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Struggles with employment are nearly universal among persons with a diagnosis of severe mental illness. Employment is the gold standard of self-worth for many persons with a psychiatric condition. Some of us are able to maintain employment, sometimes at a professional level, while some of us are unable to work. Symptoms of mental illness and medication side effects are both obstacles to working competitively.

For those of us unable to hold employment, we are left with the question of what we are to do with our time. Most people have a desire for meaning in their lives. However, some people just want to get the maximum amount of jollies, while still others just want to get through to the end with the least possible amount of discomfort.  

A severely depressed person or someone who suffers from extreme anxiety just wants relief. If someone is delusional or has other psychotic symptoms, it may be impossible to think clearly or even embark on the idea of a goal in life.  

Once we feel better, we are up against a number of obstacles that non-afflicted people are not. It isn't adequate to just get stabilized and look forward to a life of living in a group home with no privacy, no future, and a diet of hot dogs and generic canned baked beans.  

We're not "animals," and we need something more from life than a pointless existence of nothing in particular and of being limited and controlled. However, the responsibility falls on us to make something of our lives.  

We can't expect someone to swoop into our lives and hand us that pot of gold or the key to the city. However, if we want to do anything, it is harder for us for a number of reasons. And certain things may always be out of reach.  

One approach is volunteer work. However, this has become a more difficult enterprise than it once was. Disabled people who would like to volunteer, in modern times, face stiff competition from legions of nondisabled people vying for the same volunteer positions. Because of this, expectations of volunteers have increased to the point where they often meet or exceed expectations in paid employment.  

Another approach is part-time work. In some positions, the work is doable and fairly undemanding. Disclosing one's disability may allow the employer to provide accommodation and to ease up a bit on what is expected. Unfortunately, sometimes we may get treated as the poster child for the mentally disabled. Yet, it might be best to ignore that perception, and simply get the most enjoyment (and money) that can be obtained.  

Often, it is better to focus on what we are doing in the moment, even when we are trying to make things better for ourselves in the future. This means focusing on the work and not on the outcome.  

The meaning of life? I think it isn't something that comes to you in a vision, and it isn't something that you have to find out. Instead, each of us must deliberately decide what we want our lives to mean