Looking for guidance on how to handle unexpected positive news, and life in general as a disabled person
I will be 25 this year, and a few days ago I finally got recognized legally as 50% to 80% disabled. But none of my disabilities are visible:
I'm on the spectrum, with ADHD and all the comorbidities and related traumas, had to get micro invasive surgery two month ago due to blood issues that held me from walking properly for over a year (it's still painful as I write), I have trouble eating and taking care of myself because everything just feels so exhausting, and for financial reasons as well...
But here is the thing:
- I look "pretty" by modern standards (due to not eating enough)
- I speak REALLY WELL in my native language (due to trying to fit in as an autistic person my whole life), so I can actually articulate my troubles (meaning I'm perceived as whinny and annoying instead of helpless)
- I still managed to get a master's degree in science two years ago through getting bullied and burning myself out, unmedicated because half the psychiatrists in my country are incompetent
And because of that, people have always had huge expectations for me. But I never managed to get a job ever since I got my diploma. Not eligible for any financial help either due to being "too young".
So I've lived a life close to homelessness instead, in another country for almost a year. All along I lived in terrible conditions, with my physical issues too, just because I didn't want to be a burden to my father (my mom wasn't there at the time and I had nowhere else to go), nor did I want to get pushed over my limits to "make some progress in life, because getting a job should just be so easy for you!" (while I can't even feed myself enough or go out of the house to get groceries... ), I'd probably have rather killed myself...
But now, I'm suddenly getting legal recognition and for five years (renewable) I will be receiving enough money each month to live decently? This just feels so unreal to me, I can't wrap my head around it at all after two years of barely surviving from scraps. Almost everyone around me [except my mom and my best friend] tend to see it an opportunity for me to be "even more lazy", rather than finally getting a chance at life...
As many of you have probably experienced, I feel undeserving of all that and like "I'm not disabled enough", thinking " maybe they're right, am I really that lazy and just making a huge deal out of normal stuff?"; I really don't know how to handle the sudden change, I have no idea of how things will go in the next few days or weeks and overall I feel very scared. Has anyone else ever gone through that already? What would you tell me as someone who's had a similar experience?
Either way, thank you so much for reading everything, it feels nice to finally getting it off my chest ❤
Posted Jun 7, 2026, 4:35 AM UTC