Leaving the house shouldn’t feel like prepping for the apocalypse, but for neurodivergent brains, it sometimes does. From dopamine-boosting scents and face masks that double as sensory shields, here’s everything we pack to stay regulated, soothed, and semi-functional on the go.

Here’s what’s in my beach bag this summer. Curated for regulation, joy, and the deeply specific need to not scream when sunscreen drips into your eyeball.

To most, Phineas and Ferb is a quirky kids show about two inventive stepbrothers who spend every day of summer vacation building outrageous contraptions. But for many neurodivergent children and adults, the show offers far more than charming characters, musical numbers, and nostalgic comfort.

Murderbot offers an uncommon first-person perspective that resonates with countless neurodivergent fans while transporting neurotypical readers – and now, viewers – into a neurodivergent mindscape, creating new opportunities for understanding and empathy. And that’s why Murderbot is the neurodivergent main character we need right now.

Watching The Pitt’s Dr. Melissa “Mel” King develop over the show's 15-episode first season is something different: a neurodivergent-coded character whose traits weren't her defining feature or the source of cheap laughs, but rather threads woven naturally into the fabric of a complex, capable person.