Every story has a beginning and an end, but life is actually lived somewhere in the middle — and it’s best to keep our focus there.
If we focus on the past, we can get depressed; if we focus on the future, we can get anxious.
But if we focus on the present, we have our best chance of managing the challenges and opportunities we face in the moment — at least, this is what I’ve learned as someone living with a mental illness.
For me, part of living in the present meant accepting the fact I needed financial help.
I was born into a middle class family; I was well educated and highly functional. I did not want to receive government support out of pride.
But my reality was such that I couldn’t pursue a career, and I struggled to maintain a full-time job on a permanent basis.
When I finally accepted my situation, and let go of some of my attitudes and expectations, I came to realize that all members of society have a right to live with dignity and mobility.
No one chooses to have a disability — including me.
After I decided that it was okay to receive support, I faced another hurdle — poverty. What the government provides is a mere pittance of $900 a month.
Just finding rent for $900 a month in Richmond is near impossible, never mind having to stretch that to pay for food, clothing and transportation, as well. I got a part-time job to alleviate the effects of poverty.
Then I was informed that I was only allowed to keep a maximum of $5,000 in the bank.
The rules didn’t change much even after I got married. To me, being able to save money is a basic human right. Another mental health survivor described the denial of that right as “legislated poverty.”
Only 10 to 14 per cent of those dealing with a mental disability are employed; not surprising as there is so little financial incentive.
What a mistake!
Not only is work a huge contributor to sound mental health — and that goes for anyone, not just those with a disability — but it is also a contributor to sound financial policy for both the individual and the government.
The more we can work, save and stand on our own two feet financially, the more we can contribute to the economy, and the more we can take care of ourselves come a rainy day.
Many in the mental health circle live like scavengers and will go without necessities for privileges like cigarettes. Not only is this an unconscionable cost to potential and human dignity, it is also a significant economic cost to society at large.
It is time for change. It is time to allow survivors of mental illness some comfort in hard times and the assurance we do not have to live thousands of dollars under the poverty line.
Let me know what you think.
Jenny Cam is a person with mental illness living in Richmond.
