I am not disabled. I work and take care of my family.
But I am very blessed to work under my own conditions. I own a couple of small businesses doing different things. I can’t do the same things every day or I will get bored and quit. I need to work alone in the quiet. some days I can’t work. Some weeks I can’t work. But I still try very very hard and I cut myself some slack.
I consider schizophrenia a very severe disability. I’m currently on SSI and I feel kind of bad about it, but if they take away my health insurance and I can’t get my pills anymore I will lose everything I’ve been working towards. I’m currently taking 3 classes at a university and working about one day a week or less at my dad’s office. One of the three classes was training for a volunteer position which I will be doing until halfway through April. I’m lucky that I can tolerate the meds without gaining too much weight. I’m hoping to get a full time job within approximately the next three years or less. I’m hoping they will keep giving me the health insurance even if they don’t give me the monthly payments until I get health insurance from a full time job.
What I have learned from trying to work is that I am still very sick. Some days I can’t do anything. That was as recent as yesterday. Before I got on disability I worked so I think I could do it if I had to. But with my disability I don’t really have to. I was really sick and went from job to job for seven years before I applied for SSDI.
I make enough money off of my retirement, my VA disability, SSDI and my rental home that I don’t need the money. The problem is I have anhedonia so bad that I don’t enjoy doing anything. So working gives me something to do. Mind you it is when I can do it.
What do the rest of you do that don’t work to occupy your time? I don’t like watching tv or playing video games. I can only take the dogs for so many walks. My wife watches tv all day and night long and I just can’t do it.
I know I can’t work full time but maybe part time. I just started the disability process so we’ll see what becomes of it all.
I feel disabled because I can’t study and work fulltime, I can only do simple activities for not many hours.
I do not like the world. I have my challenges and struggles but i am not disabled. If I can’t do something now, doesn’t mean I can’t work towards doing it.
I couldn’t sit and watch television all day either. My body hurts from sitting too long and I think I zone out in my own thoughts too often to watch a lot of shows.
I started getting into a cooking game app for a while. I really like organizing and putting things together so it became addicting for me…and then I deleted it because it bored me after about a week. I can’t really get into video games either.
I play cards with my kids. And clean a lot. Read poems or listen to the podcast - Mental Illness Happy Hour. Paul is interesting and funny.
Here’s from the Americans with Disabilities Act:
The ADA defines a person with a disability as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity. This includes people who have a record of such an impairment, even if they do not currently have a disability.
I had a severe disability where I couldn’t work at all for years which gradually receded thanks to time and abilify. Now, I think I’m “working disabled” or able to hold a job, but barely. If you compare me to any other worker, you’d probably go, what’s the matter with her, because I’m not as functional as the others.
I get severe headaches which I think is the main thing keeping me from working now. I can only work for a short period at a time. Then I have to rest my head.
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