Is it ok not to work

[siralex172]

I have had schizophrenia for 7 years. Now taking antidepressants too and its a steep climb to get used to them. I worked for 4.5 years at a mail centre. Every monday I would have racing, paranoid and odd thoughts. Although the other 3 days of the week were great except Friday where the thoughts would come back all of a sudden. I guess I am high functioning schizophrenic. Once I get used to all my meds, I will attempt work again, the mail centre seems like the only place where it worked for me maybe I should go back? I am so anxious and nervous about the people who I worked with not wanting me to come back because I might of lost my chance now? Please pray for me. I used to just pray for a good day. And focus one day at a time and try my best not to ask for big prayers like for union of different denominations although I find myself debating two different paths in life: - as in decisions I am trying to make such as work or no work. Catholicism or Baptist. Gardening as a hobby or gardening as a job. Has anyone had similar challenges? It could just be my brain developing as im 24 yrs old and I heard males dont fully develop until 25. Thanks for reading
-Alex

 

[Unqualified]

Those are your decisions to make. O ccasionally I make the decision to work. Last time I only worked 5 years then couldn’t handle it anymore. It was a Food ministry to the community.
I had those thoughts too and it makes it impossible to work except if I feel like it. Get disability if you can.

 

[Derf]

Definitely work if you can. Even if you can't hold a paying job, keep yourself busy with worthwhile pursuits that help others.

 

[SIMPLE IS GOOD]

I am disabled with schizophrenia myself as well and can't work. In my humble opinion it is okay to not work but keep yourself busy with worthwhile things that help you grow in your life.

 

[splish- splash]

One of the issues with antipsychotics & others would be that of causing weight gain. So definitely, gardening & other activities should help you in staying active.

There are also, new & improved antipsychotics that have lesser side effects, which your psychiatrist could even recommend, incase they haven't already done so.

You should be able to find something, that is best suited for you. I believe, that would really be helpful, since you would like to be/stay in work. & also, when you go back to work, maybe try taking part time hours, for first few weeks or months, then see how you get on then.

 

[DragonFox91]

The sins involved in not working are taking advantage of people, blaming God, & not trying to improve your situation if you don't like it, & it doesn't seem like you're doing that so I think you are okay.

 

[Unqualified]

It’s ok if you are not homeless. I know some that can live on disability, apartment and all in calif.

 

[timewerx]

The sins involved in not working are taking advantage of people, blaming God, & not trying to improve your situation if you don't like it, & it doesn't seem like you're doing that so I think you are okay.

Actually, nobody's innocent when it comes to earning or not earning money.

Jesus referred to money as "mammon of injustice". I did not get it at first until I realized that most of the money in the world came from injustice. From exploiting the weak and vulnerable to stealing lands either by force or by deceit, also from the weak and vulnerable. Even if most of the injustices happened in the past, that wealth gained from injustice is still in circulation today and the only way restore justice to this wealth is by giving it back to where it was stolen from, the weak and the vulnerable, the poor.

So even if we did not cheat, exploited, nor stole from anyone to make money. The money still comes from the same circulation that was accumulated mostly through evil either from the past or today's evil means of making money.

That said, the way we earn and manage our money cannot be truly justified until we do exactly what Jesus wants us to do with money. MOST churches won't tell you truth about this because they don't know the truth themselves. They're just following the world, not the Lord.

Whether we should try our best to earn money. Maybe. The general tone of Christ's teachings provides no certainty given the deceitfulness of wealth. What is certain however is that we help one another to the best of our abilities. We could try to make some money from our abilities but getting rich shouldn't be our goal but to help, especially the poor. Expanding to a huge company isn't the goal but to spread the word that if people should make money, they also help the poor in the process by keeping their services and products easily affordable by the poor. Owning a huge expensive house, retiring in luxury isn't supposed to be the goal of a Christian. The goal has always been to believe in Jesus, possess the Truth, spread the word, and to help the poor. And by helping the poor, you also help spread the Word. More people will believe in the real Gospel the Gospel that truly changes people. Because if luxurious retirement is one's goal. You'll be thinking about helping yourself to the money. Setting aside more money to yourself instead of using it to help the poor and to spread the Word as Jesus would want it done.

