Getting out there

[Hullaballoo]

Hullaballoo here.

I've had a mood disorder for decades and I'm just getting around to acknowledging the severity of my anxiety issues. Does anyone have suggestions for how to find people to help lift me out of my rut?

[BonnieSue]

I'm not sure what you mean by finding people to help lift you out of your rut. Do you mean like a psychiatrist (medical doctor) to treat the mood disorder and maybe prescribe a drug and a counselor or therapist to help you understand your mood disorder and talk to you about how to live with it and what to do about it and how to feel better?

[Hullaballoo in reply to BonnieSue]

It's great to hear from you!

I have consulted professionals, but I am concerned that I have isolated myself to the point where I'm trying to use the counselors as friends rather than reaching out to others around me. It seems I have a whole lot of challenges such as where I'm living/who I'm living with, anxiety that I've been slow to acknowledge, and depression. Patience and outreach seem to be key. I have been to several NAMI meetings, and I'm accumulating Coping Techniques from discussion boards.

[BonnieSue in reply to Hullaballoo]

Okay, you recognize where you need to do more, so that's great! No more head in the sand. You're going to the meetings and you can work toward making a friend or two. You're already accumulating Coping Techniques which is awesome. Have you put them in use and had success? That's the real litmus test. I hope you have.

And you are so right---patience and outreach are key! And so are other traits---it takes so much to turn yourself around when you have these problems because by their very nature they want to dodge responsibility, they tell you to go to bed and hide under the covers, sleeping the day away and not leaving your home.