New member !

[yenttirb]

hello ! my name is Brittney im 20 years young and i have struggled with anxiety my whole life.

its progressively gotten worse over the years and i have now been taking medication (Zoloft) for almost a year now. im in the process of starting therapy again!

Im the oldest in the family, i only have one other sibling and hes in high school.

i am pretty much a caregiver for my dad, my mom works full time two hours away from home and i hardly see her. i go to school and work full time as a retail manager and i recently got back together with my partner this year.

i aspire to get my doctoral degree in clinical psychology and become a therapist because mental health and psychology is my whole entire world. i study it in my free time, constantly looking for new ways to better take care of myself and cope with my anxiety. along with learning how i can be a better support system for those i love.

i moved to SC in 2020 but grew up and spent my whole life in Florida. so even though Ive been living here for 3 years now, i still don't have many friends. Ive ofc met some, but people come and they go.

i love my partner and they have always been super supportive and caring towards me and my mental health. i usually come to them when the weight of the world and my family starts to get the best of me. but lately Ive been feeling like a broken record

coming to them with the same issues they cant really help me with. and lately i haven't been feeling reassured in the ways i really need. i don't blame them. i know what im dealing with requires professional help, hence me starting therapy soon.

but i still feel alone. i feel like a burden when i come to them and talk to them about these things. i don't have anyone else outside of my partner to go to either. and i can only ue the crisis hotline and restate my story and struggles so much until its gets tiring.

so i am turning ti this support group. i hope and pray i can find individual who struggle in the ways i do, who can maybe relate and give me the comfort and reassurance i am looking for. people i can also support as well because its so isolating to be around people you love and care about and KNOW they just don't have the capacity or understanding to help you with what you are struggling with mentally. its a terrible feeling that makes me want to crawl in a hole and hide away from everyone.

[Hb2003]

Hello welcome to this kind supportive community 😊

[Thankfulforhelp22]

Glad to have you here. There are many good folks on this site. It’s wonderful that you are studying to be in the psychology field. There is great need!

Caregivers need care as well. Perhaps your therapist can help you find others sources of support.

Sounds like you do a lot for others. I hope you find support and uplift here. I can’t think of any suggestions at the moment but I hope you get what you need. Please remember that you deserve it. You’ll likely make a wonderful psychologist because you will empathize and sympathize.

Hope you feel better soon.

[Sylvain-]

Hi, Yenttrip. I am almost certain I can guess what your first name is

Speaking of that, you can see I use my (real) first-name as my pseudo here. It is probably not recommended, but I spent my entire life trying to hide my difficulties and pretending "everything was alright," while it was the exact opposite. While I do not wear my mental condition as a banner, I do not feel the need to hide it as a shameful secret anymore.

My better piece of advice would be to seek professional help and keep engaged with the therapist that suits you the most. Medication is also beneficial to me. Besides my wife and child, I speak to no one, so my opinion is open to discussion. Still, I am not sure close friends and acquaintances are the best sources to seek help: most people do not understand depression, and some uninformed advice may be counterproductive even if given with the best intentions.

I also find this forum very helpful and supportive. It is the only place I openly share my difficulties with the others. You are not alone. Do hesitate to come here to ask for help. There will always be someone to hear you.