resistant to change – it means I like to create a structure that keeps my brain regulated so I can actually get stuff done.

So when those systems suddenly disappeared, I felt the wobble immediately.

That frustrated, slightly panicked feeling where your brain just... scatters.

And then the procrastination kicked in, which is basically my nervous system saying "nope, can't cope, we're shutting down."

But I still had work to do.

Clients were waiting.

Sessions needed to happen.

I was trying to show up in a good state when my internal wiring was blowing fuses left, right and centre.

I'm telling you this because I know I wasn't the only one struggling.

Thousands of neurodivergent people had their carefully constructed systems disrupted on Monday, and a lot of them probably felt that same thing.

If you've been feeling off this week and couldn't figure out why – this might be it. If you noticed someone else struggling more than usual – maybe this was part of it.

We can't always describe these experiences with words, but calling them out helps.

The internet going down isn't just an inconvenience when you're neurodivergent and rely on specific rhythms to function.

It can genuinely throw you off for days.

So if that was you on Monday, your reaction makes complete sense.

And you definitely weren't alone.

Best and brightest love.

Beth x

PS: ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Neurodivergent by Design is now available. It's for neurodivergent adults tired of masking, compensating, and burning out, it comes with eight modules of bite-sized learning that you can do in whichever order you like to build a life that works with your brain.

​ ​ Beth Thomas | Neuroinclusion specialist Connect on Linkedin Website: https://www.beth-thomas.co.uk/​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unboundmindcoaching/​ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@beth.thomas22?_t=ZN-8zYTNqI4vA6&_r=1​ Ready to join the Curious Minds Collective? FREE link here: https://discord.gg/hQSwZq4CM​ ​

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