Building a career can be deeply rewarding boosting confidence and self-worth. But it can also lead to stress and anxiety– sometimes enough to cause burnout or a loss of direction.
If working with a disability, the experience can be even more complex due to added obstacles. These challenges often require a proactive and intentional self-care strategy.
Finding Your Footing
If you receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and are exploring a return to work, the Ticket to Work (TTW) Program offers valuable support and stress-reduction resources. This often-overlooked benefit offers a safety net, allowing you to explore employment without risking your SSDI benefits if work doesn’t pan out. SSA-authorized Employment Networks and Vocational Rehabilitation agencies provide job search assistance and related services that can make the TTW Program work for you.
As helpful as the Ticket To Work Program is, it doesn’t fully close gap between well-being and burnout.
Reentering the workplace often means balancing job performance with managing your disability— a dual challenge many face. The challenge is real: nearly 8 in 10 people with disabilities report feeling burned out. Energy limitations, coordinating healthcare schedules and securing accommodations can all undermine even your best efforts to stay productive. There’s also the “invisible labor” of masking (trying to hide your condition or limitations to avoid judgement, either consciously or not) and the added task of advocating for yourself at work.
Developing Self-Focus
Countering these challenges starts with building and maintaining a self-care regimen.
For some, the term “self-care” can feel uncomfortable—especially when self-focus feels indulgent. If you see self-care as a luxury or something reserved for your spare time, consider reframing it as essential to long-term success.
Effective self-care goes beyond enjoyable activities. It requires a comprehensive approach tailored to your physical, emotional and environmental needs. They are most beneficial when practiced consistently, rather than left behind and low on your priority list.
There are a multitude of ways to promote physical well-being, such as:
- Identifying and leveraging workplace accommodations that work for you.
- Prioritizing consistent, quality sleep to support recovery.
- Adapting movement to your ability–such as chair yoga or desk stretches.
- Creating a nutrition plan that meets both needs and preferences.
Building your emotional and mental resilience can take many forms, for instance by:
- Learning to effectively and respectfully advocate for your needs at work.
- Practicing mindfulness and stress-reduction techniques to stay centered.
- Journaling as a tool for reflection and processing.
- Taking breaks and using time off without guilt, as a necessary investment in your well-being.
Cultivating Supportive Environments
Another way to support your well-being is by evaluating the different spaces in your life—typically private (home and family), public (social life and community) and work.
Consider how each space can be adjusted to better support your well-being.
- At work, set clear boundaries around your availability to avoid burnout.
- At home, protect time for both family interactions and solitude.
- In public life, reassess environments or routines that may drain your energy rather than restore it. Across all settings, finding ways to create more authenticity and build healthy social connection can be helpful. Spending more time with people and in environments where you feel less pressure to mask can improve your well-being. Being around people and in spaces where you can be your authentic self helps lighten the emotional load.
Being Intentional With – And For – Yourself
Using the SSA’s Ticket To Work Program through an authorized Employment Network or Vocational Rehabilitation agency is a strong step toward greater financial independence and improved well-being.
Pairing that support with an intentional, consistent self-care plan tailored to your needs can help you close the gap between surviving and thriving. Reaching your goals becomes more attainable and at less costly when you start with the person who can help the most – you.