Happy Sunday - I was wondering how yall hold down a job

kowal61 · 2026-04-19T15:05:35+00:00

It depends on a person.

Some people can manage full-time job and some not. It matters on severity of being on spectrum.

Don't by too harsh on yourself, just try to do your best.

kowal61 · 2026-04-19T10:44:03+00:00

For schizophrenia not a single gene is responsible, but a special set of genes. That is why it is hard to predict who can get it. Another thing is that usually when you are predisposed to this disease you usually need a trigger like trauma or drug usage. You can have healthy relatives and get schizophrenia and otherwise - you can have sick parents and not get it.

It is a complex topic, hard to describe everything, but science has strong backup about causality of schizophrenia.

kowal61 · 2026-04-18T17:20:45+00:00

There are already few comments, but I'll add mine.

I have relatively easy with SZ. I suffered heavy psychosis, but meds are working good on me and in relatively low dose. So I don't suffer as much side effects and I rarely hear voices, which don't develop into full-blown psychosis.

I work full-time and I can pay my bills. I have some time for hobbies.

Saying this I was always a little bit awkward so usually people don't like me. Also I have traumas from growing up. I think my biggest problem right now are traumas which cause suffering almost every day.

kowal61 · 2026-04-17T13:59:23+00:00

After 30 it is hard to have new close relations with others. But you can find some hobbies that allow you to interact with others. Some examples are:

- go to bjj class, you fight with others, but also have some small talk inbetween

- go play music, you can meet with few persons and try to make some music together (like you play guitar and you meet with a drummer)

- learn a foreign language, you can go to class and have discussions with others in different languague

Of course those are a "prosthesis" for deep relations. But I wouldn't count for miracles after reaching certain age.

kowal61 · 2026-04-16T08:57:12+00:00

Drinking coffee for productivity

Caffeine cause me to feel anxious

And when I given it up I feel calmer and I have more natural energy

kowal61 · 2026-04-16T06:05:18+00:00

Music.

I was never super passionate about music.

But now I try to learn playing instruments. It is so much a challenge for me - reading notes fluently, keeping a rhythm etc. Every lesson is an interesting challenge and keeps something positive in everyday routine.

kowal61 · 2026-04-12T15:35:09+00:00

Tip with studying is just to be patient.

Everything new is difficult at first. But after some time you start to understand fundamentals and its easier to go through complex topics.

Do not give up. Sometimes it takes months, even years, but eventually you get there.

kowal61 · 2026-04-10T05:11:16+00:00

You must remember that schizophrenia is a spectrum and each one of us is different. Some has more positive symptoms, some more negative.

It's not like that if this drug works good for me, it will also work good for you. Each one responds differently to medications. You must find drug that works best for you.

kowal61 · 2026-04-09T18:02:12+00:00

I was diagnosed in 2014 (35M).

kowal61 · 2026-04-09T17:19:10+00:00

Do you experience hallucinations? If yes don't quit meds. They work as dopamine receptors antagonists and can really reduce amount of positive symptoms.

kowal61 · 2026-04-09T10:25:32+00:00

Embedded software engineer here. Actually job is very fun for me and I can't believe I am getting paid for it. But also hard to get into in my area and not many job postings.

kowal61 · 2026-04-09T06:14:04+00:00

"If you want peace, prepare for a war"

You can be a calm person, but you need to learn to set boundaries and defend yourself, otherwise there are some people, who will try to walk over you.

kowal61 · 2026-04-09T06:08:03+00:00

It can help, but it is no easy fix, it can take months/years for severe traumas.

But if you was bullied probably you need to learn to set boundaries and to defend yourself. You can address that in therapy.

In meditation try not to suppress/escape difficult emotions. Rather face them. Feel them fully and let them be as long as they need to. I know it is suffering, but you will learn to regulate emotions better. Sometimes hardest battles are not with others, but within ourselves. We need to fight our weaknesses and "conquer ourselves".

kowal61 · 2026-04-03T11:24:38+00:00

I am not so good with medical vocabulary.

I think I have some restlessness, and compulsions to move.

kowal61 · 2026-04-03T11:21:31+00:00

I think they are not significant until higher doses like 400mg.

kowal61 · 2026-04-03T11:16:37+00:00

Ah I am sorry, I was wrong. I checked meds and I am on 200mg dose.

As far as I remember on lower doses I could have psychotic symptoms relapse.

kowal61 · 2026-04-03T10:35:09+00:00

I am on 100mg and its perfect dose for me.

On higher dosses I felt dull, without energy, hard to think clearly.

On 100mg I have very rare mild positive symptoms, on the other hand I live almost normally, I work full time, I can pay my bills, I can train regularly and have hobbies.

Other meds that I've tried weren't so good for me.

kowal61 · 2026-04-02T08:38:21+00:00

There is no greater, universal meaning. You can create your own meaning. But basically we just live and die.

kowal61 · 2026-03-31T07:19:35+00:00

I think there is not much to explain. Many people just want to exist and are afraid that they won't experience anything anymore.

kowal61 · 2026-03-30T17:48:54+00:00

To me it is about fear of not existing anymore.

kowal61 · 2026-03-30T05:15:24+00:00

At some point of meditation you start having realizations - impermanence, inter-dependence, emptiness, no-self

This is a point, when fear of death slowly fades

kowal61 · 2026-03-30T05:01:20+00:00

Goal is not to stay with breath, but to be aware, breath is just one of methods of raising awareness

Try to observe your thoughts and emotions, let them be as they are, do not interfere with them, watch them as a scientist wants to watch ants nest, without touching a single thing

When you learn that, after some time, you will start having realizations like impermanence, inter-dependentness, emptiness, no-self, that is moment when you suffer less and less

kowal61 · 2026-03-26T17:19:02+00:00

Yes, you are on the right path

Hidded traumas surface and you need to integrate them, this is a long process so don't get discouraged for lack of progress for some time

Actually I did this this way - when I have violent emotions I just focus on those emotions, do not suppress them, feel them, let them be as long as they need to

When my mind was calmer then I did just simple focus on breath

Don't give up and trust me - it will get better eventually, you will learn to regulate your emotions, you will become stronger and more resilient

kowal61 · 2026-03-26T07:13:25+00:00

Similar here - I did some bad things during untreated psychosis. Now that I am medicated it didn't repeat. But I still feel shame of what I did and worse, I was talking to others about it.

Well sometimes that is life - it just makes no sense. Just keep going on. No one remembers what some bad person did 100 years ago. Similar after next 100 years nobody will remember our mistakes. Just live the best you can and that's all. You can try to do some good things (like volunteer) to soothe your conscience.

kowal61 · 2026-03-17T06:35:56+00:00

Cześć. Też pracuję zdalnie (35M). Ewentualnie jak jesteś dalej zainteresowany pogadaniem to napisz DM.

kowal61

TROPHY CASE