Day 1: The Story and the Storm
The Neurodivergent Philosopher: Daily Meditations
“You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realise this, and you will find strength.” — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.41
There’s a story you’ve been telling yourself about your brain.
It goes something like: broken, less-than, can’t-keep-up, too much.
The evidence feels overwhelming. Forgotten appointments. Unfinished projects. Conversations where you interrupted again.
And…cue the “oh too familiar” shame circuit. The story gets reinforced.
But here’s what you haven’t been told:
The story is not the storm.
The storm is real.
Your nervous system processes the present moment differently. Attention moves. Dopamine follows novelty, not importance. Time feels slippery.
These are features of your neurology and not failures of your character.
The Stoics knew this distinction. Marcus Aurelius ran an empire while his mind generated relentless thought-loops. He survived by separating what happens from what he told himself about what happens.
You cannot control the storm.
But you can stop believing the storm makes you broken.
Today:
Notice the gap between observation and judgment.
“My mind is moving quickly” — observation.
“I’m scattered and useless” — story.
“I forgot the email” — observation.
“I’m unreliable and everyone’s disappointed” — story.
Your freedom lives in that gap.
You don’t need to calm the storm.
You need to stop letting the story about the storm define you.
You were always whole.
Now you’re learning to see it.