Am I using ADHD as a crutch? (Jiyoung An’s story)

For most of her life, Jiyoung An believed her struggles came down to laziness or lack of effort. Even after her ADHD diagnosis less than a year ago, she questioned whether she was just making excuses and using ADHD “as a crutch.”

In this week’s episode, Jiyoung shares how her perspective has changed. She’s unlearning internalized shame and now sees her brain for what it truly is: different, not broken. 

Related resources

• What is growth mindset?
• What does thriving with ADHD actually look like?

Timestamps

(00:00) Intro

(00:46) What was happening before Jiyoung sought out an ADHD evaluation this year?

(03:00) Jiyoung’s 3 different psychiatrists’ opinions

(04:24) Falling into hustle culture before diagnosis, and being hard on herself

(07:24) Jiyoung’s journey to accepting her ADHD label

(11:07) How frustrating it can be to not have solutions to all of her ADHD challenges

(13:08) Perfectionism and comparing yourself to others

(16:50) Jiyoung’s experience growing up with undiagnosed ADHD

(19:25) Noticing ADHD in her little sister

(21:22) What ADHD traits Jiyoung struggles with the most

(25:08) Credits

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As kids head back to school, it's a good time to remember: not every student experiences the classroom the same way. Through My Eyes, a free interactive experience from Understood, lets you step into a day in the life of a kid with ADHD, dyslexia, or dyscalculia. See their strengths and challenges in a whole new way. Try it out here.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

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