Different, Not Less: A neurodivergent's guide to embracing your true self and finding your happily ever after

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An empowering lived-experience guide to celebrating and supporting neurodivergence from 24-year-old actor, social media star and advocate Chloé Hayden.

Different, Not Less Quotes by Chloé Hayden - Goodreads Different, Not Less Quotes by Chloé Hayden - Goodreads

Because god forbid someone says or does something microaggressive or blatantly racist towards you, and you react to their actions. It also reaffirms that just because something is ‘childish’, you don’t have to stop enjoying it as an adult.We’re given the impression that there is something fundamentally wrong with us for simply existing as we are, so we need to hide anything that screams being abnormal. Why is it fair that Hayden, myself and others have to experience these terrible things to only come to terms with our identities when we’re young adults, or for some, well into adulthood or mature age?

Chloe Hayden – Different, not Less Chloe Hayden – Different, not Less

When a life-changing group of allies showed her that different did not mean less, she learned to celebrate her true voice and find her happily ever after. Diagnosed as autistic (and ADHD) at the age of thirteen and feeling ostracised from society, Chloe started an anonymous blog to share her feelings and to find a community, and ended up building something bigger than she ever dreamed. Different minds, bodies, identities … they’re picked apart, as we either learn to conform or grow numb to the feeling of being alienated. She has stated, "I see autism as a superpower, if you look at people at the top of their fields, so many of them are on the spectrum. At times, this book can be incredibly hard to stomach, and it’s essential to make sure you’re prepared to read about these issues before you jump head-first into it.

Your book is structured with lots of headings, pull-out quotes, and even an index –What made you decide to format it this way? LGBTQ+ people are forced to keep their identities a secret for fear of public backlash or making others uncomfortable. No fairytale can exist without a Once Upon A Time, without dragons to fight… And, likewise, no fairytale will close without a Happily Ever After. I couldn’t talk to anyone, even my friends, about things I enjoyed because it was all childish, and I had to grow up.

Different, Not Less by Chloé Hayden by Murdoch Books - Issuu Different, Not Less by Chloé Hayden by Murdoch Books - Issuu

Whenever these characters are brought up, they’re used to aid her argument and assert that society is designed to trap those who do not conform to the status quo. She provides advice on how to handle feeling overwhelmed, emerging from mental health crises, handling trauma and embracing your most authentic identity.Hayden offers an intersectional perspective, discussing the barriers people of colour, LGBTQ+ and other marginalised groups face in similar environments. With her messages of ‘Different, Not Less’ and ‘Find Your Eye Sparkle’, Chloé is fighting for a better future for those who’s voices have been silenced for too long. Regardless of who you are or what stage of life you’re in, the attitudes and lessons she addresses are relatable and familiar to many.