There's a J In there… Somewhere!
A blog about all sorts of things!
Blogging for fun
Melissa Gijsbers
I love books, stories, chai tea, and more
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Being Perceived
Categories: UncategorizedContinue Reading: Being PerceivedSomeone shared a post from Neurodivergent Lou in a group I’m on talking about Autism and being perceived. You can see the post on Instagram here. So much about this post hit home. I struggle with how others perceive me, at the same time, I want to be recognised for what I do. After reading…
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‘Crying’ Room
Categories: ParentingContinue Reading: ‘Crying’ RoomI grew up going to church. I am still a Christian even though, right now, I don’t have a church community. When my kids were small, it was common for churches to have a ‘crying room’ for parents to take their small children. This was often a space at the side of the church or…
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From Survive to Thrive
Categories: UncategorizedContinue Reading: From Survive to ThriveA couple of days ago, I watched a video on YouTube by Orion Kelly called ‘Why I HATE Autism Awareness Day‘, and he had so many good points, I found myself nodding along, and also getting quite angry and frustrated. One point he made is the call for autistic people to thrive, not just survive,…
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Review: Late Bloomer
Categories: Book ReviewContinue Reading: Review: Late BloomerAuthor: Clem Bastow Category: Memoir Publisher: Hardie Grant Books Publication date: 7 July 2021 Blurb: Introducing a bold new voice in Australian nonfiction, Late Bloomer is a heartfelt coming-of-age memoir that will change the way you think about autism. Clem Bastow grew up feeling like she’d missed a key memo on human behaviour. She found the unspoken rules of social…
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Journey to Neurodivergent
Categories: UncategorizedContinue Reading: Journey to NeurodivergentPretty much all my life, I have felt like I don’t fit in. For years, I had thought that it was because I was a missionary kid from 5 to 8 and my social struggles were me having trouble adjusting to life back in Australia. I tried so hard to fit, and it didn’t work.…
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Reflections on Learning…
Categories: UncategorizedContinue Reading: Reflections on Learning…A few random Facebook posts lately has had me reflecting on school and learning and my own experiences. I love learning. I always have. I love finding out about new things and going down a rabbit hole of whatever piques my interest at the time. I didn’t love school and being in a classroom. I…
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Hanging out the Washing
Categories: HouseholdContinue Reading: Hanging out the WashingI used to hang all the washing out on the line… and promptly forget it was there! This would lead to a narrative around how I shouldn’t leave the washing out for days and also grateful that I actually remembered to hang it out in the first place. The whole process was something that I…
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Life shouldn’t be ‘hard work’
Categories: UncategorizedContinue Reading: Life shouldn’t be ‘hard work’This morning, I saw a reel on Instagram talking about how ADHD is a disability and someone should tell the schools. The amount of comments saying they have ADHD and just need to work harder was insane! ADHD means your brain is wired differently, and so many aspects of life simply don’t suit our brains.…
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Grief at diagnosis
Categories: UncategorizedContinue Reading: Grief at diagnosisThere is a unique kind of grief associated with being diagnosed neurodivergent in your 40s. I was 44. There is the feelings of ‘what if’. What if you’d been diagnosed earlier, would you have made different decisions, different mistakes, led a different life? There are thoughts around ‘why didn’t anyone see?’ The struggles and how…
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Supports & programs for AuDHD people
Categories: UncategorizedContinue Reading: Supports & programs for AuDHD peopleI have been doing some research lately, both for supports that I would like to access and research for my business as I find that what I do is great for neurodivergent people. Other than not many programs being offered for late diagnosed people, male or female, there is also an assumption that we want…