Why You Can’t Just “Think Positive” Through Disability | Ep.60

In this episode of The Crippled Chronicles, I’m talking about self-limiting beliefs in disability, the ones that feel less like thoughts and more like facts. The beliefs that say you’re a burden, too much, behind in life, unloveable, weak, or not allowed to take up space.

I talk about how these beliefs form, why they can feel so convincing, and why disability can turn the volume up on old wounds that were already there. I also get into schemas, internalised ableism, self-stigma, disability identity, and how these beliefs can look different depending on whether someone is born disabled or becomes disabled later in childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, midlife or older age.

This is not about toxic positivity or pretending everything is fine. It is about understanding the pattern, naming the belief, noticing what it is protecting you from, and seeing what it is costing you.

If any part of this episode hit home, I’d genuinely love to hear from you in the comments. What is the most believable self-limiting belief you carry, and when do you think you first learned it?

chapters

0:00 When your brain turns one bad day into a life sentence
2:26 Self-limiting beliefs in disability
7:16 Why these beliefs feel true
13:31 The belief that you do not deserve to take up space
20:08 Born disabled vs acquired disability and how beliefs take shape
44:18 Why toxic positivity is useless and what helps instead

If you have better sources, lived experience, or nuance to add, drop it below or email me at [e-mail]

Content note: this episode discusses disability, shame, self-worth, self-stigma, and thoughts around not wanting to be here. Please take care of yourself while listening.

music attribution

Intro and outro music: Angelz by ZiMPL
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB1laV2yy_k


Thank you for being here, thank you for listening to me yap through the chaos, and I’ll speak to you in the next episode.