How Emojis Became My 🧠🌶️ Neurospicy Superpower
2013: The Year I Fought Emojis
My professional mentor stared at my perfectly crafted client email and sighed: "Aliza, you sound like a courtroom transcript. Try a smiley."
I bristled. After years decoding neurotypical communication like an anthropologist (actually, literally as an anthropology student some years*) — italics for emphasis, parentheses for warmth, semicolons for "I'm being witty, please laugh" — emojis felt like cheating. Or worse: unprofessional. (* And let's not even start on having em dashes added to my flow by a helpful advisor so I'd stopped 'abusing commas', ugh.)
The Turning Point 🔄✨
1. The Case of the Missing Sarcasm
When a client thought my "thrilling bureaucratic process" was genuine praise, a coworker rescued me:
"Aliza's translation: 🤡🔥 (clown fire = this is nonsense)"
2. My Dyslexic Lightbulb Moment
A fellow speed reading, multitasking overloaded dyslexic teammate thanked me for using:
- 📅 instead of "calendar"
- ⬆️⬇️ instead of "increase/decrease"
- 🔴 vs 🟢 for status alerts
"My brain doesn't have to work as hard to parse these," they said. Cue my existential crisis about written language.
3. Tonal Training Wheels
As someone on the spectrum, I try to use these reliable options in Slack:
- 😬 = "This request pains me but I'll do it"
- 🙃 = "I'm being sarcastic but polite"
- 🤝 = "Genuine agreement (not passive-aggressive)"
My Neurospicy Emoji Field Guide 🧭🌶️
DO ✅
- Anchor complex ideas
"This workflow has 3 dependencies (🕸️🐛)" > "complex interdependencies" - Replace jargon
"Q2 goals: 🚀 growth + 🧹 tech debt" - Soft landings
"Per our call 🔙, here's the revised 🔄 version"
DON'T 🚫
- Overdo enthusiasm
"Great job! 👏🎉🍾" → feels performative - Use ambiguous emoji
😏 = "I know something you don't" (too risky) - Assume universal meanings
🙏 means "thank you" in Slack but "praying" to some colleagues
Why This Works for My Brain ⚡🧠
Emojis became visual scaffolding for:
- Working memory relief: 🔴/🟢/🟡 faster than "critical/stable/pending"
- Tone insurance: 😅 prevents my directness from reading as hostility
- Pattern recognition: 🐇 vs 🐢 instantly shows priority contrast
"Your docs are the only ones I don't need to re-read three times."
—Feedback from another dyslexic colleague
To the :D emoji—my first love:
You’re not too extra (😃) or unhinged (🤪). Just pure "I come in peace" enthusiasm!