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Why leaving social media helped me heal

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    Leaving social media for good was a decision I made earlier this month. I had been taking breaks on and off from it every time I got burnt out. But I realized, being on social media was doing way more damage than I could handle mentally and emotionally. I don't like to use my diagnosis as a pass; however, I do tend to refer to it to give more context of where I am at emotionally and my perspective. I feel like people in general really don't get the struggles we face being neurodivergent.     Firstly, for those of you who are new to my blog, welcome! My name is Arifa Kokab, and I am a scientist with Autism and ADHD. I am also very OCD and struggle to read and spell properly believe it or not, lol!     Now back to social media. It is easy for a neurodivergent individual to begin comparing themselves to other people of their age and realizing how very different they are. At least, that is what happened to me. I realized (no I am not complaining) that I don...
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How brain surgery rewired my brain...for the better!

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       Hello Folks!! Today is an interesting topic I have to talk about. Ever since my brain surgery last year in August 2024, I realized that my thought process has become faster than before. Not just that, I noticed I am able to "absorb" information more thoroughly and learn things quicker. At first I thought that I am probably just being delusional. But then I started measuring my brain's cognitive performance on quantitative and qualitative scales. I checked how many days it took me to learn a new skill, how it felt mentally and emotionally from both a quantitative and qualitative perspective, and how many times I melted down learning these new skills due to Autistic and ADHD overstimulation. For those of you new to my blog, welcome! I am Arifa Kokab, a scientist with Autism and ADHD and I struggle to read in general and my spelling skill sucks big time. I am also very OCD. Anyways, back to my story.      So I began "re-learning" the piano along wi...
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My Open Brain Surgery Experience...it was mind-blowing...quite literally! (Part 1)

    Towards the end of the summer of 2024,  your girl here had an open brain craniotomy, where a benign colloid cyst (the size of an actual chickpea, I do love chickpeas in general but not in my brain!) was removed from the THIRD ventricle of my brain. What is the third ventricle? Well, in short, it is where the most crucial brain activity happens.       Let me give you a quick neuroscience101 crash course. The third ventricle is where brain fluid moves that protects the brain and removes waste. It is where the hormones are controlled like for stress, growth and sleep. It manages the body basics like body temperature, hunger, thirst, and sleep. It regulates automatic functions like heart rate, blood pressure and digestion. it connects with the part of the brain that supports emotions. Lastly, but not least, at the roof, the third ventricle is directly connected to the memory fornix that deals with the memory formation of new memories as well as preserv...
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What it is really like as a startup founder (blog#2)

     Why, hello folks! Yes, I am back (been almost 1.5 years since my last blog, hats off to my consistency, right?). If you don’t know me, well hello there! My name is Arifa Kokab. Academically, well I have multiple technical/Scientific Masters degrees, I am a Neuro-research scientist AND an Applied AI Engineer (a lot right?).       But who am I really? I am a crazy Entrepreneur. I LOVE to create businesses. Not just any business. I love to build businesses from scratch that have a positive impact on this world and people in general. Cool right!? This way I am able to spread light, while making some money too (I’ll take it!!).       Anyways, I am a divorcee single Mom of a 12 year old tween boy, living in the heart of Los Angeles with my 2 cats. Did I mention both my son and I are on the Autism spectrum? Also, I used to be non-verbal when I was younger, until one day my brain allowed me to begin talking and expressing myself (a lit...
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What it is really like as a startup founder (blog#1)

September 23, 2023      I am not the sort of person to really write. Heck, in fact, I was never a good writer (I have no clue how I aced in English, I swear). But, I love to think and use my brain. I love to allow my mind to run free. For the first time, I won’t be following the rules for writing that “perfect” article, that “perfect” document. I am tired of conforming to always trying to establish that “perfect” image. The truth is, I am NOT perfect. I make A LOT of mistakes. And, I have come to accept that about myself. So here I am. Arifa Kokab. So imperfectly perfect! I love it. It is true and it is me. And if anyone has a problem with it, can cease to read this article further.      So why am I here, you ask? Well, I had an epiphany to share my experience with the world. Ok so, basically, I am here to share with you all the real deal of the experience of trying to succeed as a startup founder of a company. Wait, a startup founder is obviously of a comp...
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