Just need a little help.

[matt17]

Hi guys,

This is my first post in this group and I am here because I have anxiety and symptoms of depression. I’m not truly diagnosed, however I experience panic attacks in large crowds and in social situations, and I also find it difficult to feel any emotion on a daily basis, and often spend hours sitting at home, unable to leave the house or talk to anyone.

I recently got a new job that pays a lot, but is very stressful. It’s in customer service, so it’s a lot of social interaction and there are very high expectations at this place. I also recently experienced a really hard breakup, which really adds on to my anxiety. I thought I did the right thing by breaking up, because I was feeling overwhelmed in the relationship. But now I feel guilt and shame that I didn’t give her a fair chance to change.

Right now I just don’t have any motivation or interest in anything and it’s really hard. Any thoughts to help me through this rough patch?

Thank you in advance for listening.

[Emily16]

I’m still trying to handle things myself. I have learned that my faith can actually make me stronger.

[matt17 in reply to Emily16]

That is a valuable thing to have learned. You’re a step ahead when you know what makes you stronger!

[Emily16 in reply to matt17]

Is there a hobby you’d like to pick up? It’s good for the mind when we teach it new things.

[matt17 in reply to Emily16]

I have noticed I’ve been out of touch with hobbies lately... with my new 8-5, it feels like time is super crunched to do anything hobby wise but I think reading and writing would be great to get into again.

[Emily16 in reply to matt17]

Awesome! Let me know if you’d like any book suggestions.🤓

[MT2018 in reply to matt17]

Ohhhhh I see you like to write!!! Me too! I also work full-time so can't spend the time writing like I would prefer...but I found a great platform called 'Scrivener' which allows me to make random notes and writings and then organize them later into a more cohesive writing piece. This is so much better than MS Word or Google Docs for me, because I can write digital index cards and sort later-whereas in MS Word I get overwhelmed trying to organize my thoughts and the document. Just a thought By the way-if you like to write, you could always try your hand at free-lancing! Plenty of people (including myself for over 5 years) make enough to live on! No anxiety, no social interaction required A great place to start is called 'Fiverr'. Start small and work your way up! I also write on UpWork. Thoughts......

[whirlybird5]

I can definitely relate - I have a lot of trouble in social situations as well, and because of that I spend many hours at home with nothing concrete to do. A lot of times I'll combat this by going for a walk or doing some deep breathing/reading a book to occupy my mind for a bit - maybe that would help you out?

[matt17 in reply to whirlybird5]

Thanks for your reply whirlybird5 do you have any book suggestions? It’s been a while since I’ve been able to get into a good book.

[whirlybird5 in reply to matt17]

Yeah! I'm really into mysteries, might be a little counteractive for anxiety haha but The Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French is one of my favorites - really intricate and compelling stuff to read imo

[matt17 in reply to whirlybird5]

Very cool! Thank you for the suggestion

[matt17 in reply to whirlybird5]

Whirlybird5 just went to my local library and they didn’t have In The Woods 😭 however I did pick up a book and started reading today. It was very relaxing 😌 thank you for encouraging me to pick up a book.

[whirlybird5 in reply to matt17]

Thats great, no problem! What book did you read?

[matt17 in reply to whirlybird5]

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. Reading it again because it’s one of my favorites.

[Marshall64 in reply to matt17]

That is a great book. I have that one.

[Hidden in reply to matt17]

Is this book helping you? I love to read, but when I am anxious I must choose carefully. Breakups are tough. Although it is hard to understand why that happened, please try to focus on today and stay hopeful. You will not feel this way forever. Best wishes...one day at a time.

[Emily16 in reply to whirlybird5]

Always read books!!!!📚💕