Body Doubling: A Surprisingly Powerful Tool for Neurodivergent Brains
If you’ve heard of body doubling but aren’t exactly sure how it works, here’s a little inside scoop: it’s more than just sitting beside someone while you both work. Body doubling is a grounded, mutual presence where two people, often neurodivergent, show up for their work in the same space without needing to directly interact. Think of it as quiet solidarity: a shared intention to get things done, each person cheering on the other’s efforts without a word. For many late-diagnosed AuDHD women, body doubling becomes a lifeline. The nonjudgmental presence of someone nearby, whether in the same room or over a Zoom call, can turn what feels impossible into something manageable and even fulfilling.
Now, how can we tap into this beautiful practice of mutual support to bring more ease, connection, and focus into our everyday lives? Here’s how you might begin: one suggestion for your curious mind, one for your connected heart, and one for your creative body. Let’s start with the mind.
Curious Mind: Making Room for Witnessing Without Judgement
One unique trait in body doubling is its invitation to witness each other without the pressure of constant engagement. For many of us who often feel compelled to “perform” in social settings, this can be a revelation! With a curious mind, try bringing that same “observer” mindset to your own thoughts as you work. What does it feel like to notice what you’re doing without immediately judging it or trying to fix it? Every time your mind wanders to self-doubt or judgment, imagine that gentle, encouraging presence that simply notices and respects each step you take.
Connected Heart: Embracing the Solidarity of “Doing” Together
Body doubling is a deeply heart-centered act because it creates a space of trust. Imagine the support from knowing someone else is there with you, working on their own thing, yet holding space for your efforts too. Try bringing this quality of connection to how you show up with others, even if they’re not in the room! As you start your day or dive into a new project, imagine a circle of people who get it, who want you to succeed and feel connected. This invisible solidarity is real—it’s the kind of quiet, stable encouragement we all need to keep going.
Creative Body: Moving with Intention, Together-Apart
There’s a rhythm to body doubling: a focus that blooms as you work in tandem with someone else, even without speaking. This energy can be felt in the body. Try incorporating intentional small movements or grounding breaths as part of your routine, as if they’re in sync with a wider rhythm. These could be little stretches or shifts that help you stay attuned to your work. It’s a reminder that you’re not just here to complete tasks, but to honor your body’s role in supporting your mind and spirit.
Daily Practice Invitation: Creating Your Own “Body Doubling” Time
Consider setting up a virtual or in-person body doubling session once a week. If that’s not possible, even designating a time where you imagine someone there with you, in quiet solidarity, can feel incredibly supportive. Choose a time when you’ll work on something that feels tricky or daunting, and go in with an intention to be compassionate toward yourself as you work. End your session with a mini reflection on what went well and anything you noticed—it’s a small, but meaningful way to close the loop and celebrate your efforts.
Gentle Encouragement for Sensitive Souls
To all the late-diagnosed, sensitive souls out there, remember: you’re not alone in this process, no matter how isolated it can feel. Building a sustainable, nourishing way to work and be is possible, even when the world feels overstimulating. Body doubling is just one of many ways to create a brave, safe space for the work that matters to you. Keep experimenting and finding what feels right. Each small effort you make—shared or solo—is a brave step in creating a life that honors who you truly are.
Resources to support your gentle expansion
Blog continues below:
+ affirmation and validation for task focused neurodivergent women
+ my thoughts on calling in support to keep showing up
+ anchored stream of consciousness poem on body doubling
Recalibrate your life for joy Free audio guide
Get clear on what you need now
One step towards the universe NEW
Ongoing co-working space to show up and progress your generative work / play
Free first session by request
Sinking into Success
Recognise the feeling and identify the signs of success in seven different areas of your life
Includes 4 weeks access to One Step Towards the Universe
Black Rainbow bundle: Limited offer.
Join my Embodying Hope 1:1 embodiment coaching program, starting Feb 2025
with 50% discount and extended payment plan available.
plus bonus single coaching session
plus access to all current resources
plus more as they become available.
Book a free wake up call to learn more.
Many Neurodivergent Women derive great joy from getting a job done. They find immense reward in making a visible and lasting difference in the world.
And many of us are deeply conditioned to prioritise managing people – keeping everyone around us happy before we can get on and do our thing so we don’t make anybody else uncomfortable.
This conditioning undermines our ability to claim the satisfaction of the long term tasks of structural change making, because people’s moods can shift very quickly. (though their thinking evolves very slowly indeed.)
While we are distracted by keeping people happy, we’ll be very busy indeed, but real change will be slow in coming.
What I suggest instead is to commit some time on a regular basis to working alongside others who are settled and sure enough in themselves to be seen doing their actual work.
Quiet, focused, making steady progress through creating and integrating all the moving parts of new businesses, new offers, new connections, new artworks. Building hope of meaningful change into consumer culture.
This week has been another intense one for a lot of women I’ve spoken with and listened to. Coming at the end of a subtly oppressive year with continuing inaction on climate change but plenty of energy for genocide across several countries and continued amplification of disturbing right leaning rhetoric.
I don’t have any answers to these big questions. I’m one person, with very limited reach and influence.
And yet I have a quote from Anne Frank on my wall that came across my library job desk this week.
