What happens to joy beneath masking, burnout and the pressure to be productive? A relaxed, reflective session

Remember when you did things just because you enjoyed them?

Before everything needed a purpose. Before rest had to be earned. Before being enthusiastic became “too much”, interests became embarrassing, and having fun somehow became another thing you weren't doing properly.

Yeah... me neither.

For many neurodivergent adults, our relationship with joy can become surprisingly complicated.

Masking and years of monitoring how we show up can make spontaneity feel uncomfortable. Perfectionism can turn hobbies into performance. Executive dysfunction can make doing something for fun require an absurd amount of admin. Burnout can leave us without the energy or desire for things we once enjoyed. And somewhere along the way, productivity can become so closely tied to our sense of worth that doing something for absolutely no useful reason can feel almost rebellious.

So, this month, we're Rediscovering Joy.

We'll explore some of what can get between neurodivergent adults and play, pleasure and enjoyment, and reflect on what joy actually looks and feels like for us individually.

We'll think about:

how masking, rejection and self-monitoring can shape our relationship with joy

why burnout, executive dysfunction and sensory needs can make accessing enjoyment harder

perfectionism, productivity and the strange adult urge to make everything useful

the interests, experiences and moments that help us feel most like ourselves

how we might create more opportunities for small, genuine moments of enjoyment in everyday life

There'll be accessible psychoeducation, individual reflection, group conversation and some deliberately low-stakes silliness.

This isn't about forcing positivity or trying to be happy all the time.

There is no requirement to arrive joyful. (Your facilitator may provide compelling evidence of this😅 .)

Instead, we'll get curious about what genuinely feels good, what gets in the way, and what might help us make a little more room for it.

As always, there is no pressure to speak, share or participate in any particular way. Come as you are, participate as much or as little as feels right, and feel free to move, doodle, stim, take a break or just listen.

Science-led. Lived-experience informed. Zero pathologising.

AuDacity Coaching & Community sessions are designed specifically for neurodivergent adults aged 18+.

No formal diagnosis is required. If you identify as neurodivergent, are exploring whether you might be, or simply know that your brain works a little differently, you're welcome.

You don’t need to arrive with the “right” terminology, a particular perspective on neurodivergence, or all the answers. This is a space to listen, learn, reflect, connect and feel less alone.

This is not therapy, and is not a substitute for clinical or crisis support.

About AuDacity

AuDacity's Neurodivergent Adults Group Coaching & Connection sessions bring together accessible neuroscience and psychology, reflection, facilitated discussion and lived experience.

This isn't a classroom or a lecture. It's designed as a space to understand our experiences more deeply, learn from one another and explore what becomes possible when we stop asking only “What's wrong?” and start understanding what's driving it.

Understanding creates options.

Description supplied by the event organiser.