any advice would be appreciated. Thanks for reading
Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2018 8:45 pm
Hi,
My name is Brady. I'm not expecting much if anything from this but it doesn't seem like I have anywhere else to turn to. I've been dealing with depression and anxiety for a very long time, probably since I could remember, but haven't told anyone. Recently it's gotten very difficult to manage so I began to write what I was thinking down. I thought if I did that the thoughts become real, and i may be able to find a solution instead of letting them fester in my mind. But its only helped a little, as I haven't been able to have much success. Here are my notes from the past few months: thank you for your time. Any input would be appreciated. Good or bad just please be honest. I'm honestly feeling pretty freaking hopeless at this point.
Things that give me the most stress:
. Being alone--
. Worrying about when one of my parents dying and being able to take care of the family and the house-- will I be able to have my own life?
. Starting a family-- at 24 I'm closer to 30 than 17...
. Job/career. Do I need to go back to school? If so for what? I have no idea what I want to do. I just want to make enough to live comfortably and have a few nice things. Nothing spectacular. ---or do I stick out my job and hope for a promotion?
. Being 24. And at home. Alone. Doing the same thing over and over on repeat.
. I feel like my life is on repeat mode. I just do the same thing every day and I'm just waiting for something to happen and it never does.
. Being extremely self conscious. Just being inside my own head. I think about thinking I think so much.
. Self esteem and self worth should probably be here too.
. I honestly feel so stupid sometimes. It takes me longer to understand things than most people, and even then sometimes don't get it.
. Just talking to most people in general. I literally can't small talk.
. Being 24 and wasting my life away into nothing. This is supposed to be the best years of my life and so far they're the worst. Am I missing something? Or missing out on something? Will I regret things that I wished I would of done when I was young?
. Trying to find someone to date who isn't basic and has some human decency and has understanding.
. When do I move out? Do I buy a house? Do I get an apartment? And when I do move out I'm going to be more alone than ever.
. I'm scared of getting older. Because it's not just me. My parents. My brother. Everybody that I've known. It's honestly terrifying.
. I worry about my my families health.
. I worry about my dad a lot. Not just physically but mentally too. He feels that he never got a fair shake in life because he became disabled. Which is true.
. I worry about my mom. She lives her life on repeat mode as well, but on a much worse scale. I don't know if she can ever snap out of it. I'm not saying she doesn't work hard but is miserable everyday. I would like her to try something else or try a hobby or something.
. I worry about Ben (my brother who has learning disabilities) Just everything really.
It's good that he started to drive and tried something different than the grocery store. But still. He's 26 and is at home too.
. I've noticed my life has gone from down hill to almost out of control after me and Maddy split 3 years ago. (my girlfriend who I dated in high school and college for nearly 5 years.) I had so much promise. So much to live for. In hindsight that day was probably the worst day of my life.. I still remember the last time she said she loved me across the street getting into her jeep right after we decided to end it. I remember how her voice sounded. It was so genuine.. The days I spent with her is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life..
. Something that I will never understand is why I was so numb and okay with everything that was happening around me, or I didn't try harder to mend things.. I honestly was going to to at least try in Mexico but she was already dating someone from tinder at the time. (We remained friends and went on vacation a few months later). (we used to hang out after we broke up occasionally and stayed in touch the first year but don't talk too much now). Too little too late I guess... I wonder if I ever cross her mind.. how often? Good or bad? ....for its me everyday.. from day one. I can't help it. Whether I like it or not it happens. I had her as my #1 priority and mentally I still do. Not talking to each other like we used to and growing apart is terrifying..
. I almost want to reach out to her and at least try to meet up to talk or tell her how I feel but I don't want to make her uncomfortable. I would feel like I would be bothering her and putting her in a rough position. I thought just giving her space would make her happy, and that's what I wanted. But it hurts me inside because it's your best friend your entire young adulthood just disappearing forever and it makes me sad.
