I'm so proud of you, Allie. Not only did you face all of the various challenges, but you also were able to reflect and share insights and your learnings with us in a beautiful way. For those of us who are also neurodivergent, we can see ourselves in your story. We get the courage it took to do the entire trip. And, you did it! How wonderful that you have so many more embodied insights about your self, how your body reacts in stressful situations, and the knowledge that you can face them all. I'm sure this entire trip will make you an even more awesome coach--as you'll be able to even more empathize with your clients and provide helpful tools and insights for them. Thanks for another great post.
Honestly, reading this made me a bit emotional! Thank you so much, this is such a kind comment. In the moment, I think sometimes we just do what we need to do (if we're able to) and it has taken a few weeks to reflect on how much I managed to achieve here. Just the travel alone was so hard and that's without any of the work and training on top! I really appreciate your kind words and support, thank you again.
I've had to fly alone for work and trainings myself as well. The first time I flew alone, I was extremely anxious and to be honest scared. That was almost 20 years ago and only a short flight for a training. And, I did it. But, I freaked myself out so much that I had a panic attack and nearly fainted. My trip was to New Mexico in the Summer where it was extremely hot and dry. So, a combination of my anxiety, fear, and dehydration, I thought I was having a heart attack and went to urgent care clinic. They ran a bunch of tests and determined I wasn't having a heart attack. So, I can empathize!
My biggest trip alone was to Copenhagen in 2018, it was an 11 hour flight and I was staying in an Airbnb, all alone, for a week where I attended another training. I was really scared too, but because by then I figured out how to manage these trips, I didn't have any panic attacks and I even enjoyed myself 😊.
Those trips were both completed before I knew that I'm neurodivergent.
Now, I definitely take that into consideration and plan for all the various things that may come up. I still don't prefer flying and traveling alone, but it's not as bad as the first time.
I hope you have many more trips and flights in the future that are all positive.
This is so relatable, thanks so much for sharing this, David.
I'm really proud of you too, it must be still be hard to travel after having those experiences even though you now know more about yourself so to be able to do it at all is such an achievement. I think people don't really realise how hard these things can be for us and there is a sort of relief in knowing that we're not alone when we find these things hard.
I'm so grateful for spaces like this where we can share our experiences.
Hi Allie! 😭 Each time you post your writing, it touches me deeply and I feel seen, validated, and encouraged in a way I didn’t know was possible.
I don’t have an official diagnosis for any of the conditions I struggle with (ptsd, anxiety, AuDHD), but I was wondering if you have to state what your condition is when wearing a hidden disability lanyard or if wearing the lanyard alone is acceptable.
I’m based in Hawai‘i and haven’t found any local resources for females self-diagnosed AuDHD later in life. When you are ready to take clients for coaching I would love to sign up if it is within my financial means!
Ahh, Krissy, I was so touched to read this! It's always so lovely to know that something you've written has helped someone else and I'm so grateful that you've shared that.
So, with the hidden disabilities lanyards, you don't have to state anything at all. When you buy them from the website there are options to have a little card attachment that might say 'I'm autistic', or 'I have ADHD' but I just had a plain keyring attachment that didn't have any statements on it. The idea is for those organisations that support the initiative, it's a way for them to see that you might need additional support but no one should ask you for any specifics. No one asked me at any of the airports, I was just offered support if I needed it. I don't know how many places might support it in your area but in the UK, it started with travel and now you see it in hotels and restaurants etc. so it is something that people are becoming more aware of which is brilliant.
My doors are open for coaching now so feel free to have a look at my website (www.alliewarren.co.uk) and if it looks like the right fit, book a call and we can have a chat! :)
I'm not sure I had a preconception on what you'd write about this trip, but this was beyond any vague idea I might have had. I really enjoyed reading this and when I got to the end and you said 'it's a long one' I thought 'was it?'. If you're ever in these necks of the woods again, be sure to get in touch for any tips and if you're close enough I'd always be open to meeting in person.
Ahh, Shelia, this is such a lovely comment, thank you so much. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I was worried that people might be expecting more of a travel diary of things I'd seen and done but it really didn't end up being that kind of trip! As soon as I got back, I told my husband that it was definitely somewhere that we needed to visit again when I'm not spending a week working, so I hope that I'll be back one day in the not too distant future, there's so much of Spain that I'd love to explore <3
Also, Allie, where did you get your lanyard from? I've just looked into it and it costs a fortune for it to be posted from America (where I found it). I was wondering if you had bought it from somewhere closer to Europe x
I really enjoyed the perspective you chose, it made me realise how much I have anxiety around travelling even though I do it a lot. I travelled yesterday for the day and decided to pay more attention to how I could reduce that anxiety or even what was making me anxious! I'm very new to exploring my nuerodivergence and I think reading things like this is helpful for me to reflect on myself.
Oh yes, you have to! And if you do you have to do the Alhambra, but you'll need to book it well in advance. Oh and avoid summer, it's too hot in Granada, I love spring for the flowers.
This is so lovely to read, I always think just noticing how you're feeling is so helpful when you're exploring your neurodivergence. I still notice new things every day!
Yes, I'm not good when it's too hot so this is a good tip! I like to travel outside of the peak times as well when it's a bit quieter!
I bought my lanyard from https://hdsunflower.com, there's a button on the top right of the screen that allows you to change country so I think if you pick your country, it should ship from there which will hopefully make it a bit cheaper!
It’s been such a strange explorative experience the noticing, sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s overwhelming. I feel like I never really knew myself before!
So I checked and getting the lanyard sent to the uk was far far cheaper than here in Europe. So thinking of doing that as I’ll be home in August! A great website and I love the personalised lanyard. As I live with a few challenges I could chose one lanyard and then spotted I could make my own!
