5 Ways to Support Stress in Neurodivergent and High-IQ Young People
Why Parents Notice Stress So Deeply
If your child is neurodivergent or has a high IQ, you may already see how stress affects them differently. Bright or sensitive young minds often:
- Overthink and replay situations in their head
- Feel isolated when peers don’t “get” them
- Struggle with sensory overload or social expectations
- Put enormous pressure on themselves to achieve
As a parent, it can be hard to know how best to help. Here are five supportive steps you can take.
1. Create a Calm Space
Neurodivergent and high-IQ young people often need time away from stimulation. Whether it’s a quiet bedroom corner, noise-cancelling headphones, or simply giving permission to step back, a calm space helps them regulate when stress builds.
2. Normalise Their Feelings
Gifted or neurodivergent children sometimes believe stress means they are “weak” or “different.” Reassure them that stress is the body’s way of saying enough. Talking openly and without judgement makes it easier for them to share what they are going through.
3. Focus on Strengths, Not Just Struggles
It’s easy to focus on the challenges, but remembering to highlight strengths is just as important. Praise effort, creativity, resilience, and uniqueness. This builds confidence and balances the negative self-talk that often accompanies stress.
4. Introduce Simple Coping Strategies
Breathing techniques, journaling, or short breaks can make a real difference. For neurodivergent young people, visual cues or structured routines can also reduce overwhelm. Coaching and mentoring often focus on teaching these practical tools in a personalised way.
5. Explore Therapeutic Support Options
Sometimes stress runs deeper and needs more than family support. Psychotherapeutic coaching and mentoring can help young people develop resilience and self-awareness in a structured, supportive relationship.
And for some, hypnotherapy offers a gentle, effective way to reduce stress. It helps calm the nervous system, release tension, and shift unhelpful thought patterns. For overthinkers, hypnotherapy is especially useful because it bypasses the need to analyse everything and instead allows the body and mind to settle into calm.
A Closing Thought
Every neurodivergent or gifted young person deserves to feel safe, understood, and confident in who they are. Stress is not a sign of failure, it’s a signal for change.
With a blend of home support, coaching, mentoring, and (where appropriate) hypnotherapy, young people can learn to manage stress in healthier ways, reconnect with themselves, and grow into their strengths.
At thinkWell Practice, we provide a supportive space for that journey, helping young people and their families move from stress to connection.
