20 Powerful Life Experiences that Will Make You Think, Smile, and Cry

“I was constantly seeking a balance between mourning what’s already been lost, making space for the time and moments we still had left, and making sense of this complicated process that felt like my heart was split between two contrasting realities: hope and heartbreak.” ~Liz Newman

Hypermobility is a condition in which the joints have an unusually large range of motion. Curiously, studies have shown that neurodivergent individuals are more likely to experience hypermobility than the general population.1 What’s more, hypermobility may be a common thread binding neurodivergence to a range of physical health problems.“Joint hypermobility is actually a red herring,” said Jessica Eccles, Ph.D., a researcher at the Department of Neuroscience at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, in an ADDitude webinar. “It is the product of a difference in the cling film in our body — the connective tissue, which is everywhere — which means that joints can move further than they normally should.”Hypermobility doesn’t cause problems for most people.

As an autistic woman with ADHD, the horrific recent narratives around autism have left me bereft. I am exhausted, terrified, overstimulated, and vulnerable. My justice sensitivity is through the roof, and I feel uncertain and unsafe.When my passion is ignited and my emotions are triggered, writing is my tried-and-true release.

October 20, 2025Autism diagnosed in early childhood is genetically distinct from autism diagnosed after age 10, according to a new study that identified two unique genetic profiles in early- and later-diagnosed autistic individuals. The study, published in Nature, found that later-diagnosed autism had a more significant genetic correlation to ADHD, as well as mental health conditions including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“Finally, I realized that I was never asking too much. I was just asking the wrong person.” ~ Unknown

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” – Annie DillardAre you willing to spend a little time every day like most people won’t, so you can spend the better part of your life like most people can’t?Think about that question for a moment. Let it sink in.

Thanksgiving will soon be here and although many mainly focus on family there are also friends that are very important.Plenty of people celebrate Friendsgiving these days to show appreciation and love for the people who choose to be in our lives, the ones that are there on tough days to listen and make us laugh and sometimes maybe understand us better than family would.So in today’s post I want to share 85 of the most positive, meaningful and funny Thanksgiving quotes for friends.Use them to express your gratitude, to share a couple of laughs together and to have a happy and fun holiday.“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust“We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” – John F. Kennedy“I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson“The capacity for friendship is God’s way of apologizing for our families.” – Jay McInerney“Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” – Oprah Winfrey“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” – Maya Angelou“One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca“When you practice gratefulness, there is a sense of respect toward others.” – Dalai Lama“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson“The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest.” – William Blake“I am happy because I’m grateful.

Relocating a gym isn’t just about moving treadmills and racks—it’s about protecting your business. Every machine is a big investment, and every day members can’t use it, which means lost revenue. That’s why so many owners search for “fitness equipment movers near me.” It’s not about convenience—it’s about finding experts who can move heavy, delicate, and costly machines with precision.One wrong move can delay reopening or lead to expensive repairs.

The most powerful changes happen when we decide to take control of what we do have power over, instead of craving control over what we do not.Holding on is hard. Holding on contributes to stress, unhappiness, relationship issues, and so much more.

You have come a long way, and you’re still learning and growing. Be thankful for the lessons. Take them and make the best of things today.For my 18th birthday, many moons ago, my grandfather on my mom’s side gave me four lightly-used flannel shirts that he no longer needed.

The following is a personal essay that reflects the opinions and experiences of its author.October 17, 2025This November marks the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a landmark law that shapes the educational experiences of more than 7.5 million students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) across the United States.In exchange for federal funding, states must provide students with disabilities a free and appropriate public education; the IDEA governs this and how an IEP (Individualized Education Program) is structured, built to address a student’s needs, and implemented in the classroom. Central to the IDEA’s effectiveness is federal monitoring of state compliance; however, that enforcement structure is now under serious threat.Earlier this week, the Trump administration effectively killed the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) — an office within the U.S.

Not available November 12? Don’t worry. Register now and we’ll send you the replay link to watch at your convenience.Mind–body practices like dance, yoga, exercise, and music actually change the brain and provide powerful benefits for neurodivergent people.

On TikTok, #adhd is the seventh most popular health hashtag, which demonstrates the popularity and ubiquity of health content on social media.1However, Likes and Shares are not an indicator of accuracy, according to a recent study in PLOS ONE. For example, less than half of the information shared in immensely popular ADHD TikTok videos (which have garnered nearly half a billion views) aligns with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).2 Most ADHD TikToks perpetuate lies or half-truths.ADHD inaccuracies don’t just permeate social channels; they also appear in podcasts, newspapers, TV shows, and beyond.

I hope you’ll find something here to help you truly express how you feel at the dinner table, in a text or on a card or maybe via social media posts on Instagram.“Having somewhere to go is home. Having someone to love is family. Having both is a blessing.” – Donna Hedges“The sun looks down on nothing half so good as a household laughing together over a meal.” – C.S.

“As a solid rock is not shaken by the wind, the wise are not shaken by praise or blame.” ~The Dhammapada, Verse 81

The goal is to change your response to what you can’t control — to gradually grow stronger on the inside, so less on the outside affects your inner peace and happiness without your conscious permission.The mind is the biggest battleground. It’s the place where the greatest conflict resides. It’s where we all develop thinking habits that put us in direct opposition with reality — where the things we fear drain us but never actually happen.

