Disabled, has this "disabled" your self worth?

kaater · Nov 06, 2014 at 07:51 PM

I'm interested in those who are 'disabled' either by a disease or physically, if it's left you feeling a low of self-worth? And, if so, have you found ways to distract those ideas? If you feel comfortable enough, would you kindly share with us your experience that left you disabled? Disabled doesn't have to mean, physically, it can be emotionally disabled as well...just by the way one thinks. Please share your experiences.

Kaater

kaliope · Nov 08, 2014 at 12:54 PM

I have felt disabled by my mental health for a long time and it has often made me feel like crap. but I started focusing on my strengths. it took a few years of counte4racting those negative thoughts with strenghtbased ones but eventually they took hold.

waterknob1234 · Nov 08, 2014 at 01:23 PM

I have felt disabled by my mental health. Sometimes I feel disabled by migraines and arthritis as well. Even though I am not technically disabled and I still work, I feel like the mental and physical conditions keep me from doing things I would otherwise do with ease. It is frustrating. It is frustrating to struggle to open a jar. It is frustrating to work in pain. Somehow I feel like the best answer for me is to learn to take my weaknesses and turn them into strengths. I would never choose this suffering but somehow maybe I can learn from what I have been thru and also understand how others feel and help other people.

geis · Nov 08, 2014 at 09:18 PM

I'm multiply disabled. My SSI/SSDI was originally approved for my mental illness, but since then I've also been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, enteropathic arthritis, and severe chronic fatigue/weakness that causes mobility impairments. I feel worthless a lot...but not all the time.

For me, the biggest help is identifying that my sense of worthlessness comes from outside sources. I came from a family that only valued people for their achievements, and that had a profound effect on my view of myself. Also, a lot of it comes from the societal rhetoric that disabled people are lazy burdens on society who just choose not to work and force others to support them. I've internalized so much of that, but being able to recognize it as something separate from who I actually am and being able to name it as ableist BS does help.

Nammu · Nov 08, 2014 at 10:55 PM

Growing up I was labeled disabled by others outside my family because I was deaf. I didn't feel disabled and I was still expected to graduate, get a job, go to college etc, until I was labeled with a mental illness. then my fater and his side of the family treated me differently although they also denied that MI was real.. Now I have many spinal problems am in constant pain and truly feel disabled because regular day to day stuff is so much harder. The physical stuff multiplies the mental disabilities.

Yes my self worth has been drained out of me. starting with the MI diganois, mostly because I was treated differently and anything I said was disregarded as inconsequential. Now with physical limitations too and being unable to do regular housekeeping my self worth has been obliterated, I can't imagine why anyone would want to be around me.

I have no answer for you about how to increase your self worth it's something I struggle with still.

Menu

My Support Forums - Mental Health Support Groups

Get emotional support and friendship from others like you!

Disabled, has this "disabled" your self worth?

My Support Forums

kaliope Legendary Wise Elder Community Liaison Member Since Jun 2011 Location: somewhere, out there Posts: 36,240 (SuperPoster!) 12 9,987 hugs given	Nov 08, 2014 at 12:54 PM #2 I have felt disabled by my mental health for a long time and it has often made me feel like crap. but I started focusing on my strengths. it took a few years of counte4racting those negative thoughts with strenghtbased ones but eventually they took hold. __________________ kali's gallery http://forums.psychcentral.com/creat...s-gallery.html
	Reply With Quote