3 ms·

I heard good things about Viktor Frankl's books, e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man%27s_Search_for_Meaning https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man%27s_Search_for_

by dmos62 4y ago

I heard good things about Viktor Frankl's books, e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man%27s_Search_for_Meaning https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man%27s_Search_for_Meaning. He went through Auschwitz and learned (and then tought) how to deal with hardship. People who are willing to work with you, who you can help, even in the context of your handicap, exist. Find them. Be honest about your handicaps.

steve_adams_86 4y ago
Man’s search for meaning is certainly inspiring. If you read, it’s worth adding to the queue even if you aren’t experiencing hardship. It’s a tough read at times. I agree about being honest about handicaps. Especially if you know they can get in the way. People can easily forgive that when they know what to expect. I’ve been more upfront about it and having no issue finding work, but I feel far more at ease as a result. I’m even getting older; I’m 36 with a mild disability. I would have thought I’d be unemployable earlier in my life. Good people exist, and they get it. Definitely seek them out. As for the search for meaning. I read that at a dark point in my own life and the main thing I got from it was perspective. What he describes is unimaginable. What I was experiencing was very imaginable. I found that very helpful. Stoic philosophy has a sort of “zooming out” mechanism used to remind the practitioner how small they are in the scheme of things, how little their troubles matter, and Man’s Search For Meaning is an incredible tool for accomplishing this. Very few people can truthfully say their struggles are greater. It’s a window into how fortunate most of us, even with our hardships. Chronic pain is legitimately hard to mentally distance yourself from though. Don’t hold it against yourself if reading the book doesn’t allow you to do so. I had chronic sciatica for around a year once and while I was young and stupid, I don’t think I’d handle it well today either. It was disabling in a truly unflagging and monolithic sense. I have no idea why it went away, but I can genuinely feel a sense of relief each time I think of it. It was torture. Above all I would say don’t blame yourself or imagine you should do better or differently or whatever. Each step is part of it, whether it’s a good or bad step. You do the best you can with what you’ve got, mentally and physically, and no one said any of it would be easy. To be depressed about it is understandable. To be tired of it is as well. Struggling makes sense. Don’t hold that against yourself, if you do at all, and hopefully that can provide some relief. Best of luck OP, and hopefully the traction this post got helps you see that people care, they understand, they relate. You aren’t alone.

by dmos62 4y ago

steve_adams_86 4y ago

Man’s search for meaning is certainly inspiring. If you read, it’s worth adding to the queue even if you aren’t experiencing hardship. It’s a tough read at times. I agree about being honest about handicaps. Especially if you know they can get in the way. People can easily forgive that when they know what to expect. I’ve been more upfront about it and having no issue finding work, but I feel far more at ease as a result. I’m even getting older; I’m 36 with a mild disability. I would have thought I’d be unemployable earlier in my life. Good people exist, and they get it. Definitely seek them out. As for the search for meaning. I read that at a dark point in my own life and the main thing I got from it was perspective. What he describes is unimaginable. What I was experiencing was very imaginable. I found that very helpful. Stoic philosophy has a sort of “zooming out” mechanism used to remind the practitioner how small they are in the scheme of things, how little their troubles matter, and Man’s Search For Meaning is an incredible tool for accomplishing this. Very few people can truthfully say their struggles are greater. It’s a window into how fortunate most of us, even with our hardships. Chronic pain is legitimately hard to mentally distance yourself from though. Don’t hold it against yourself if reading the book doesn’t allow you to do so. I had chronic sciatica for around a year once and while I was young and stupid, I don’t think I’d handle it well today either. It was disabling in a truly unflagging and monolithic sense. I have no idea why it went away, but I can genuinely feel a sense of relief each time I think of it. It was torture. Above all I would say don’t blame yourself or imagine you should do better or differently or whatever. Each step is part of it, whether it’s a good or bad step. You do the best you can with what you’ve got, mentally and physically, and no one said any of it would be easy. To be depressed about it is understandable. To be tired of it is as well. Struggling makes sense. Don’t hold that against yourself, if you do at all, and hopefully that can provide some relief. Best of luck OP, and hopefully the traction this post got helps you see that people care, they understand, they relate. You aren’t alone.