That was a nice read. I get a sense of hope and pride from the author. I do think she is right, for some people with mental illness. It was me, for years. Then in Fall of 2019, I started to really work on being social, being consistent in showing up to volunteering, I was going to be looking for a job. Then the pandemic hit. I was so angry. I was angry at the pandemic, and at the world. I'd worked so hard to "become functional" in a world that stigmatizes people who cannot work. I was so angry because it was and is so obvious to me that there's a certain way society goes about doing things and they were all blind to it. Now they can see. Because they have all "become disabled" so to speak. I'm really going off on my own tangent here. But, I'm not really angry anymore. I've gotten used to the fact that this is a pandemic and that this is the "new reality." I'm building a hope of my own. I'm still volunteering, I'm selling my art online, I'm taking classes. Yeah, maybe I can be a light for some people.


I do believe there really is something to productivity, routine, schedule, working. Too much is stressful, but so is too little. I've learned that in my journey. Isolation = mental illness, for many, too. It can be a vicious cycle too. Don't feel well, isolate. Isolate, feel worse.


There's my ramble, BethRags. It was a good article. It sparked my own thoughts though.