Guess it depends on a lot of other factors. For me, I've been off work since 2015...every job before that my mental health always got worse to a point I was self harming at work. The last job I was taking over 100 calls a day, most abusive. I got to a point where my life hadn't changed one bit in years, I had 4 weeks holiday a year and never did anything during them, just stayed at home, no friends, no relationships. I wanted to end things for good but for the first time ever did something different, I booked a 3 month trip across the States. Was the best experience of my life. Since the age of 11, I had not gone a year without self harming so when I come back from my trip I refused to go back to a job. I wanted to concentrate on my health for once.

It took 3 years but got diagnosed with autism, I had worked some of the worst jobs for that and that's why I always got worse. I had a job coach for a while but we could never find anything suitable locally. Then Covid hit. I've since then found my passion with writing and done my first novel which I will be self publishing in the new year. I've used some of my savings to make investments in crypto (which aren't doing good at the mo but come next bullrun, will definitely help me) My home life has changed as my dad used to argue daily over jobs with me but once I got diagnosed he became the most supportive person. Since 2015, I have only self harmed once and that was during covid. To go from almost weekly self harming since 11, to once in 7 years is a massive improvement. I want to work but it has to be something suitable as I fear I will end up back in that dark place.