People often ask why I can sit and stare at the bay for an hour, watching pelicans glide over the water or a family of chickens with their amusing antics. To an autistic over-thinker, this isn’t doing nothing. It’s nervous system maintenance.
My brain spends so much time analyzing conversations, predicting outcomes, replaying events that it rarely gets any chance of rest.
Nature gives my mind something gentle to focus on instead.
The waves don’t need anything from me. The pelicans aren’t judging me. The chickens aren’t expecting me to answer an email or make a decision. They’re simply existing. And for a little while, I get to simply exist too.
Watching animals is especially calming because they are predictable in ways that people often aren’t. They move with purpose but without hidden agendas. They are reminder to me that life doesn’t have to be complicated.
Neurodivergent Nurses 
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