Your fears are valid. As you touched on, there's a ton of stigma around being disabled, especially where invisible conditions are involved (e.g. neurological disorders), and especially for men. And, indeed, it's quite possible for a man to be victimized by a woman.
But, it's not all bad news.
The thing to do is take reasonable steps to protect yourself both practically and emotionally.
For example, when you go to meet someone new, make sure someone else--a friend or other trusted person--knows where you'll be and when. This is common advice, it's what my mother taught me, and it's a good idea.
As for the emotional side of things, please take this to heart: if someone blames, ridicules, or otherwise abuses you for being disabled, all they're doing is putting up a big red flag that says they're not worth your time. That kind of crap is a problem with them, not with you. It's actually rather convenient to have such an obvious indicator of a person's character to watch for.
It's fundamentally normal for humans to fear letting other humans into positions of trust in their lives. You just gotta try not to worry any more than is -practical.- I know that might be very difficult, what with depression and an anxiety disorder. It's a goal to strive for as best you can and an idea to use as ammunition against any excessive worry your brain might be drawn toward.
Is it normal that I fear letting women in my life?
← View full post
Your fears are valid. As you touched on, there's a ton of stigma around being disabled, especially where invisible conditions are involved (e.g. neurological disorders), and especially for men. And, indeed, it's quite possible for a man to be victimized by a woman.
But, it's not all bad news.
The thing to do is take reasonable steps to protect yourself both practically and emotionally.
For example, when you go to meet someone new, make sure someone else--a friend or other trusted person--knows where you'll be and when. This is common advice, it's what my mother taught me, and it's a good idea.
As for the emotional side of things, please take this to heart: if someone blames, ridicules, or otherwise abuses you for being disabled, all they're doing is putting up a big red flag that says they're not worth your time. That kind of crap is a problem with them, not with you. It's actually rather convenient to have such an obvious indicator of a person's character to watch for.
It's fundamentally normal for humans to fear letting other humans into positions of trust in their lives. You just gotta try not to worry any more than is -practical.- I know that might be very difficult, what with depression and an anxiety disorder. It's a goal to strive for as best you can and an idea to use as ammunition against any excessive worry your brain might be drawn toward.