Doctors appointments, referrals, medication, constant advocacy, survival – these are just a brief insight into the ‘life admin’ many disabled people have to do in order to stay well mentally and physically.

‘Life admin’

I discovered this term fairly recently, and it perfectly encapsulates the human experience. It can look something like this:

• Daily exercise
• Maintaining hygiene through showering, brushing teeth and skincare
• Eating healthy and drinking enough water
• Going to work
• Attending therapy for ‘minor’ to ‘moderate’ reasons
• Socialising and having fun
• Doctors appointments for one off issues

For disabled people, there may be some added extras:

• Feeling well enough to get dressed
• Feeling well enough to shower/brush teeth
• Eating and drinking enough
• Attempting to go out and socialise
• Working part time or not being able to work
• Attending doctors appointments for ongoing treatment
• Completing copious amounts of ‘medical admin’ such as making said doctors appointments
• Advocating for yourself
• Getting enough exercise or exercising within limits
• Picking up medications from the pharmacy (and remembering to take them!)
• Attending therapy for more complex reasons

Yes, I am taking a more generalised view here, and I am not in any way suggesting that people’s lives (disabled or not) are this simple, but for the sake of ease and to allow me to get my point across – please bare with me!

Acknowledging Privilege

It’s important to recognise that many of the above require:

• Good enough health – everyone with a disability is different, even those with the same condition.
• Money – Many disabled people have conditions which affect their ability to work, and also earn less than their able-bodied counterparts.
• Good support network – Not every disabled person has access to a support network, and we must acknowledge that disabled women are more than twice as likely to experience domestic abuse than non-disabled women. While disabled men are significantly less likely to experience domestic abuse than disabled women, they are still more than twice as likely to experience domestic abuse than non-disabled men.

The ‘spinning plate’ analogy

Imagine spinning plates; the more plates that are added, the more difficult it gets to keep the plates going that are already spinning. The same can be said when it comes to disability.

The reality of mental health

Disabled people are more likely to develop a mental health condition, compared to their non-disabled counterparts.

• Around 1 in 3 people with a physical health condition that limits their activities have a common mental health problem. This compares with around 1 in 8 people who don’t.

• Disabled people who have mental health problems, have the lowest well-being rates.
• Almost two thirds (61%) of disabled people are now chronically lonely, rising to 7 in 10 (70%) of young disabled people.

A full time job…with no pay

The amount of energy it takes to keep on top of everything you need to do in order to stay well, is frankly, insurmountable at times.

If you’re reading this feeling the same way – it’s a thankless, and laborious thing, but you should be proud of yourself for sticking with a routine that works for you, or even if you don’t have a routine yet, for keeping going.

Until next time,

L.

Support Links

If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, please use the links below:

• Shout – available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

• Mind – helplines open 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays)
• National Suicide Prevention Helpline – available every day from 6pm – midnight
• Samaritans – available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week