Does “how are you feeling?” ever leave you stuck, reaching for “fine” and hoping the conversation moves on? You’re not alone, and it's how we're wired. In this short episode, I explain what alexithymia is, how it differs from interoception, and why not having the words for a feeling doesn’t mean you don’t have feelings.

In this episode

• What alexithymia is: a difficulty identifying and describing what you feel, and why it’s a trait rather than a diagnosis
• How it differs from interoception, which is noticing the signal (like a racing heart), while alexithymia is working out what the signal means or what to call it
• What the research suggests: alexithymia is more common in autistic adults than neurotypical ones, the evidence is thinner for ADHD, and some emotional difficulties described in autism may be alexithymia
• Why none of this means we don’t care, and how to respond if someone says they’re having a “big autistic feel”

Want to talk it through?

If this has got you thinking about how you notice and name your feelings, I’d love to chat. You can book a free discovery call (a “virtual brew”) with me at https://emmaleadleycoach.com/contact.

Feelings wheel: https://www.feelingswheel.com

If you know a neurodivergent person who struggles to describe how they feel, send them this episode.

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