. Am I allowed to feel sad? Am I allowed to miss her? I tried moving on but something wasn't just right. Maybe it's still possible but the future looks bleak, especially without her. The whole thing shattered me. And I've never been able to pick up the pieces.. and it's my fault.
. But let's just turn on another video game and try to forget about everything that's going on, and pretend to go somewhere else..
. I feel like I'm losing my mind.
. I keep having thoughts about this memory I've been suppressing. It was in Kindergarten, maybe the first or second week of school. I was confident, ambitious, sociable, extroverted. When I was at recess the boys were playing tackle football, but we weren't supposed to. I saw a teacher coming our way so I slowly backed away and pretended I wasn't playing. It worked, and they all got in trouble except me. This would go on for weeks. I slowly disconnected myself with that group out of fear of getting in trouble. These group of kids would hang out all together, and I was left alone. Weeks turned to months, months turned to years, and I was left without hardly any friends in school.
Being that young at age 5 when my brain was still developing mentally and physically I never had a real opportunity to develop proper social skills and confidence. It was social isolation. I was always left out which made me feel unwanted. Like there was something wrong with me. My entire upbringing I have felt that way. Unwanted. Undesirable. Unloveable. Too awkward and too weird to be normal.
This impacted me through high-school and adulthood. It impacts me now. Once I started dating Maddy, I would give her anything she wanted. And then some, all over the fear of being unwanted. Unappreciated. Fear that I wasn't good enough. On the Contrary I was too good. I was perfect. Well not 100% perfect, but close to perfect as I could be. I gave 110% of what I had and I devoted it to her. never told her no. I pushed away Ben, Dallas, Justin and Brianna, (my friends/family) my parents, all for her. I sacrificed everything, because if I didn't I would feel like a failure. Failure of a human being, and I couldn't accept that. Turns out being "perfect" wasn't enough. I failed anyway.
This event in kindergarten I think is the reason of who I am today. All the negative things I've been experiencing. Depression, anxiety, numbness, mood swings, introverted, awkward, lack of confidence, over thinking.
Sometimes I wonder if I played with that group of kids that day, I would be a completely different person. Different personality, different friends, different experiences., different character traits. I would have had a completely different life because of that one day.
Social isolation.
It's been eating at me... bad.. it's the root cause of everything that I've been through. It shattered my entire identity of who i was at that time, and the impact of that event I still carry with me. Influencing my decisions, how I talk, how I think, how I perceive the world, my personality... Just because it doesn't sound traumatic to someone else doesn't mean it wasn't traumatic to me. Trauma comes in all shapes and sizes, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.
I don't know why I'm writing all of this down but if I can understand it maybe I can be the solution. If there is one
. I think I'm unloveable.
.The only way I can actually get someone to like me is becoming agreeable. Because it's easy. And I don't think I have the tools to form a legitimate emotional/ friendly bond with anyone.
. I feel like I spend more time trying to escape life than to live it.
My name is Brady. I'm not expecting much if anything from this but it doesn't seem like I have anywhere else to turn to. I've been dealing with depression and anxiety for a very long time, probably since I could remember, but haven't told anyone. Recently it's gotten very difficult to manage so I began to write what I was thinking down. I thought if I did that the thoughts become real, and i may be able to find a solution instead of letting them fester in my mind. But its only helped a little, as I haven't been able to have much success. Here are my notes from the past few months: thank you for your time. Any input would be appreciated. Good or bad just please be honest. I'm honestly feeling pretty freaking hopeless at this point.
Things that give me the most stress:
. Being alone--
. Worrying about when one of my parents dying and being able to take care of the family and the house-- will I be able to have my own life?
. Starting a family-- at 24 I'm closer to 30 than 17...
. Job/career. Do I need to go back to school? If so for what? I have no idea what I want to do. I just want to make enough to live comfortably and have a few nice things. Nothing spectacular. ---or do I stick out my job and hope for a promotion?
. Being 24. And at home. Alone. Doing the same thing over and over on repeat.
. I feel like my life is on repeat mode. I just do the same thing every day and I'm just waiting for something to happen and it never does.
