Here’s a fascinating detail many people don’t know about social media. 

It has to do with how opinions are shared and formed online. 

The research found that when people face controversial social media posts, they don't just reply with their own opinions.

First, they scroll through the comments. 

Then, when they reply…..

They often adjust their thoughts to match the ones already expressed in that comments section. 

HEN SOLO

There are definitely a few hills I’d die on when it comes to food.

A big one is that “I’ll never eat a chicken omelette”.

Don’t get me wrong, I love chicken on its own, hen solo.

Plus my all time favorite sandwich is Chicken Salad.

But the cannibalistic craziness that is a chicken omelette is a line I refuse to  cross.

BOUNDARIES AND FOWL PLAY

Dyslexics show significant difficulties in the brain functions tied to setting boundaries.

It’s a spectacular survival strategy your brain cooked up years ago to keep you safe.

But it’s not sustainable. 

Think about it…

As a dyslexic, you spent a huge chunk of your life learning that your effort doesn't guarantee a result. 

You studied hard and still failed exams.

You followed directions and still ended up getting things wrong.

You triple checked work assignments only to miss details that affected your livelihood.

Eventually, your brain stopped assuming outcomes were yours to control.

So….

When you don't believe you have any control over your life’s outcomes, setting boundaries feels pointless, even risky. 

Why bother drawing a line in the sand if you’re convinced the tide is just going to wash it away?

So you find a workaround.

Since you don't feel like you can control your life directly by declaring "I won't do this" (drawing boundaries), you decide you’re going to control life indirectly by managing those around you instead.

ADVANCED PEOPLE-PLEASING

If you can't control today, then what does that mean for tomorrow? 

You need a way to secure a better fate before it's too late

You think….

If I can keep everyone around me happy, they'll take care of me in return. 

“Maybe if I’m helpful enough, accommodating enough, easy enough to work with, they'll protect me from whatever I’m secretly afraid is coming”.

People-pleasing becomes your insurance policy against the negative fate you're convinced awaits you.

What that looks like:

• You're always available because availability might save you

• You say yes when you mean no because saying yes keeps you safe

• You feel guilty for having needs because needs make you difficult, and difficult people don't get saved

The "tools" required to set boundaries: planning ahead, organizing your commitments and impulse control, are part of the executive functions dyslexics struggle with the most.

So even when you want to say no, the words get stuck because your executive function is already maxed from working overtime.

This is also why you’re exhausted. 

On top of working 3X-5X as hard as others to keep up…

You’re managing your life by trying to engineer everyone else's feelings about you because - you gave up on your boundaries working.

So you focus on other people’s perception of you through people-pleasing, instead of declaring what you really want.

CHICKEN OMELETTE

After years of being told we're wrong about spelling, directions, reading, deadlines and more, we’ve learned to doubt everything - including our own judgment and needs. 

So as silly as the No Chicken Omelette rule might sound, it has bigger implications because…

If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. 

You’ll be the social media commenter reading everyone else's opinion before forming your own.

Individuals with dyslexia often exhibit a more external locus of control, meaning we’re more likely to see life events as driven by forces outside ourselves rather than by our own actions.

Learning where your chicken omelettes are (what lines you won’t cross), creating boundaries and non-negotiables are how you re-establish self-trust and agency across your executive function systems.

So….

What's your silly non-negotiable?

It doesn't matter what it is, it could be anything….

The point isn't what you choose, it's that you CHOOSE.

Practice having a strong opinion about something.

Your Boundaries are your Chicken Omelettes.

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