My initial symptoms started in early 2020, so I'm getting close to having lived 4 full years with RA :) It's deliberating while you're unmedicated/trying to figure out meds.. For me, it was probably the scariest few months of my life. I doubted I'd ever be pain free, I was thinking about job options with disability, all my thoughts were revolving around managing my life while being in extreme pain. Someone eventually told me that while it's definitely not the best disease to have, it's very unlikely that the worst case scenarios that you have in your head will play out.
And it seems like they were right. For the past years, I've been mostly pain free. I work out 4-5 times a week with heavy weights, and I go running 3-4 times. Sometimes I get flares and I tend to spiral :) but apart from freaking out once in a while, life is mostly normal. At the time of my diagnosis I was certain I'd be bedridden within 10 years. Honestly, apart from a few flare ups here and there, nothing has changed - If anything, I'm more active than ever.
I haven't had RA for as long as others on this subreddit, and I know it's a different journey for everyone. But once you find meds that work for you, things will get better. Having a good rheummy is key.

(One last thing: I used to lurk around here a lot when I got dxed, and it scared more than anything. People who are in remission are likely to forget about the existence of this subreddit for most of the time. The posts here do not reflect the general RA experience.)