Amir Sharifi is one of the coaches that we found this month and we did a little interview with him. He impressed us with his dedication and purposefulness. He is a coach whose journey reflects deep transformation and an unwavering commitment to helping others find their strength from within. With every session, he brings a […]

The Health Service Executive could face a loss of up to €7m due to its dealings with a medical devices company that provided respiratory technology during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.” ~Maya Angelou

"Hurry sickness" isn’t an ADHD-specific term. In fact, the phrase was coined back in 1974 by a cardiologist team writing about the damaging effects of a "Type A" personality on the heart. But the behavior pattern of constant rushing, and the feeling of chronic anxiety and overwhelm in response to expectations of productivity — that's something many adults with ADHD experience.Abundant evidence has demonstrated that ADHD makes nighttime rest difficult to achieve.

Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is an eating disorder often characterized as “extreme picky eating.” Food avoidance or restriction in ARFID can be due to any of the following:1Unlike other eating disorders, like anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, the eating behaviors seen in ARFID are not associated with concerns about body weight or shape. Children with ARFID may struggle to meet nutritional and/or energy needs, and they may be dependent on nutritional supplements for functioning.ARFID often co-occurs with autism, anxiety, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).2 Some symptoms of autism, like rigid eating behaviors and sensory sensitivity, overlap with ARFID.If you suspect that your child has symptoms of ARFID, answer the questions below and share the results with your child’s pediatrician or a licensed mental health professional who is experienced in diagnosing and treating ARFID.If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, visit the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) at www.nationaleatingdisorders.org for support, resources, and treatment options. This self-test was adapted in part from the Nine Item ARFID Screen (NIAS) and incorporates findings from research on ARFID. It is designed to screen for the possibility of ARFID, and it is for personal use only. This test is not intended as a diagnostic tool. Only a licensed mental health professional can diagnose ARFID. Time's upCan’t see the self-test questions above? Click here to open this test in a new window.1 American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder. In Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.).2 Seetharaman, S., & Fields, E. L. (2020).

In everything from teen rom coms to relationship advice columns, kissing is painted as the litmus test for love, desire, and connection. What’s often overlooked is how complicated kissing can be for neurodivergent people, whose brains and bodies process touch, taste, and proximity differently.For many of my clients with ADHD, kissing isn’t always the warm, intimate act it’s “supposed” to be. Instead, it can feel like a sensory storm.There’s too much saliva and not enough breathing.

Delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS), also known as delayed sleep phase disorder or delayed sleep-wake phase disorder, is a circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorder characterized by an inability to fall asleep and wake up at socially acceptable times. Individuals with DSPS, because of differences in their internal clock, naturally sleep and wake more than two hours later than most people.DSPS is often mistaken for insomnia and poor sleep hygiene.

I hope you’ll find something here that’ll give you a few good laughs, reduce some of that holiday stress and help you to make this a happy fall month.“November always seemed to me the Norway of the year.” – Emily Dickinson“I suppose I will die never knowing what pumpkin pie tastes like when you have room for it.” – Robert Brault“The November evening had a bite; it nibbled not-quite-gently at her cheeks and ears.” – Aleksandr Wootton“November is the most disagreeable month in the whole year.” – Louisa May Alcott“I have come to regard November as the older, harder man’s October.” – Henry Rollins“In November you begin to know how long the winter will be.” – Martha Gellhorn“No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, no fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds – November!” – Thomas Hood“I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” – Henry David Thoreau“November at its best – with a sort of delightful menace in the air.” – Anne Bosworth Greene“It was the best kind of November day. Cold and crisp, but not quite freezing, not icy.” – Rainbow Rowell“This November there seems to be nothing to say.” – Anne Sexton“The house was very quiet, and the fog – we are in November now – pressed against the windows like an excluded ghost.” – E.M.

Entrepreneurship is powered by stories—of accomplishment, failure, and decision moments that define businesses. Books are maps, providing insight from individuals who’ve traversed the road ahead. For would-be founders who believe in sharing their experience and expertise, authorsing your own can scale your influence.

It’s not what you say to everyone else that determines your life; it’s what you whisper to yourself that has the greatest power and influence.The best lessons we learn in life are the lessons we learn over and over again. The human mind needs lots of reminders — lots of practice — to operate effectively.

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.When you can no longer think of a reason to continue, you must think of a reason to start over. There’s a big difference between giving up and starting over in the right direction. And there are three little words that can release you from your past and guide you forward to a positive new beginning.

Just about every mainstream medical, psychological, and educational organization in the U.S. long ago concluded that ADHD is real, and that children and adults with attention deficit disorder benefit from appropriate ADHD treatment.Yet, somehow, the world still seems to be filled with self-appointed ADHD “experts” — some well-meaning, some sanctimonious — who insist on burdening us with their ill-informed opinions and asking repeatedly, What is ADHD?We’ve all heard the ADHD skeptics’ comments: “ADHD is bunk!” “Can’t people take responsibility for their own actions anymore?” “All that so-called ADHD kids really need is discipline!” “Drug companies invented ADHD so they could sell stimulants.” Blah, blah, blah.We expect to hear such nonsense about ADHD and LD from misinformed movie stars ranting on talk shows.