Body Doubling: A Gentle Strategy for Neurodivergent and Chronically Ill Minds
At Earth Coaching®, I’m always looking for simple yet powerful tools that support neurodivergent and chronically ill folks in navigating overwhelm, brain fog, and that persistent feeling of being stuck. One such tool is body doubling — a straightforward method that invites presence, connection, and momentum.
What Is Body Doubling?
Body doubling is exactly what it sounds like: having someone co‑present, physically or virtually, while you work. It can be a trained coach, a supportive friend, or even a pet curled nearby. The key is the shared presence.
Whether you're sitting together quietly or co-working over a video call, the presence of another person gently holds you in place and bolsters focus. It’s not performance pressure, it’s soft accountability wrapped in compassion.
Often, people use virtual support when in-person support is either not available or not preferred.
Why Body Doubling Resonates with Neurodiversity and Chronic Illness
If you're neurodivergent - ADHD, autism, AuDHD, dyslexia - you already know how easily tasks can spiral or become invisible in the fog of overwhelm or executive function challenges. We can be easily distracted by a noise, lose momentum, or lack a feeling of accountability. Body doubling grounds you in the moment and helps you anchor attention without forcing a rigid structure. Having someone to set goals with, check in with and update on progress can help us to maintain focus and support dopamine in our brains.
For those living with chronic illness, fatigue, or brain fog, even simple tasks such as emails, dishes or sorting paperwork can feel mountainous. We can feel stuck in a ‘where do I even start?’ headspace, or worry about whether we have the capacity to do a task. A body double doesn’t need to share the load; their presence alone can reduce the energy drain and boost confidence to just begin. You can set your intentions at the start, including regular check-in breaks and begin to notice when you have reached your limit, whilst still celebrating what you have achieved.
The Pros and Cons of Body Doubling
Pros
Provides gentle accountability without judgment
Supports executive function by offering external scaffolding
Reduces decision fatigue and self-criticism
Can be adapted to your natural pace and energy levels
Flexible: works in person, online, or even outdoors
Cons
May require scheduling, which can add pressure
Paid platforms can add ongoing costs
Not every “double” is a good fit – you may need to try a few options before finding one that works for you
For those sensitive to social energy, another person’s presence might feel distracting at first
Body Doubling on a Budget
Body doubling doesn’t have to be expensive. You can start with a friend, family member, or peer – even on a free video call. But if you’d like more structured options, here are some tools worth exploring:
Discord groups – Many free online communities (often ADHD-focused) host live co-working rooms where you can join others virtually.
Flow Club – Structured online sessions with hosts guiding you through intention-setting and focus sprints. From around £25/month.
Flown – Offers daily focus sessions, “deep dives,” and community support. Around £20/month, with a free trial available.
Writer’s Hour (London Writer’s Salon) – Free, daily writing sessions held four times a day over Zoom. Best for writers, poets, bloggers, students or creative types! Donations welcome.
Focusmate – Pairs you with another person for live co-working. Offers different time lengths (25, 50 or 75 minutes) and 3 sessions a week are free, unlimited use is about £5/month.
Dubbii app – A newer option offering structured virtual coworking for focus and accountability. Basic features are free; premium plans are available.
These options mean you can experiment at little to no cost before deciding if a structured platform feels helpful.
Nature, Walk & Talk, and Body Doubling: A Synergistic Blend
Body doubling outdoors, in nature, can be a beneficial sensory process.
At Earth Coaching®, I weave nature and walk‑and‑talk sessions into the fabric of my practice: where you might meet me for a walk in a leafy grove, moving slowly, side by side, and finding ways of working that best suit you.
I also offer Access to Work support worker sessions, where I help you tackle your admin. Imagine combining nature with body doubling: outdoors, co‑working in silence or softly chatting through tasks. The natural setting soothes the nervous system, and your companion's presence just existing beside you offers a gentle anchor.