Flaunting riches to attract people to the Gospel, sets people up to a corrupted form of the Gospel that it's okay to be greedy and love money and serve God at the same time. That's impossible. A false teaching.

 

[Derf]

It’s ok if you are not homeless. I know some that can live on disability, apartment and all in calif.

Just because one can survive on other people's work doesn't mean one should. Only if one can't work should he continue to accept charity (forced or unforced) from others.

 

[Unqualified]

The idea of disability is to keep people of the street and from starving to death or committing crimes for survival and because we are a civilized nation and take care of our own. We can’t really afford it but what do you do. Have you ever worked sick? It usually leads to getting fired. Then what do you do if you can’t get hired. You only get disability if they believe you can’t work.

 

[Derf]

The idea of disability is to keep people of the street and from starving to death or committing crimes for survival and because we are a civilized nation and take care of our own. We can’t really afford it but what do you do. Have you ever worked sick? It usually leads to getting fired. Then what do you do if you can’t get hired. You only get disability if they believe you can’t work.

So it's ok to continue to pay for something we can't afford? In what universe does that make sense?

 

[Unqualified]

I find your post derogatory and argumentative. America doesn’t have enough money for everything it wants. The world is working on her sovereignty and the democrats are going for it. The only hope is being ready for the rapture.

 

[siralex172]

I do not want to go to work and receive monies to buy a house and raise a family and go on frequent holidays.
I want to live the poor life, sleep on a cheap bed maybe a mat. Live week to week in regards to expenses, receive a free meal once a week at a Anglican church, stay single (been like this all my life), ride my bike more instead of drive, use a feature phone when out of house, use tech less and do physical things like draw or read instead, then I can appreciate more when John the Baptist says I am making the world flat, filling in the valleys and removing the hills,

God be with you, lift up your hearts, lift them up to the Lord, let us give thanks to the Lord our God, it is truly right and just everywhere and everyone to give you thanks Lord God, Heavenly King God almighty Father, Lord God Lamb of God son of the Father you take away the sins of the world have mercy on us, lamb of God you take away the sins of the world have mercy on us, Lamb of God you take away the sins of the world grant us peace.

 

[ryanafshar]

I have had schizophrenia for 7 years. Now taking antidepressants too and its a steep climb to get used to them. I worked for 4.5 years at a mail centre. Every monday I would have racing, paranoid and odd thoughts. Although the other 3 days of the week were great except Friday where the thoughts would come back all of a sudden. I guess I am high functioning schizophrenic. Once I get used to all my meds, I will attempt work again, the mail centre seems like the only place where it worked for me maybe I should go back? I am so anxious and nervous about the people who I worked with not wanting me to come back because I might of lost my chance now? Please pray for me. I used to just pray for a good day. And focus one day at a time and try my best not to ask for big prayers like for union of different denominations although I find myself debating two different paths in life: - as in decisions I am trying to make such as work or no work. Catholicism or Baptist. Gardening as a hobby or gardening as a job. Has anyone had similar challenges? It could just be my brain developing as im 24 yrs old and I heard males dont fully develop until 25. Thanks for reading
-Alex

 

[ryanafshar]

Hello! I'll brief as others here have made some wonderful assessments. I have psychosis and there was a time when I couldnt work. But i kept trying. Finally on my fourth try I found a job I could do. I struggle with it sometimes, but God seems to be more present in my life. My hallucinations are less present, my delusions less present too. The work alone wasnt the only thing putting me back on the right path, but it was a big part. be honest with yourself and look at every aspect of your life. If you've fully soul searched and still cant find peace then I think it's ok to take disability. Listen to God whisper, as pysychotics we hear and see things others don't. Let God manifest himself on the same channels you're suffering in. He'll speak....God bless!

 

[linux.poet]

I don't think so. I've had my share of mental illness that has prevented me from working, and every day that has occurred, I wished I had a job. Now that I have a job, I never want to go back to not having one. Life is so much better with employment and the confidence that I can function as an adult.

I think you think life will be better without work, but I think that is a schizophrenic delusion. If you give into your mental illness here "I don't want to work" will become "I can't work because I'm schizo" and then you have depression on top of all of your other troubles. It's not worth it.

