Member-only story

Stop comparing yourself to neurotypical standards

Kim To
6 min readJul 11, 2022

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Who am I? I was diagnosed with ADHD at the end of 2020 and realized that everything I had struggled with such as depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and inability to focus on one career path. However, I was shocked by the lack of support for women with ADHD and realized that something needed to be done to support more people like me. I started training as an ADHD coach and now I am exploring entrepreneurship as a way to make an impact in my community. I write a lot about neurodiversity and entrepreneurship. Find out more on www.ownyourflair.com

Using neurotypical standards to compare me against will continue to damage my mental health

I’ll be honest. I look at my neurotypical friends and I get jealous of their stability. They can seemingly hold a job down and rise the ranks. Because our society rewards specialization with higher salaries and prestige. That is what we all have been told from a young age to aim for. Figure out what you want to do and stick to it. Hone the skill and rise the ranks.

However, that just doesn’t work for neurodivergents like myself. My career journey has been all over the place. I have pursued different routes, and have taken regular breaks to travel because of burnout and exhaustion. I would start every new job with…

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Kim To
Kim To

Written by Kim To

An ADHD coach. Diagnosed with Dyslexia and ADHD late in life. I write about neurodiversity, mental health, and entrepreneurship.

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