I have nothing to add save for a yes on walks/strolls/rolls/getoutofthehouse.

generic internet +1/like/right on!/etc

Go Gimp! If computer use is not a big issue you might want to look into grant writing. You can make money and benefit non-profit groups. Amazon books.

My effective date of disability was April 2004. I live in a completely different time stream from the rest of the world. I move slower but I have plenty of time to accomplish any given task. Also, reducing stress overall makes the bad days much more bearable, and you should soon discover on your own that few matters are really as important as society would have us believe. Social conceits like 'momentum' and 'purpose in life' will be among the many things that you will be redefining to suit your own purposes and circumstances.

Above all, learn to take joy from the tasks that you can or must accomplish. Meals and housekeeping can be made fun rather than burdensome when you tailor your diet around what you like or surround yourself with things that give you pleasure. If you don't really like lettuce-based salads (as an example), don't eat them; substitute raw veggies that you do like. If you find something like dusting is a drab chore, then perhaps you have outgrown that set of nic-nacs and can replace them with your more current interests.

Your state of well-being becomes your own number one responsibility, and the sooner others in your life learn that disabled means just that, the sooner you can unburden yourself from concerns that others should be handling, if at all.

Wow, Ardiril, that is amazing. + Favorite added.

Ard, that was great. My effective date of disability was September 2004, and I still have much to learn (especially since I remain nagged by a feeling that they made a mistake that they'll discover any time now and throw me to the wolves). A little New Years Resolution-ing has given me three (relatively) productive days so far this year, but I already feel like I have hit a wall. Still, my biggest emotional accomplishment in recent months has been in redefining that 'purpose in life' thing. And it's part of a process I started 2 years ago (TWO YEARS?!?) when I tossed off the Wendell web identity (of course, as everyone here will testify to, I still act like the Wendell online). And my father's death last year dropped a lot of unwanted responsibility onto his sole heir which I'm just now regaining some balance from. Part of me is still feeling guilty for my 'get out of work free' card - when I am not feeling the full force of my physical ailments - but I am already on track to make 2012 one of the best years of my life... which means I should expect my heart to give out any day now. Anyway, if I can give any advice, it's that every process will be slower than you may feel it should be, so give yourself TIME. Which is a significant re-learning process when you've dropped out of a demanding job, even if you witnessed your own performance deteriorating as I did my last couple years at my last job - I was definitely eating away at several years of good-performance respect, but my last boss was still more than willing to support me in the process toward Official Disability (AFTER I was laid off).

Ardiril's advice applies to everyone, disabled or not.

I'm not on disability, but I am unemployed and I do have slightly limited mobility, so maybe this is useful to you.

One of the big things for me was realizing that there are things from my old life that I just can't do, or --- harder --- that I shouldn't try to do. Funnily enough, the big changes were hard, but the small changes are all but impossible. It's easier to accept that I can't (for example) move a sofa on my own, because --- hey, I tried and I can't. It's harder to accept that I can't reach the tippy-top shelf in the kitchen, because I can, it just hurts and is awkward.

So. I guess I'm saying it's helpful and healthy to respect the small changes in your abilities, because those are the ones that can erode your patience and your sense of well-being.

I agree that LEAVING THE HOUSE is important. I make plans to do even the smallest things things out in the world: do research at the library (when I could look stuff up online), walk to the corner store (when I could have picked it up on the weekly grocery trip), stuff like that.

For me, it's also a chance to get some walking in, which is crucial to my physical and emotional health*. Depending on your condition, you may find that this new lifestyle is missing something crucial to your physical or emotional health. But you can find a way to build it into your life. Don't be shy about doing it; your well-being is key.

*I've had an extremely nasty cold and haven't been outside for a full week. Today is the first day I've been well enough to be feeling cooped up, but I CERTAINLY DO FEEL COOPED UP.