I'm so proud of you, Allie. Not only did you face all of the various challenges, but you also were able to reflect and share insights and your learnings with us in a beautiful way. For those of us who are also neurodivergent, we can see ourselves in your story. We get the courage it took to do the entire trip. And, you did it! How wonderful that you have so many more embodied insights about your self, how your body reacts in stressful situations, and the knowledge that you can face them all. I'm sure this entire trip will make you an even more awesome coach--as you'll be able to even more empathize with your clients and provide helpful tools and insights for them. Thanks for another great post.
Honestly, reading this made me a bit emotional! Thank you so much, this is such a kind comment. In the moment, I think sometimes we just do what we need to do (if we're able to) and it has taken a few weeks to reflect on how much I managed to achieve here. Just the travel alone was so hard and that's without any of the work and training on top! I really appreciate your kind words and support, thank you again.
You're welcome, Allie.
I've had to fly alone for work and trainings myself as well. The first time I flew alone, I was extremely anxious and to be honest scared. That was almost 20 years ago and only a short flight for a training. And, I did it. But, I freaked myself out so much that I had a panic attack and nearly fainted. My trip was to New Mexico in the Summer where it was extremely hot and dry. So, a combination of my anxiety, fear, and dehydration, I thought I was having a heart attack and went to urgent care clinic. They ran a bunch of tests and determined I wasn't having a heart attack. So, I can empathize!
My biggest trip alone was to Copenhagen in 2018, it was an 11 hour flight and I was staying in an Airbnb, all alone, for a week where I attended another training. I was really scared too, but because by then I figured out how to manage these trips, I didn't have any panic attacks and I even enjoyed myself 😊.
Those trips were both completed before I knew that I'm neurodivergent.
Now, I definitely take that into consideration and plan for all the various things that may come up. I still don't prefer flying and traveling alone, but it's not as bad as the first time.
I hope you have many more trips and flights in the future that are all positive.
This is so relatable, thanks so much for sharing this, David.
I'm really proud of you too, it must be still be hard to travel after having those experiences even though you now know more about yourself so to be able to do it at all is such an achievement. I think people don't really realise how hard these things can be for us and there is a sort of relief in knowing that we're not alone when we find these things hard.
I'm so grateful for spaces like this where we can share our experiences.
Hi Allie! 😭 Each time you post your writing, it touches me deeply and I feel seen, validated, and encouraged in a way I didn’t know was possible.
I don’t have an official diagnosis for any of the conditions I struggle with (ptsd, anxiety, AuDHD), but I was wondering if you have to state what your condition is when wearing a hidden disability lanyard or if wearing the lanyard alone is acceptable.
I’m based in Hawai‘i and haven’t found any local resources for females self-diagnosed AuDHD later in life. When you are ready to take clients for coaching I would love to sign up if it is within my financial means!
Ahh, Krissy, I was so touched to read this! It's always so lovely to know that something you've written has helped someone else and I'm so grateful that you've shared that.
So, with the hidden disabilities lanyards, you don't have to state anything at all. When you buy them from the website there are options to have a little card attachment that might say 'I'm autistic', or 'I have ADHD' but I just had a plain keyring attachment that didn't have any statements on it. The idea is for those organisations that support the initiative, it's a way for them to see that you might need additional support but no one should ask you for any specifics. No one asked me at any of the airports, I was just offered support if I needed it. I don't know how many places might support it in your area but in the UK, it started with travel and now you see it in hotels and restaurants etc. so it is something that people are becoming more aware of which is brilliant.
My doors are open for coaching now so feel free to have a look at my website (www.alliewarren.co.uk) and if it looks like the right fit, book a call and we can have a chat! :)
I'm not sure I had a preconception on what you'd write about this trip, but this was beyond any vague idea I might have had. I really enjoyed reading this and when I got to the end and you said 'it's a long one' I thought 'was it?'. If you're ever in these necks of the woods again, be sure to get in touch for any tips and if you're close enough I'd always be open to meeting in person.
Ahh, Shelia, this is such a lovely comment, thank you so much. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I was worried that people might be expecting more of a travel diary of things I'd seen and done but it really didn't end up being that kind of trip! As soon as I got back, I told my husband that it was definitely somewhere that we needed to visit again when I'm not spending a week working, so I hope that I'll be back one day in the not too distant future, there's so much of Spain that I'd love to explore <3
Also, Allie, where did you get your lanyard from? I've just looked into it and it costs a fortune for it to be posted from America (where I found it). I was wondering if you had bought it from somewhere closer to Europe x
I really enjoyed the perspective you chose, it made me realise how much I have anxiety around travelling even though I do it a lot. I travelled yesterday for the day and decided to pay more attention to how I could reduce that anxiety or even what was making me anxious! I'm very new to exploring my nuerodivergence and I think reading things like this is helpful for me to reflect on myself.
Oh yes, you have to! And if you do you have to do the Alhambra, but you'll need to book it well in advance. Oh and avoid summer, it's too hot in Granada, I love spring for the flowers.
I'm a big fan of Andalucia!
This is so lovely to read, I always think just noticing how you're feeling is so helpful when you're exploring your neurodivergence. I still notice new things every day!
Yes, I'm not good when it's too hot so this is a good tip! I like to travel outside of the peak times as well when it's a bit quieter!
I bought my lanyard from https://hdsunflower.com, there's a button on the top right of the screen that allows you to change country so I think if you pick your country, it should ship from there which will hopefully make it a bit cheaper!
It’s been such a strange explorative experience the noticing, sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s overwhelming. I feel like I never really knew myself before!
So I checked and getting the lanyard sent to the uk was far far cheaper than here in Europe. So thinking of doing that as I’ll be home in August! A great website and I love the personalised lanyard. As I live with a few challenges I could chose one lanyard and then spotted I could make my own!
🌻