The truth is, it can be exhausting to have a neurodiverse family, regardless if it's you or another member of your family.

In addition to the regular day-to-day challenges of managing a family, there is also a need to balance appointments, adjust to difficult social settings, deal with the expectations of others in a way that many people would not be able to understand.

But also, you don't want to complain. You don't want to admit that it's hard because you don't want people to think you can't handle it. It leads to people's pity, their avoidance, and especially their unwarranted advice.

In today's very personal episode, I talk about the challenges we've experienced as a family to share our experiences, in the hopes that, if you also have a neurodiverse family and you're too scared to admit it, you can find solace in knowing you're not alone with your challenges. Please, comment on, leave a 5-star rating on the podcast platform of your choice, and share so that others can benefit from what I share. You never know who needs to hear this.

If you would like to learn more about how to change your narrative, please contact me at www.sarahkhan.org or via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/sarahkhan-org

"I couldn’t actually admit how hard it all was. I couldn’t. I didn’t dare complain of all of the challenges that we were experiencing with my younger son, because I didn’t want people to think that I couldn’t deal with it all. I didn’t want their pity and their unwarranted advice.. I didn’t know what help I needed. I just needed a break, and there was no one there to help because I couldn’t tell them how hard it was. And I felt like a horrible person for wishing that my situation was different." -Sarah Khan, The Depressed Mom Boss

Do you ever think, "I know I should be happy, but..."

One of the cornerstones of determining the gap between where you are and where you want to be and building that bridge, is determining what makes you happy.

Not because you need to be happy all the time.

Not because you're not grateful for your life and the things that should bring you happiness.

But because being able define it plays a part in understanding how to access it.

In this episode, we chat about the need to compartmentalize our energy as it relates to being low vibe and high vibe (without the woo woo foo foo) and how to determine what brings us happiness when we need to access it as a tool.

If you would like to learn more about your narratives and what's holding you back from getting where you are, I have two new client spaces open for you to book.

Book a complimentary call at www.SarahKhan.org to learn more.

Often the concept of active listening is thrown around a lot because we recognize that listening is important.

However, true listening goes beyond active listening to empathetic listening. Also the differences may seem small, in fact listening from the place of empathy shifts the exchange of communication from speaker and listener to connection and understanding.

In this episode, we blast through what is known about active listening, and go into detail about how to become a more empathetic listener, as listed below.

If you would like to know more about how to become a more empathetic listener, send me a DM on LinkedIn:

www.linkedin.com/in/sarahkhan-org/

Forever grateful,

The Depressed Mom Boss

To become an empathetic listener, you will need the following.

1. Know your intention. The intention is not to listen but to connect.

2. You need to stop multitasking and focus on the one thing– the speaker.

3. Pay attention to body language. Empathetic listening is a whole body experience which can actually prove intention.

4. Be non-judgmental. There is no place for outcomes, assessments or evaluations with empathetic listening. Just create the space for the speaker to share.

5. Be patient because empathy and patience are in the exact same sphere, so to be an empathetic listener, you need to be a patient person that is fully present.

6. Honour the awkward silence. Tolerate it because silence is trust.

7. Stop paraphrasing because it usually isn’t for the benefit of the speaker, but for our own benefit for US to process the information.

8. Don’t make it about you. Empathetic listening isn’t about you. It’s about them.