“How wonderful it is that no one has to wait even a minute to start gradually changing the world”
And I do profoundly believe that is true.
Each of us has the capacity, right now, right here, to make decisions that are in full integrity and right relationship with our reality, that move the needle toward contentment and enoughness for all.
There was a dramatic storm here a couple of nights ago. A cold front came through at the end of a hot and humid day. There was a lot of gusty wind, continuous lighting, rolling thunder and squalling horizontal rain from the south. I stood under the eaves on the north side of the house and looked out at the weather.
I had the strong impression that these increasingly intense weather patterns are showing us our inability to manage the energy and power we humans have stretched to reach and so inequitably shared.
I sensed there a need for many of us to pull back to actioning what is actually within our control, rather than overreach.
Less consumption and avoidance of challenge. Less pursuit of happiness and comfort. More wisdom, contentment, enoughness, equanimity.
Yesterday there was another storm and then a glorious rainbow, in the last golden light of the afternoon. It lifted my spirits to see it there, being beautiful for no good reason. Somehow it’s this that we are working towards.
I’m a bit distracted myself today, and not really sure where i’m going with this (what’s new LOL)
But what I do know is that many of us need help to down regulate. To stop rushing around taking care of all the things before we can even start to think about what we need ourselves.
Many of us I suspect have rarely seen that deep calm modelled outside of yoga studios and meditation centres.
It’s actually one of the amazing features of a Montessori classroom. A room full of young children who are settled enough to mostly get on with their chosen work. Supported by a beautifully prepared environment and an experienced guide. I know when I have done observations when my own children were younger the calm focus in the room was a delight to be immersed in. What a gift that is for the children who are so fortunate to access it.
It’s this feeling, this experience I seek to create and offer others in my own work.
A space of calm focus and creative exploration and learning. Where hearts and minds can open to new connections and relationships and possibilities and growth.
Whether you work in your own time, following a recorded guide, in real time co-working, or in the intimate container of 1:1 coaching, the objective is the same.
To learn and practice thinking for yourself, getting organised enough to actually implement a desired change, rather than being artificially limited to only talking and dreaming about it.
To begin, right now, to gradually change the world. Together.
Resources to suport your gentle expansion:
Blog continues below:
anchored stream of consciousness poem
(OOREI form “made up” by slam poet Beau Sia)
Body doubling / parallel play / co-working / solidarity
Recalibrate your life for joy Free audio guide
Get clear on what you need now
One step towards the universe NEW
Ongoing co-working space to show up and progress your generative work / play
Free first session by request
Sinking into Success
Recognise the feeling and identify the signs of success in seven different areas of your life
Includes 4 weeks access to One Step Towards the Universe
Black Rainbow bundle: Limited offer.
Join my Embodying Hope 1:1 embodiment coaching program, starting Feb 2025
with 50% discount and extended payment plan available.
plus bonus single coaching session
plus access to all current resources
plus more as they become available.
Book a free wake up call to learn more.
Body doubling / co-working / parallel play / solidarity <
Two people in the same space
Looking at their own work
Two people, visibly present
Daring to be together and not interact directly
Two people in an act of intimate trust
Sharing space and dropping their guard
Being here together
Having each other’s backs
Mutual aid holding space sacred
So we can both work independently, together
Body doubling / co-working / parallel play / solidarity
Not even in the same physical space
But a shared space of desiring change
Brave implementation, without comparison
You do your work, i’ll do mine
We are here for each other, for ourselves
And for what we are working on
Living experience of prioritising doing the work
Over managing relationships and expectations
A powerful container where progress is made
Anticipated, actioned, celebrated
Body doubling
The work remains when the circle is broken
Continuity and ephemerality
The work reminds me of the circle
The circle focuses me on the work
The circle is a safe place, a brave space
Where a commitment can be made and kept
Is an ephemeral and cyclical phenomenon
Together, apart, together, apart
When the circle is broken the work remains
The work continues to call on the circle
Body doubling
Circle of support and encouragement
In this together! Both vulnerable.
Revealing and witnessing
The mundane details of creation
Backstage support, in between support
Never alone during those non performance times
Company for the boring hard work
Holding pulling along in the collective flow
Collective, joint effort
Here together, doing the work
ChatGPT prompt:
Transform the anchored stream of consciousness poem above into a relatable everyday embodiment encouragement blog for late diagnosed AuDHD women. Use my friendly, slightly awkward tone of voice. Open with a simple statement about body doubling, and how useful it is for neurodivergent folks. Include one suggestion for curious mind, one for connected heart and one for creative body. Outline one daily practice invitation. Close with encouragement for sensitive readersC
Output: Body doubling – A Surprisingly Powerful Tool for Neurodivergent Brains
Resources to support your gentle expansion
Recalibrate your life for joy Free audio guide
Get clear on what you need now
One step towards the universe NEW
Ongoing co-working space to show up and progress your generative work / play
Free first session by request
Sinking into Success
Recognise the feeling and identify the signs of success in seven different areas of your life
Includes 4 weeks access to One Step Towards the Universe
Black Rainbow bundle: Limited offer.
Join my Embodying Hope 1:1 embodiment coaching program, starting Feb 2025
with 50% discount and extended payment plan available.
plus bonus single coaching session
plus access to all current resources
plus more as they become available.
Book a free wake up call to learn more.
