Depression and Anxiety

[Alpheus500]

Hello I have been suffering from anxiety and depression for a few years. I have never felt good about myself and constantly battle negative thoughts that go thru my mind. It prevents me from sleeping and keeps me awake. My anxiety is off and on and when its at its highest it prevents me from eating causing me to lose a lot of weight too quickly. I am 27 years old and graduated college last August. I am looking for a job in chemical engineering and have gotten close a few times but no luck. I want to start out my life but I do not yet own a car. I am very lonely and summer is the worst season for me. Just a few friends that I hangout with a few times a week and then Im on my own the rest of the weel. I want things to change but have no transportation or friends that arent busy to do things often enough. When I do make friends they eventually slowly stop answering my messages until they stop talking to me completely without warning. I just want things to get better.

[marts0001]

Hello, I have the same problems and would just like to let you know that you're not alone. I have crippling social anxiety and can't make new friends, I've moved to a new area and I have no friends. I am alone most of the time but I do have children that I love very much and that keeps me going. They don't live with me, I split up from my wife and now live alone and it does get lonely. No one speaks to me on Facebook and no one would miss me if I closed my account. My old friends have either moved away or died from drugs or depression. I talk to people online but I even have anxiety about that too. I'm 38 today and can't see an end to my depression and anxiety but I do cope alright as I'm sort of used to it but it is very painful to go out and talk to anyone.

[Alpheus500 in reply to marts0001]

Hey I try to talk to people on facebook and get very little replies. Its tought going through that. I myself do not ignore people. I find people do that in general and not just to me. Its just something they do. Just know I would not ignore you on facebook or take a friendship for granted.

[NikkiTexas]

Hello, my name is Nikki. You are surely not alone in your feelings. I'm 33 married with 4 amazing children. Every day is a struggle for me since I never know what will trigger my anxiety. Certain things I know trigger me but those things are hard to stay away from. I haven't been yo the doctor in awhile because I'm embarrassed to admit what is really going on. I am also so focused on taking care of my family that I don't take care of myself like I should. I've tried to mask my feelings for so long that when I have a trigger I blow up and push people away. I've always felt like I can't say how I feel because people either tell me that they don't care or that i should get over it so that has caused me to bottle everything up..which in turn makes it all worse. I've finally decided that I can't keep going like this and am going to the doctor.

[Alpheus500 in reply to NikkiTexas]

Yea I usually have to bottle up my feelings. I met who I thought was my new best friend a few months ago and was finally able to tell someone my feelings. She has similar issues. But she has pushed me awhile and have been distant. Its made me very upset. I dont know why I attract people like this.

[NikkiTexas in reply to Alpheus500]

I think that some people even those in a similar situation may not understand all the time

[Alpheus500 in reply to NikkiTexas]

Yea its just tough always getting the cold shoulder. If the person at least told me they needed more time or they dont want to talk right now Id be ok with it. At least give me a heads up.

[mjlitl13]

Hi, I have suffered from anxiety most of my life and didn't even know that I was also suffering from depression until a therapist pointed it out to me in my 20's!

I have been in therapy, with 3 different therapists, over the years, and I also take medication for my anxiety. Many years ago, I had terrible panic attacks which is the main reason for my anti-anxiety meds. I also have taken various anti-depressants, over the years and the combo of Zoloft and Wellbutrin helped a lot with just one annoying SIDE effect.

However, the thing that REALLY helped me was when I joined a support group. In my case, it was AL-ANON ACOA (Adult Children Of Alcoholics).

You don't need to be a child of an alcoholic to join. If you come from a dysfunctional family, the feelings are all similar.

Before ACOA, I was always too shy to participate in Groups, and I even tried one given by my therapist but I failed miserably, since I could never talk/share in that group.

I prefer the free groups not run by a professional.

I DID make a friend, who I felt was my best friend for many years in an ACOA group, but after many years, she stopped going to the group I was attending and just seemed to "disappear" from my life. So, I understand where you are coming from about that.

Since, most all of the ACOA groups are no longer in my area, I found a new support group using meetup.com.

I have only been going for a few weeks, but I am able to share and chat with others in the group easily.

Keep coming back here. There is ALWAYS hope for change!

As for Facebook, I never had much of a problem with it maybe since I knew quite a few of my FB friends BEFORE they became FB friends.

I would be happy to have you as a FB friend!

Take Care and Hugs,

MJ

[Alpheus500 in reply to mjlitl13]

Thank you so much for the reply. It sounds like you would be an amazing facebook friend. I want to get over loneliness and depression I feel about myself. I recently discovered meetup but need a car to get to the groups.

[mjlitl13 in reply to Alpheus500]

Oh yeah, that's right! How are you getting around now when you DO go out? Rides from friends?

I guess you don't have the money to use Uber to get to just one meeting a week, huh?

Hugs,

MJ

[Alpheus500 in reply to mjlitl13]

Yea rides from friends. I work down the street from my house so I ride my bike to work. Hoping to get another job and a car soon. Hoping things will change nothing is right in my life.

[mjlitl13 in reply to Alpheus500]

I know what you mean. I am a lot older than you, but not where it counts, meaning in the way of feelings.

I am retired now, actually I retired early after getting laid off at age 58.

It has been harder to make friends to do stuff with since I retired, even though I didn't socialize with the folks I worked with.

My boyfriend, who lives with me suffers from depression too, but his meds are not working plus he may have a sleep disorder, so we don't go out anywhere.

Lonely is my middle name, so to speak.

I just recently went back to volunteering at the library where I used to volunteer, but a lot of the friends I met there before are either retired or work on a different day than I am on now.

Volunteering can help with depression and anxiety because, when you are helping others, you are not thinking of your own problems, well not as much. Plus, you MIGHT make some new friends!

I am trying to figure out how we can be FB friends, if you still want to be, and do this privately.

I will look into it, if it's ok with you.

Gotta go now. Waiting for my dinner and then going to my meeting!

Have a goo night,

MJ

[Alpheus500 in reply to mjlitl13]

Ok sounds good. And yea somehow we can try to become friends on fb privately.

[mjlitl13 in reply to Alpheus500]

I just sent you a private message.

Let me know if you got it.

[Alpheus500 in reply to mjlitl13]

I got your message and Im gonna try it out now.

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I can relate 100% I thought I was the only one who felt like this, we're not alone in feeling this way. I know you read my post, it was similar but you wrote your thoughts and feelings out better lol 😊 We're in the same boat, we'll take the ride together. Im here if you need to vent or talk too on a bad day or good.