Neurotypical Delight

There’s a blessed ease that comes with having a brain perfectly wired for the unwritten rules, expectations, and structures of society. It’s what I half-jokingly call “Neurotypical Delight.”

Everyone faces challenges, of course. But a neurotypical person is far less likely to experience this on a daily—or even hourly—basis:

An interruption from hyperfocus doesn’t feel like being hit by a transport truck. Your head doesn’t throb, your muscles don’t tense, your thoughts don’t spiral; only for you to be reprimanded for not switching gears fast enough.

You can probably focus on a task without ghosts of unfinished projects (from today, last week, or last month) circling around your head, while random thoughts and creative sparks barge in, demanding attention.

You might not have to brace yourself for the onslaught of sounds, smells, textures, and temperatures that make the world feel like an assault course, and then get told, “You’re just too sensitive.”

Your brain likely doesn’t throw away instructions for simple tasks because they’re boring, only to cling tightly to last week’s criticism or replay that one conversation you think you ruined.

And when someone asks, “How’s your day?” you probably don’t have to pause and wonder whether they genuinely want to know or just expect a polite “Fine.” That’s before running the gauntlet of all the other social cues and rules you’re somehow supposed to decode before even walking through a door.

You’re told to “be yourself,” but when you do, it’s too much. Too weird. Too intense. Too sensitive. Too dramatic.

Masking drains you dry, but unmasking makes you question if you’re even likable.

Everyone has to work hard and overcome obstacles. But some of us are carrying invisible weights every single hour; weights you may never see, but that shape how we move through the world.

So please: be empathetic. Be kind. Be understanding.

Because for those of us whose brains were never built for “Neurotypical Delight,” just surviving the day is already an act of resilience.