Welcome to Spoony Stories ❤️🥄 Sharing stories is a powerful reminder that we're not alone. Each week, we share stories from our vibrant community to hear all about their experiences being neurodivergent, chronically ill and disabled, and to get to know some of the voices that make our Spoony community so wonderful. This week, we chat with Natalie from Australia!
Welcome to Spoony Stories ❤️🥄 Sharing stories is a powerful reminder that we're not alone. Each week, we share stories from our vibrant community to hear all about their experiences being neurodivergent, chronically ill and disabled, and to get to know some of the voices that make our Spoony community so wonderful.
This week, we chat with Natalie from Australia! Thanks for sharing your story! ❤️
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Are you neurodivergent, chronically ill, and/or disabled?
‍Neurodivergent.
What health conditions do you have?
Autism and PTSD.
For most of my life, I felt like I was moving through the world a little differently than everyone else. Social interactions were often exhausting, unexpected changes threw me off balance, and my emotions felt intense in ways I couldn’t always explain. Getting diagnosed wasn’t about labeling myself—it was about understanding myself. It helped me give myself more grace. The things I once saw as personal failures were actually part of how my brain was wired and how my past had shaped me.
How do you explain your health conditions to other people?
I’m still learning. It feels complicated, like I have to justify something that’s part of me. The hardest part is figuring out how much to share. Not everyone needs to know everything, but at the same time, I don’t want to hide who I am. I worry about how people will react. Will they treat me differently? Will they think I’m making excuses? But staying silent doesn’t help me either. The more I pretend everything is fine, the more exhausting it gets.
I don’t want to constantly mask just to make other people comfortable. I want to get to a place where I can say, “This is who I am. This is how I function. And that’s okay.” I’m not there yet, but I’m trying.
What impact do your health conditions have on your daily life?
My health conditions shape so much of how I experience the world, even in ways I don’t always realise in the moment. Autism affects how I process information, how I interact with others, and how I navigate daily life. I get overwhelmed easily, especially in unpredictable situations. Social interactions can drain me, even when I enjoy them, and I often need time alone to recover. PTSD adds another layer. It makes certain situations feel unsafe, even when I logically know they aren’t. My brain holds onto past experiences like they’re still happening, and sometimes, that makes it hard to trust people or fully relax. My emotions can feel extreme—like I’m either completely numb or drowning in them with no middle ground.
What barriers have you experienced in making friends and connecting with people?
Making friends and connecting with people has always been complicated for me. Autism makes socialising exhausting; reading between the lines, keeping up with small talk, knowing when to speak and when to just listen. It all takes energy, and sometimes I just don’t have enough.
PTSD makes it even harder. I struggle with trust, always wondering if people will leave or if I’ll get hurt again. I hesitate to open up, and when I do, I overanalyse every interaction, wondering if I said something wrong.
In person, social settings can be overwhelming. Loud environments, too many people talking at once, unpredictable conversations—it’s hard to feel comfortable when my brain is processing everything at once. Sometimes, I avoid people because it’s easier than dealing with the fear of rejection or miscommunication. I’ve learned to mask—to make myself seem more “normal”—but that comes at a cost. The more I mask, the less I feel like myself.
What's been your experience on Spoony so far?
Discovering people who are like me—people who understand me without having to explain or justify myself. For so long, I felt like I was moving through life on a different wavelength, struggling to connect in a way that felt real. But on Spoony, I’ve found others who understand what it’s like to be neurodivergent and to exist in a world that often doesn’t make space for people like us.
On Spoony, I can be myself and it’s more than enough. I’m used to feeling overlooked or like I have to work extra hard to keep people engaged. I feel like I belong, and that I’m seen and appreciated for who I am.
Each week, we share stories from the incredible Spoony community in our newsletter, podcast, and on social media. Share your story with us.