There's a beautiful feedback loop here: the forest breathing, the earth beneath your feet, and the support of someone simply witnessing your steps. Whether paid or informal, this pairing becomes a deeply embodied way to move tasks forward with less pressure and more ease.
These sessions are becoming more popular and support neurodivergent and chronically ill folks because of the synergistic combination of the rooting within nature, the physical benefits of being outdoors on our bodies and having someone, either on the other end of the phone, or with us, the work through some of our challenges.
Body-Doubling to Declutter
Often, we can feel overwhelmed by our personal space, but because we have control over who sees it, it is often the area we tidy and clean last. As a neurodivergent or chronically ill person, you may also lack the motivation to declutter your space, whilst also wanting to do it more than anything. Body-doubling is a great method to use for this!
In my Decluttering and Organisation Coaching Package, decluttering isn't tackled alone. We work together on sorting, deciding, and organising — I describe it as deciding how to curate your own gallery or museum that is your home — you get to decide what stays, what goes and what takes pride of place! This is an intentional integration of body doubling: you’re not alone in the process; your coach (that’s me) holds a calm presence alongside you. This method aligns beautifully with my paced, permaculture approach to coaching.
In these sessions, we practice gentle pacing, narrative reframing, and sensory-aware strategies—as laid out in many of my other blog posts, from clutter and overwhelm to affirmations and nervous‑system regulation. You are in control of how much you want to do. You get to decide when enough is enough, but I can help to remind you of the fantastic progress you have made, check in with you and make sure you are well and not over-doing it and you can develop some tips and tricks for some further independent decluttering sessions, if you feel you are ready.
Getting Your Friends Involved
Body doubling doesn’t have to be formal. Maybe it's a friend playing soft music nearby as you tidy your desk. Or a video call, where one of you sorts paperwork while the other knits. Whether it is the shared silence, the visible progress, or the check-ins, they can be enough to dissolve inertia.
For neurodivergent and chronically ill folks, these informal arrangements can be life‑changing - low-stakes, kind, and mutually nourishing. The chances are, you have a friend or know someone who is also ‘stuck’ in an area - perhaps they have a deadline for work, a task for college, a room to declutter or decorate, a monotonous task they have been putting off, like completing a form. Open the dialogue and offer to body double them. You could check in with them and their progress, offer advice or support, and they can do the same for you. They might just thank you for it!
Why This Approach Works
One of the gifts of body doubling is that it offers a gentle wake-up call. The presence of another person provides a quiet cue to shift attention, without the jolt of alarms or the strain of trying to force motivation. It’s a softer, kinder nudge into action. It is community working at its best.
It also helps to reduce self-criticism. When you’re not the only witness to your efforts, the harsh inner voice often softens. Having someone alongside you, simply observing without judgment, makes it easier to start without the weight of perfectionism.
Another key benefit is how it respects pacing. Whether in nature on a slow walk or at home with quiet co-working, body doubling adapts to your natural rhythm. There’s no pressure to speed up or keep up; instead, it honours a calm and restful flow. You can set the length of time you work for, and how long you rest after.
For neurodivergent brains, body doubling can support executive function. Many of us benefit from external scaffolding, and the relational presence of another person provides that structure in an organic way, without rigid systems or overwhelming strategies.
Finally, it eases decision-fatigue. Even small choices can feel exhausting when energy is low or brain fog is present. Just knowing you’re not alone in the moment can lighten that burden and make decision-making less draining.
Body doubling isn't about accountability in the punitive sense; it’s presence, ease, and encouragement. It’s a subtle bridge when focus is hard, motivation is low, or energy is fleeting. When infused with nature and pacing, as in my walk-and-talk and declutter coaching, it becomes a tender invitation back to clarity, rhythm, and trust in yourself.
If you’re curious about how this could work for you - or how it fits into my Declutter Coaching Package - let’s chat! You don’t have to walk that path alone; stepping together in nature, with mindful presence, can make all the difference. Tell me more about your goals in a free discovery session soon.
Please Note:
This website is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition before making changes. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
