AIDY SMITH

⭐️ Catch me on Virgin Radio PRIDE 🌈 every Saturday from 4pm with the lovely @felixrackow as we delve into that best LGBT+ moments around the globe. From PRIDE parades and travel experiences to the best food and drink products created by LGBT+ entrepreneurs. It’s time to taste the rainbow 😝😝 #presenter #virginradio #virgin #virginradiopride #london #gay #gayuk #gaylondon #tvpresenter #show #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqia

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Tourette's is widely recognised and poorly understood, and that gap tends to do a lot of damage. At its core, it's a neurological condition that affects how the brain sends signals to the body. That's why tics happen. They're not deliberate. They're not a behaviour problem. They're definitely not "bad habits" that someone could just stop if they tried hard enough. Tics can be movements or sounds, they change over time, and a lot of people with Tourette's also live with other neurodivergent conditions like ADHD or OCD. So it's rarely just one thing in isolation. The biggest barrier for most people with Tourette's isn't the condition itself. It's the misunderstanding that surrounds it. That's the bit that makes daily life harder than it needs to be. The more we talk about it properly, the more that changes. Save this one if it's useful, or pass it on to someone who might need it. Is there anything else you want people to know about Tourette's? #dislabeled #tourettessyndrome #neurodiversity #neurodivergentvoices #differentnotless #endthestigma

Tourette's Awareness Month starts today, and honestly, I never quite know where to begin with this one. There's the stuff people notice straight away, the visible, easier-to-name bits that most people are actually picturing when they think of Tourette's. And yes, that's part of it. But it's never been the whole story. A lot of what makes Tourette's what it is sits somewhere less obvious. The things that don't show up clearly on the surface, that don't get talked about much, partly because they're harder to explain and partly because they don't fit neatly into the version most people already have in their heads. I think that's exactly why it gets misunderstood as often as it does. So this month, I want to open things up a bit. Share more of what it actually feels like from the inside, day to day, not just the headlines. And hopefully shift how a few more people see it. I'd love to know where you're starting from. What do you actually know about Tourette's, and what shaped that? #dislabeled #tourettesawareness #tourettessyndrome #neurodiversity

This is one that still comes up all the time… Mention Tourette’s and the first thing most people jump to is swearing, which makes sense in a way because that’s what tends to get shown the most, so it becomes the version people expect. The reality is a bit different though. Most people with Tourette’s don’t have coprolalia at all, and even when it is part of someone’s experience, it’s not something that’s chosen or controlled, it just happens. It’s only one type of tic, not the whole picture. When everything gets reduced down to that one version, a lot of the reality gets missed and that’s usually where a lot of the misunderstanding comes from. Did you always think Tourette’s meant swearing before learning more? #dislabeled #neurodiversity #mentalhealthmatters #differentnotless #endthestigma

So here’s something that still catches people off guard quite a lot… The way Tourette’s is actually diagnosed. It sits a bit differently to a lot of other neurodivergent conditions, because it’s classed as neurological rather than neurodevelopmental, which usually means you end up seeing a neurologist rather than going down the route you would for other neurodivergent conditions. It’s one of those small details that doesn’t always get talked about, but it does make a difference in how people understand what Tourette’s actually is. It feels like once you know that, it starts to make a bit more sense. Did you know there was a difference in how Tourette’s is diagnosed? #dislabeled #tourettessyndrome #neurodiversity #neurodivergentvoices #differentnotless #endthestigma

This is something I get asked quite a lot, and it’s always interesting to see how people understand it. There’s this idea that Tourette’s just suddenly appears later in life, when in reality, it’s often been there long before anyone actually notices it. Sometimes it’s really subtle, other times it’s masked without even realising and in some cases, it just didn’t have a name yet, which makes it even harder to recognise what’s actually going on. That doesn’t mean it suddenly started later though, it usually just means it hadn't been picked up or understood yet. How old were you/your loved one when you first noticed your/their tics? #dislabeled #neurodiversity #mentalhealthmatters #differentnotless #endthestigma #bekindalways #neurodivergentvoices

People ask me what Tourette’s feels like quite a lot, and it’s always an interesting one to answer. Most of the time the focus is on the movements or the sounds, which makes sense, because that’s what people see. What doesn’t get talked about as much is the physical side of it. Tics can put a real strain on your body over time. The repetition, the tension and the constant overuse of certain muscles builds up more than people realise. There are days where it’s just uncomfortable, and others where it can actually tip into proper pain, especially when you've had a relentless tic day. It’s not always visible either, which is probably why it gets overlooked so often. But for a lot of people, it’s a very real part of living with Tourette’s. Has anyone else experienced this? #dislabeled #tourettessyndrome #neurodiversity #neurodivergentvoices #differentnotless #endthestigma

So here's something that still happens way more often than you’d think… I’ll mention I have Tourette’s and almost instantly someone will say, ‘Oh… but you don’t swear.’ Then the second I swear in a completely normal sentence, there’s this pause like I’ve just done something completely unexpected. ‘Wait… was that a tic?’ No, it wasn’t. I'm just from Yorkshire and swore like anyone else from around there would 😂 It’s funny in a way, although it does say a lot about how people still understand Tourette’s. Everything tends to get reduced down to one thing. Swearing. When in reality, that’s only a very small part of TS, and for a lot of people it’s not part of their experience at all. Tourette’s is far more varied than what people usually expect, which is why moments like that still happen. Tell me I’m not the only one this happens to!? 😂 #dislabeled #tourettessyndrome #neurodiversity #neurodivergentvoices #differentnotless #endthestigma

One of the wonderful parents in our community is feeling really stuck right now. They’re despeartely trying to find the right path for their child but with so much inconsistency in the help available and the affect this is having on their child they are really struggling to decide what is best to do. If you’ve been in this position before, what helped you and your child get through it? Your advice could really help this wonderful person and others who are feeling really lost right now 💬👇

I spent so much time thinking there was something wrong with me. My brain was wired differently and the noises and sudden movements made me look so different to others. Looking back now though, I can see that I wasn’t the problem and those things I was embarrassed about weren’t flaws. They were just parts of me that didn’t fit the environment I was in at the time. It took me a long time to realise that what I thought was failure was actually me learning. Learning how to exist in a world that didn’t quite understand how my brain works yet. That shift in perspective doesn’t happen overnight, but when it does, you start to see yourself with a lot more kindness. What’s something you wish you could tell your younger self? Drop your thoughts in the post 👇 #dislabeled #neurodiversity #differentnotless #neurodivergentvoices #mentalhealthmatters #endthestigma