You can also continue to let the army of negative thoughts come at you, but learn a skill to dismiss them as just that, so they have no impact on you. ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), by Russ Harris. It works.
Love stories like yours. Often a lack of interest/positive feedback from teachers (and/or parents), can give people a drive to succeed for themself. Your your own best friend!
Loads, probably millions, had either mild autism, Asperger’s, ADHD, Dyspraxia or Dyslexia and weren’t diagnosed. Instead picked on by teachers. It’s a miracle that so many went on to make successes of their lives, away from the blinkered judgement of bullies.
I think that I just don’t like...
I had the easily distracted/lack of concentration comments all the way through senior school, then proved the feckers wrong by being adept at revising and passing exams. The history teacher in particular got it sooooo wrong.