Can you be independent without school/work?

I tried college and work in the past and both have caused me too much stress and anxiety so I had to leave.

I'd like to know, is it possible to become independent even without school or work?

hi andy, have you considered therapy? it really helped me learn coping skills for my dx's. in the future, yes you could consider trying again to re-enter a more satisfying life. putting the focus on your MI's by seeing a professional may help that to happen.

Anything's possible, but it'd be really hard. Work is necessary and school makes getting a good job much easier. How much education do you have? Most jobs require at least a high school diploma.

I agree with Madisgram - therapy is definitely worth it with problems like these.

I am going to therapy. I see my therapist once a week on Thursdays.

I did go to college for 3 years, and completed 58 credits.

I don't know how you would become independent without work. trust me disability doesn't really pay the bills and being young and no work history you would only get bare minimum with ssi and that isn't much.

Transfer to a good, accredited online school/degree; I found it easier than face-to-face. While you're getting the rest of your education, you can work on the how-to-make-a-living part. Maybe you can write or sell stuff online, activities that are more solitary and don't require leaving home much, if at all. Writing gives "residual" income; you keep getting paid when people buy your book over time. Maybe you could become an eccentric inventor?

I think you have to decide what you would like in/for your life and then go after that, no matter what. Just "living" isn't much if you don't have something you are working on/living "for".

sure it is. many people turn their hobbies in to their sole source of income and live off of that.

others work for a bit save and invest their money then quit work and live off of their investments

some people buy up old buildings, hire contractors to renovate and then they live off of the rent they receive from renting out houses and apartments.

some people breed their dogs and cats and sell the puppies and kittens. you would be surprised at how much a person can make by breeding their pure bread cats and dogs and selling them complete with certification of linage papers.

some people buy up those government surplus vehicles and homes for a buck and turn around and sell them for thousands of dollars and live off of that income.

many people make up their own inventions too and live off those.

theres also state assistance. there are many people who dont have jobs and dont go to school and they live on welfare, SSI and SSDI.

theres lots of ways to get by without having work or school. Some ways require a lot of ingenuity and patience and others need formal paperwork and doctors statements, psych evals and IQ tests.

Its definitely possible.

I don't feel the least bit independent and I work and go to school. I'm terrified of losing my job and ending up on the street and I go to school because I both enjoy it and fear if I do not further my education I will eventually become redundant, lose my job, and end up on the street. I have read many posts on here from people who for one reason or another cannot work. I cannot not work. Working takes up all of my emotional energy and on the weekend I am exhausted. I enjoy taking classes but they do require intellectual energy. I discussed my situation with a friend and came to the conclusion that my emotional reaction has less to do with the actual job (because I recognize my cruddy situation is not unique) and more to do with how I approach problems in general, particularly those that remind me of the troubles I had when young, when I truly was helpless. Because I have never known anything but work, or school, or work and school, I cannot imagine throwing in the towel on one or the other of them; even when I retire (God willing) I plan to volunteer at something, preferably something I really enjoy, like working with animals or young people.

I believe 'stress and anxiety' can be managed and believe also that workplaces could do more to support employees' well-being. If employees weren't bullied, mistreated, not allowed to take breaks, and had some say in how the tasks they are piled up to do were to be done, I think there would be a heck of a lot less 'stress and anxiety' in the first place.

In order to answer your question, you'd have to define what independence means for you.

icecreamkid has a good point. to answer the question, we must answer the question:

"what is independence?"

it seems easy to define but i think it varies from person to person. Do you mean financial independence and ability to support yourself? To what level? Maybe not having to rely on others?

What type of independence I want is the type where I can support myself and not have to rely on others as much.

Thanks for the clarification. I'm not sure exactly how you could get money without a job - disability and stuff. What I've heard is it's not much and you'd have to live counting every dollar you spend - some others may have more ideas/advice

I am currently getting SSI and SSDI so that's all the money I have to fall back upon.

Because of mental illness, I can qualify to live in what's called the Apartment Program where I live, but I don't know the skills needed to live on my own (like cooking and shopping for ex).