Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

How to deal with the shame of not working

1 reply

catphone · 03/01/2025 23:30

I am autistic with hyper mobility and an auditory processing disorder and likely have CPTSD. I get stress induced migraines, stomach issues that cause me to faint and inflammation. My periods are extremely painful. I also get emotionally dysregulated regularly. My sleep is terrible and I am prone to burn out. I can usually just about manage the basics but anything more than that and I start to malfunction and my autistic symptoms become more pronounced. I need to live a very simple life with next to no stress (which isn’t realistic). This year I want to focus on my mental wellbeing. I don’t know if I’ve just been through too much in life to ever work.
I volunteer online but even that is too much. If I had any sort of job I would burn out.
I know that everyone has problems but I don’t know how I could work. I feel ashamed that I can’t. I don’t know if I’m making excuses because others seem to manage somehow.
I’ve had judgement from well meaning neighbours who are otherwise very nice that I don’t work and how I must have a lot of spare time. Another person (unrelated) said my whole life is spare time.He had a suspected heart attack the other month, collapsed, and it turned out to be something else but he was still back to work shortly after spending days in hospital. I see what he’s saying but he doesn’t know that my life is a bit like living with an illness most of the time. I’m not sure how realistic this is but I’m worried I will have to work at some point because of the unsustainable rise in autism cases and they might make it impossible to claim for if most people have it. I have terrible anxiety about this in particular it feels like it’s just a matter of time and I feel a sense of doom

BeckyAMumsnet · 06/01/2025 12:02

Hi all. We're dropping in following several deletions with a reminder of the purpose of this section of the boards - to provide support, understanding, and constructive advice for neurodiverse individuals and those facing challenges related to their health and well-being. It's clear that the OP has shared a deeply personal account of their struggles and is seeking guidance, not judgement.
Posts suggesting that disabled individuals should not receive the help and support they need to live a full life are not only unhelpful but also ableist and therefore break our Talk guidelines. This is true across Talk but is especially important on this board, which is intended to be a supportive environment.

We understand that discussions about these topics can evoke strong opinions, but we expect all posters to engage respectfully and compassionately. OP, we wish you good luck and hope your thread has been useful.

Watch this thread for updates

Tap "Watch" to get all the latest updates

End of posts

There are no more MNHQ posts on this thread