If you need more exercise, that's legit though, but you shouldn't have to quit work for that. I would recommend trying to ride your bike to work or taking up calisthenics.

 

[Neostarwcc]

I developed bipolar disorder in my early 20s and have struggled with schizophrenia since i was born. I didn't find out I was schizophrenic until I had my first manic episode in 2011. As a child and young adult I thought the hallucinations and voices I was hearing were normal so I never reported them or told my parents about it which is why it took us so long to find out I was schizophrenic. I was regularly seeing a psychiatrist for depression but it wasn't until that first manic/psychotic episode that my psychiatrist figured out exactly whst was wrong with me.

And even my first diagnosis was Bipolar Disorder with psychosis. It took about a year of regularly seeing him and more future episodes for him to figure out exactly what was wrong with me and he said I was schizoaffective which means I have schizophrenia along with a mood disorder and i told him about the hallucinations and voices i heard as a kid and he said i likely either was born with schizophrenia or developed it at a very young age..

I haven't worked since I was 16 (I'm 38 now). I didn't start getting disability benefits until 2011 or so I mostly just mooched off of my parents for the first 26 years of my life.

While I probably could have worked in my 20s and helped my parents out I didn't and chose to play video games instead. So most of my 20s are a blur because they zoomed by so fast, ditto my 30s. But you of course got disability before me so there's really nothing you can do work wise.

How often do you get psychotic? If it's several times a year for weeks to months on end like me there's no way you can possibly hold a job. I wouldn't feel guilty about it because there's no way you can hold a job. What if you went nuts on a co worker or customer? You know? Or started having hallucinations mid job? You can't possibly work. You could probably do something online but even then it's kinda risky. I personally wouldn't feel bad about it.

 

[Derf]

I don't think so. I've had my share of mental illness that has prevented me from working, and every day that has occurred, I wished I had a job. Now that I have a job, I never want to go back to not having one. Life is so much better with employment and the confidence that I can function as an adult.

I think you think life will be better without work, but I think that is a schizophrenic delusion. If you give into your mental illness here "I don't want to work" will become "I can't work because I'm schizo" and then you have depression on top of all of your other troubles. It's not worth it.

If you need more exercise, that's legit though, but you shouldn't have to quit work for that. I would recommend trying to ride your bike to work or taking up calisthenics.

In fact, not wanting to work may be a sign of depression already starting.

 

[.Mikha'el.]

I have had schizophrenia for 7 years. Now taking antidepressants too and its a steep climb to get used to them. I worked for 4.5 years at a mail centre. Every monday I would have racing, paranoid and odd thoughts. Although the other 3 days of the week were great except Friday where the thoughts would come back all of a sudden. I guess I am high functioning schizophrenic. Once I get used to all my meds, I will attempt work again, the mail centre seems like the only place where it worked for me maybe I should go back? I am so anxious and nervous about the people who I worked with not wanting me to come back because I might of lost my chance now? Please pray for me. I used to just pray for a good day. And focus one day at a time and try my best not to ask for big prayers like for union of different denominations although I find myself debating two different paths in life: - as in decisions I am trying to make such as work or no work. Catholicism or Baptist. Gardening as a hobby or gardening as a job. Has anyone had similar challenges? It could just be my brain developing as im 24 yrs old and I heard males dont fully develop until 25. Thanks for reading
-Alex

Define what you mean by "okay" first. You'll have to be more specific than that to get a proper answer.

 

[linux.poet]

How often do you get psychotic? If it's several times a year for weeks to months on end like me there's no way you can possibly hold a job. I wouldn't feel guilty about it because there's no way you can hold a job. What if you went nuts on a co worker or customer? You know? Or started having hallucinations mid job? You can't possibly work. You could probably do something online but even then it's kinda risky. I personally wouldn't feel bad about it.

I have to wonder whether people with schizophrenia could consider a career in creative writing or poetry as a viable means of income. After all, your brain is already manufacturing voices and people that aren't there, so maybe you should just write the tale of their adventures and sell it.

I think somebody in college with me had a similar idea in one of their stories, only theirs was a schizo main character and the story was told through their eyes, forcing the reader to work out what was real.