Emotional Design In UX

Why do so many neurodivergent people experience greater sensory and social overwhelm? The answer isn’t a lack of resilience. It’s neuroscience. As a late-diagnosed Dyspraxic AuDHDer, I am slowly unmasking and beginning to understand why certain sensory and social experiences have always seemed to weigh more heavily on me than on those around me. Last night was a good example. I was exhausted, full of a cold, and simply wanted to brush my teeth. Yet the thought of switching on the bright fluorescent bathroom light filled me with dread. Years ago, I would have dismissed this as me “being difficult” or “too sensitive”. Now I understand that my brain was already working hard to regulate sensory input. The same has been true socially. I genuinely love connecting with people, but much of my life has felt like being a chameleon—constantly adapting my communication, expressions and behaviour into whatever version seemed most socially acceptable. I became an expert people-pleaser without realising how much cognitive energy masking was consuming. Looking back, it wasn’t only the workload that exhausted me. It was the combination of: continuous sensory input decoding complex social information monitoring my own behaviour suppressing natural responses trying to meet expectations that weren’t designed for my brain. Neuroscience helps explain why. Research suggests many neurodivergent people experience differences in sensory filtering, meaning more information reaches conscious awareness before it can be filtered. This increases the demand on executive functions to prioritise, regulate and respond. At the same time, navigating social situations can require greater cognitive effort. Reading facial expressions, tone of voice, body language and unspoken social rules may rely on more conscious processing rather than becoming automatic. Add masking into the mix and the prefrontal cortex is working overtime. The result? Higher cognitive load. Greater nervous system activation. More fatigue. A longer recovery time after everyday interactions. The encouraging news is that this is not inevitable. We’re learning more than ever about creating neuroaffirming workplaces that reduce unnecessary cognitive load rather than expecting neurodivergent people to continually adapt. Simple changes—better lighting, quieter environments, predictable communication, flexible working, recovery time between meetings and psychologically safe cultures—don’t just improve wellbeing. They allow people to think more clearly, contribute more fully and perform at their best. Understanding the neuroscience behind sensory and social overwhelm helps us move away from asking, “What’s wrong with this person?” and towards asking, “What does this brain need to thrive?” That is where truly neuroinclusive workplaces begin. #Neurodiversity #AuDHD #Dyspraxia #ADHD #Autism #WorkplaceWellbeing #PsychologicalSafety #Neuroscience #InclusiveLeadership #Neuroaffirming

High performance is not only about physical energy. It is about cognitive and emotional energy. In elite sport, we carefully manage physical load before competition. But one variable is often underestimated: Mental fatigue and its interaction with physical fatigue. Research shows that after prolonged cognitive effort, performance drops. And it drops not because the body cannot continue, but because effort feels harder. The key mechanism? Perception of effort. Athletes mentally fatigued: • Reach exhaustion sooner • Make slower decisions • Show reduced technical precision • Experience impaired tactical coordination Even when physiological markers remain unchanged. Now step outside sport. What happens in organizations? Long meetings. Continuous decision-making. Multitasking. Conflicts. Constant digital stimulation... Mental energy is a limited resource. Whether on the pitch or in the boardroom, performance depends on: - Attention regulation - Decision speed and accuracy - Emotional control - Self-regulation under pressure The question is not whether you are busy. The question is: Are you protecting your cognitive resources for the moments that truly matter? High performance — in sport or business — requires managing mental load as intentionally as physical load.

The cruelest thing about working for a micromanager It slowly trains your brain to fail under pressure. I didn’t realize how stressed I was until my body never turned off. Always on. Always alert. Always bracing. It became my baseline working for a micromanager. She once got upset that a task took me 7 minutes. Not seven days. Seven minutes. Another time, she fixated on a document. Everything looked correct. She hovered over a spacing detail no one else could even see. The spacing was a different font than the text... Oohhhhkayy.... How could I be so careless (rolls eyes) That was enough. I didn’t panic. I adapted. My nervous system learned that safety depended on catching everything. So I sped up. I double-checked constantly. Scanned for mistakes before they happened. But it didn't help. Mistakes kept happening. Despite me checking 3+ times. Here’s where the loop forms. Sustained pressure keeps threat circuits active. Attention narrows. Working memory shrinks. Error detection weakens. The harder you try to be perfect, the less capacity your brain has to deliver. Small mistakes appear. Scrutiny increases. Control tightens. Stress rises again. And you're in a VERY negative feedback loop. Breaking it requires interrupting the biology. Action one: regulate before engagement. Exhale longer than you inhale. Plant your feet before responding. This preserves access to higher thinking. Action two: predict their patterns. List the moments they fixate. Prepare for those situations in advance. Reduced uncertainty lowers threat. Action three: reduce cognitive load. Use fewer words. Pause instead of over-explaining. Short responses protect attention. Action four: close stress cycles daily. Move your body after tense interactions. Walk, stretch, breathe, or shake. Completion prevents accumulation. Action five: restore internal trust. Name one thing you handled well each day. Your nervous system learns safety through evidence. Micromanagement doesn’t just affect output. It reshapes how your brain performs. When the system is protected, capacity returns. If you’re stuck under this dynamic, tracking your baseline and patterns matters. That’s why I built https://lnkd.in/guRmdNEu It helps you identify nervous system load, anticipate triggers, and recover before stress compounds. P.S. Have you been stuck in this loop before? App is being released this week: Has a panic button, boss log and visual games to help https://lnkd.in/guRmdNEu ------------------------------------------------------------ ➕ Follow 🧠 Shannon for brain-based tools for toxic bosses ♻️ Repost if someone you know is stuck in this loop

