Question about kink effecting life

[ReluctantExhibition]

Hi everyone!

I wanted to know some people's experience with kink and their lives. I sometimes feel very nervous/hesitant about my kinks and exploring them due to my fear of it effecting my normal life. I'm studying to be in a field where the opinion of your peers is important, and I fear that if I get too involved (partially why pictures are a limit for me), if things get found out, it could negatively impact my life.

So my questions are: do you ever feel that your kinks hold or have held you back? Do you think they've helped you move forward? Do you have difficulty compartmentalizing your kinky/bdsm life from your vanilla life? If so, why do you think that is? If you find it easy, how do you manage to keep your lives separate and worry free?

Sorry for the long post, but I would really appreciate any honest input from users!