Lauren Ihrke

  • Progress, Not Perfection

    This week, I pushed myself too far. Stress piled up, and instead of being mindful enough to take a step back, I trudged forward, fixated on making it to the weekend and much-needed time with a good friend. In the… Continue reading

    Progress, Not Perfection
  • Ringing Anxiety: Life with Phone Anxiety

    My whole life, I’ve loathed phone calls. And that’s not an exaggeration. Given the option, I would rather drive several hours to talk to someone I don’t know well face-to-face than pick up a phone and call them. And that’s… Continue reading

    Ringing Anxiety: Life with Phone Anxiety
  • Inherited Wounds: Autism, Genetics, and the Legacy of Trauma

    I want to turn my attention this week to the part genes play in autism and how I think that ties into intergenerational trauma. There is increasing evidence that genes play an important part in autism, which most of us… Continue reading

    Inherited Wounds: Autism, Genetics, and the Legacy of Trauma
  • The Hidden Costs of Being Autistic

    If you consume content by creators with ADHD, then you’ve likely heard of the “ADHD tax.” What you might not have heard of is the “autistic tax” (though I’ve seen it gaining traction). This is a common topic within the… Continue reading

    The Hidden Costs of Being Autistic
  • More Than Just Inconvenient: Alexithymia and Interoception

    Alexithymia is a phenomenon that many autistic people, including myself, struggle with. It refers to having significant challenges in recognizing, expressing, sourcing, and describing one’s emotional states. While about 1 in 10 people in the general population experience alexithymia, it… Continue reading

    More Than Just Inconvenient: Alexithymia and Interoception