Is working from home actually better for disabled folks or does it just make things harder in new ways?

I've been working from home for about 6 months now since my MS diagnosis last year. Some days it's a lifesaver because I don't have to commute or deal with the office noise that wipes me out. But last week I had a bad flare and couldn't even get to my desk in the other room. My boss kept messaging me asking when a report would be done and I felt like I had to pretend everything was fine. Three years ago I worked in an office in Chicago and at least people could see I was struggling. Now I'm isolated and nobody knows how bad it gets unless I tell them. Which do you think is better for long term health with a condition like this? Does working from home help you save energy or does it make you push yourself too hard?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamiew836h ago

Oh great, so now I get to feel guilty about not working while I'm literally stuck in bed, that's definitely an upgrade from the office. At least in the old days my boss could see I was actually sick instead of assuming I'm just ignoring their Slack messages. Working from home saves me energy on good days but on bad days it's just a fancy way to beat myself up for not being a superhero.

carr.blake6h ago

Read an article the other day about how guilt is actually the least productive emotion out there, something about it shutting down the same parts of the brain we need to recover. @jamiew83 you put it in better words than that study did, though. The invisible labor of proving you're sick while being sick is a whole other job nobody talks about. That guilt cycle is tough to break, especially when the line between "resting" and "ignoring work" gets so blurry at home.