Listening to the Body’s Quiet Language: Interoception & Proprioception in Neurodivergent Lives

For many neurodivergent people, the relationship with their own body can feel… complicated. Some days it feels like your body is whispering when you need it to speak clearly. Other days it’s shouting when you’re trying to find some quiet. And sometimes, your body’s signals feel scrambled, delayed, or simply missing.

Two lesser-known but deeply important parts of our sensory system — interoception and proprioception — play a huge role in how we navigate the world, regulate emotions, and understand our own needs. When these systems work differently, it can shape everything from emotional awareness to physical comfort to the ability to sense hunger, stress, or movement.

And for many autistic and ADHD individuals, these differences are not only common — they’re core to how their nervous systems operate.

Let’s explore these two sensory realms gently, honestly, and with the compassion they deserve.

What Is Interoception?

Interoception is your internal sense — the ability to notice what’s happening inside your body. This includes hunger, thirst, pain, temperature, heart rate, nausea, fullness, the need to use the bathroom, and even emotional states. It’s the body’s language for “something needs attention.”

But for many neurodivergent people, this language can be incredibly faint… or incredibly loud.

Some experience under-responsive interoception, where internal cues are muted or delayed. Hunger doesn’t register until you’re dizzy. Thirst feels like a vague fog instead of a clear signal. Stress shows up as meltdowns or shutdowns because the early warning signs were never felt.

Others experience over-responsive interoception, where sensations feel like tidal waves. A flutter of anxiety becomes a full-body alarm. Mild discomfort feels urgent. A slightly elevated heart rate feels unmanageable.

Both patterns are valid. Both are real. Both deserve understanding, not judgment.

What Is Proprioception?

Proprioception is your sense of where your body is in space — how you move, how much force you use, how you balance, and how your limbs coordinate.

It’s the reason you can walk without watching your feet, pick up a cup without crushing it, or know whether you’re sitting upright or slouching.

For neurodivergent individuals, proprioception can also vary widely. Some may seek deep pressure and resistance — preferring tight hugs, weighted blankets, heavy work, or grounding sensations. Others may unconsciously use too much or too little force. Some bump into things without realizing it; some move with hyperawareness because their body feels unpredictable.

Proprioception is often one of the most regulating senses for autistic and ADHD nervous systems. Deep pressure, pushing, pulling, lifting, squeezing, or wrapping up in something heavy can calm the body faster than any words ever could.

This isn’t “attention-seeking.”
This is nervous-system-supporting.

How These Differences Shape Daily Life

When interoception and proprioception work differently, daily life can require more effort — not because of a lack of ability, but because the body’s signals are coming through a different channel, a different volume, or a different rhythm.

A person might struggle with emotional regulation because they can’t feel early signs of overwhelm. They might get labeled “clumsy” when really their proprioceptive system is simply wired differently. They might forget to eat or drink. They might experience chronic anxiety without understanding where it’s coming from. They might crave movement, pressure, or grounding sensations that help their nervous system feel safe.

These differences aren’t flaws. They’re natural variations in the neurodivergent experience.

The Emotional Side of Sensory Differences

Interoceptive and proprioceptive needs often shape emotional experiences too.

If you can’t feel your internal cues, it’s harder to identify emotions, which can make self-advocacy more difficult. If you feel everything intensely, the world can become overwhelming fast. If your body’s movement feels unpredictable, your confidence might take a hit.

And when society misunderstands these needs — when it labels them as dramatic, lazy, clumsy, inattentive, picky, or “too sensitive” — the shame can settle deep.

I want to say this clearly:
There is no shame in needing more sensory support.
There is no shame in experiencing your body differently.

Neurodivergent bodies speak their own language. They need safety, understanding, and attunement — not judgment.

Supporting Interoception & Proprioception With Compassion

Supporting these sensory differences doesn’t mean “fixing” anything. It means providing the body with what it needs to feel grounded and understood.

This might look like creating regular check-ins with yourself — gentle invitations to notice if you’re hungry, thirsty, tense, overwhelmed, or in pain. It might mean using timers or visual reminders, not because you’re incapable, but because your nervous system communicates differently.

It might mean incorporating deep-pressure activities, weighted blankets, stretching, yoga, dancing, lifting, or any movement that brings a sense of solidity and awareness back into your body. It might mean recognizing that emotional dysregulation is often physical dysregulation in disguise.

And sometimes, it means slowing down long enough to ask yourself one simple question:
“What does my body need right now?”

Not what you should need.
Not what someone else expects you to need.
But what your body is quietly asking for.

You Are Not Alone in This Experience

Interoception and proprioception differences can make the world feel louder, busier, or more confusing — but they can also lead to a uniquely rich internal landscape. Many neurodivergent people have profound body intuition, deep sensory joy, and an extraordinary awareness of subtle internal states once they learn their body’s language.

You are not broken for experiencing your body differently.
You are not “too much,” and you are not “not enough.”

You are a wildflower — growing, sensing, and moving through the world in your own rhythm. Understanding your sensory world is not about correcting yourself. It’s about coming home to yourself.

And if you ever need support on that journey, Walking with Wildflowers is here to walk with you — gently, affirmingly, and at your pace.