Social Anxiety Related to Depression

[AnimeChick]

Hi. One of the things I am struggling with is finding things to talk about with people, since I have been struggling with clinical depression for several months now. It's a vicious cycle because I dont have many interests or things I enjoy currently...so I don't know what to talk about with people. Then I become l lonely, which only makes my depression worse.Does anyone have any ideas on things I could do or read so that I have something to talk about with others? Or topics that are good to talk about? Obviously I don't want to talk about my depression, but that's kind of all I have going on right now.

Thank you.

[MediterraneanSea]

Hey AnimeChick, I’m so sorry you’re dealing with that right now. What do you enjoy doing? What do you do during the day? If you don’t know what you like now, what did you like before you felt this way? Or whats something you enjoyed at any point of time in your life? I’m hoping you can find something.

I’d then chase that thing or those things. For example, I enjoy mini golf. So I go with friends or family whenever I can. Even if it feels daunting going (which I know it’s hard to move in a depressive state) you’ll feel better after. Not only that, but I’m sure you’ll have some fun stories to tell.

I also agree with Learning2B that focusing on them and being genuinely curious about their life helps a lot (even if you have to fake it in the beginning. Pretend it’s a game and you’re an actress. Then you can learn how to be that way and maybe it’ll become natural over time. It seems silly but it worked for me). As someone who suffers from social anxiety I can tell you that my biggest issues are getting stuck in my own head, focusing on my anxiety or just letting my mind wander. What’s helped me with that is meditation, specifically “mental noting” and what I said above. Also doing stuff and creating stories helps.

Hopefully I had some helpful ideas. I wish you the best!