Language has a powerful effect on how the brain interprets situations. The words we use internally can either amplify stress or help regulate it. When someone says “I am overwhelmed,” the brain may interpret this as a signal of threat, activating stress responses that make it harder to think clearly. This response involves the brain’s alert system, which becomes more active when it senses pressure or lack of control. As a result, focus can narrow, and decision making may feel more difficult. The body may also respond with increased tension and faster breathing. Reframing the thought can create a different response. Saying “I need to focus on what matters most and go slow” shifts the message from alarm to control. It signals that the situation is manageable, which can help reduce the intensity of the stress response. This type of mental shift supports the brain’s ability to organize information more effectively. When stress decreases, areas responsible for reasoning and planning become more active, allowing for clearer thinking and better decision making. This technique is often used in cognitive behavioral approaches, where changing thought patterns can influence emotional and physical responses. It does not remove challenges, but it changes how the brain approaches them. Small changes in internal language can have meaningful effects over time. By guiding thoughts in a calmer direction, the brain can move from a reactive state to a more balanced and focused one. Consistent practice helps build this response, supporting mental clarity and emotional resilience.

We might be misdiagnosing why our best leaders are struggling. When a normally decisive leader starts to second guess themselves or "over-explain" their choices, we usually treat it as a skill gap. We look for a workshop or a new process to fix the behavior… But often, the behavior is just a signal. I’ve learned that leadership performance is deeply state-dependent. When the cognitive load gets too heavy for too long, our internal systems start to prioritize survival over strategy. It’s not that the leader has lost their talent, it’s that their operating conditions have become unsustainable. The work isn't always about trying harder or being more disciplined. Sometimes, it’s about acknowledging the weight of what we’re carrying so we can restore the capacity to lead clearly again. The Question: Have you ever felt like you were "failing" at a task you’ve done a thousand times, only to realize you were just carrying too much? #Leadership #ExecutiveWellbeing #Capacity #CognitiveLoad #HumanPerformance

Last month, a founder told me, “I’m not burned out. I just feel… heavy.” That word matters. Because what many scaling leaders are carrying is accumulation. · Unfinished decisions that never fully close. · Context-switching across five priorities before lunch. · Conversations that require emotional regulation, not just logic. · Tension they absorb so the team can keep moving. None of this shows up initially on a dashboard. But it shows up everywhere else. + Decisions take longer than they should. + Simple things feel harder than they used to. + Leaders start defaulting to what’s familiar instead of what’s needed. This is cognitive and emotional residue. And in scaling organizations, it compounds quietly. Many companies respond by adding support. More tools. More process. But the real influence is different. Not adding more, but clearing what’s already there. - Closing loops. - Reducing unnecessary context-switching. - Making ownership explicit so leaders stop carrying what isn’t theirs. Because leaders don’t slow down only from volume. They slow down from what they’re still holding. Where is that invisible load sitting in your leadership team right now, and what are you doing about it? Follow Shirley Braun , Ph.D., PCC for insights on helping tech and biotech leaders deliver big results without burning out their teams or themselves.

🧠 Why Executive Function Fails Under Emotional Load ❤️🔥 In clinical practice, executive function difficulties are often attributed to skill deficits, a lack of effort, or poor motivation. More often, they reflect emotional load exceeding regulatory capacity. Executive functions such as planning, organization, working memory, cognitive flexibility, inhibition, and task initiation are state-dependent skills. Their availability depends on adequate emotional and physiological regulation. 💡 What occurs under emotional load When emotional demands increase due to stress, uncertainty, interpersonal strain, or time pressure, the nervous system shifts toward threat management. As this occurs: ▪️ Cognitive resources are redirected toward emotional processing ▪️ Working memory capacity becomes limited ▪️ Inhibitory control weakens ▪️ Cognitive flexibility narrows ▪️ Initiation and sustained effort become more difficult This represents not a loss of skill, but a temporary reduction in access to executive resources. 🤔 Why this is frequently misunderstood Executive function breakdown under emotional load often appears as disorganization, procrastination, avoidance, slowed processing, or inconsistent follow-through. These behaviors are commonly attributed to motivation or character rather than to regulatory state. In many cases, individuals are aware of what needs to be done but struggle to mobilize the cognitive resources necessary to accomplish it. ⁉️ Why this matters across settings 👩💼 In the workplace: Emotional load can reduce planning, prioritization, and cognitive flexibility, leading to decreased productivity and increased errors. Performance improves when demands are clarified and cognitive load is reduced. 🏫 In classrooms: Students under emotional strain may struggle with task initiation, organization, and transitions. Increasing structure and predictability often restores access to learning. 🏡 At home: Stress can disrupt routines, follow-through, and transitions for both children and adults. Reducing emotional load improves compliance and cooperation. 💖 In relationships: Emotional overload limits perspective-taking and problem-solving. Regulation is required before meaningful communication can occur. ‼️ Intervention targets regulation first, then executive skill support. ‼️ Reduce load ▪️ Simplify demands ▪️ Limit multitasking ▪️ Clarify priorities Externalize executive demands ▪️ Use visuals, steps, and checklists ▪️ Break tasks into smaller parts Increase structure ▪️ Provide predictable routines ▪️ Clarify expectations and timelines Support regulation ▪️ Pause instruction during high arousal ▪️ Use grounding or co-regulation ▪️ Resume problem solving once arousal decreases Scaffold initiation ▪️ Provide clear starting points ▪️ Use brief check-ins ▪️ Emphasize progress during overload 💡 Executive dysfunction under stress reflects reduced access, not reduced ability. Regulation restores capacity!!!!