Hm, I don't know a really good way of telling people that you aren't working. You could say that you're doing some volunteer work and looking into grad school.

I agree that it's very hard if you compare yourself with your peers. I would urge you to try to focus on your own life goals and also not to make them all "work" or "school" but more intangible things like what kind of person you want to be, character development, how you treat others, connections with others, etc.

I'm glad that you have medical coverage and are going to counseling. That's very important.

My "no money" period was preceded by about a decade of health problems (mental health and other problems too.) By the time I got to the "no money" period, my friendships and social support system was greatly eroded. I did get good support from some friends from church for a while, but I eventually ended up moving because of money reasons.

Our stories are not the same. (Be glad!) My no-money period came about from being too sick to work and having it take years to get approved for disability.

I hope that your no-money period won't last for too long. It *is* a learning experience. Not one that anyone really wants to experience, but I can't deny that I learned a lot during that time.