This post is for all the Type A personalities out there. For those who were successful, excelling, and generally doing great things until they were diagnosed with schizophrenia. Of course, you can still do great things, but let’s slow down for a second and figure out how to do it.
Effectively managing a chronic condition like schizophrenia is not a sprint. It’s a marathon of pacing yourself, taking care of yourself, and accepting your limitations. It can be incredibly difficult to do. In fact, as I write this, I’m struggling with the habit of waking up relentlessly writing this post instead of going to bed!
However, writing this post brings me a joy like video games and art. The truth is, having schizophrenia for the rest of your life means reducing stress as much as possible. Studies have shown that reducing stress is more effective for people with schizophrenia. This means reducing the expectations you and others have of you as much as possible. I want to make one thing perfectly clear: you are disabled – anyone with half a brain knows that, and it is not your responsibility to make others think you can take care of anything but yourself (which is hard enough on its own).
Let Go of What People Think of You
I lived with someone who didn’t understand what it was like to be disabled for a few years. It finally reached a boiling point where they were sending me a toxic message detailing exactly how much of an “asshole” I was. I stumbled across the message a few years later and it really pissed me off because I am extremely high-functioning these days and the person they described did not reflect the person I am today. Can you imagine my reaction when I first read it?
A duck’s back in water. I was not impressed. In fact, I laughed and tried to convince them to spout more anti-ableist nonsense so that the other people living with me would know how wrong they were. Undeniably, much of what they said was objectively true. However, it also presented an unrealistic expectation of what a schizophrenic person could do on a daily basis. I knew that. They didn’t. Some people think the Earth is flat. Oh well. Life goes on.
Sometimes living with chronic schizophrenia also means living with “chronic stupidity”! Hah! People can say some pretty ignorant things. We can even say them to ourselves. However, if you can look at your life, your symptoms, and the side effects of your medications objectively and without judgment, you will be one step closer to effectively overcoming schizophrenia in your daily life.