. Being extremely self conscious. Just being inside my own head. I think about thinking I think so much.
. Self esteem and self worth should probably be here too.
. I honestly feel so stupid sometimes. It takes me longer to understand things than most people, and even then sometimes don't get it.
. Just talking to most people in general. I literally can't small talk.
. Being 24 and wasting my life away into nothing. This is supposed to be the best years of my life and so far they're the worst. Am I missing something? Or missing out on something? Will I regret things that I wished I would of done when I was young?
. Trying to find someone to date who isn't basic and has some human decency and has understanding.
. When do I move out? Do I buy a house? Do I get an apartment? And when I do move out I'm going to be more alone than ever.
. I'm scared of getting older. Because it's not just me. My parents. My brother. Everybody that I've known. It's honestly terrifying.
. I worry about my my families health.
. I worry about my dad a lot. Not just physically but mentally too. He feels that he never got a fair shake in life because he became disabled. Which is true.
. I worry about my mom. She lives her life on repeat mode as well, but on a much worse scale. I don't know if she can ever snap out of it. I'm not saying she doesn't work hard but is miserable everyday. I would like her to try something else or try a hobby or something.
. I worry about Ben (my brother who has learning disabilities) Just everything really.
It's good that he started to drive and tried something different than the grocery store. But still. He's 26 and is at home too.
. I've noticed my life has gone from down hill to almost out of control after me and Maddy split 3 years ago. (my girlfriend who I dated in high school and college for nearly 5 years.) I had so much promise. So much to live for. In hindsight that day was probably the worst day of my life.. I still remember the last time she said she loved me across the street getting into her jeep right after we decided to end it. I remember how her voice sounded. It was so genuine.. The days I spent with her is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life..
. Something that I will never understand is why I was so numb and okay with everything that was happening around me, or I didn't try harder to mend things.. I honestly was going to to at least try in Mexico but she was already dating someone from tinder at the time. (We remained friends and went on vacation a few months later). (we used to hang out after we broke up occasionally and stayed in touch the first year but don't talk too much now). Too little too late I guess... I wonder if I ever cross her mind.. how often? Good or bad? ....for its me everyday.. from day one. I can't help it. Whether I like it or not it happens. I had her as my #1 priority and mentally I still do. Not talking to each other like we used to and growing apart is terrifying..
. I almost want to reach out to her and at least try to meet up to talk or tell her how I feel but I don't want to make her uncomfortable. I would feel like I would be bothering her and putting her in a rough position. I thought just giving her space would make her happy, and that's what I wanted. But it hurts me inside because it's your best friend your entire young adulthood just disappearing forever and it makes me sad.
. Am I allowed to feel sad? Am I allowed to miss her? I tried moving on but something wasn't just right. Maybe it's still possible but the future looks bleak, especially without her. The whole thing shattered me. And I've never been able to pick up the pieces.. and it's my fault.
. But let's just turn on another video game and try to forget about everything that's going on, and pretend to go somewhere else..
. I feel like I'm losing my mind.
. I keep having thoughts about this memory I've been suppressing. It was in Kindergarten, maybe the first or second week of school. I was confident, ambitious, sociable, extroverted. When I was at recess the boys were playing tackle football, but we weren't supposed to. I saw a teacher coming our way so I slowly backed away and pretended I wasn't playing. It worked, and they all got in trouble except me. This would go on for weeks. I slowly disconnected myself with that group out of fear of getting in trouble. These group of kids would hang out all together, and I was left alone. Weeks turned to months, months turned to years, and I was left without hardly any friends in school.
Being that young at age 5 when my brain was still developing mentally and physically I never had a real opportunity to develop proper social skills and confidence. It was social isolation. I was always left out which made me feel unwanted. Like there was something wrong with me. My entire upbringing I have felt that way. Unwanted. Undesirable. Unloveable. Too awkward and too weird to be normal.
This impacted me through high-school and adulthood. It impacts me now. Once I started dating Maddy, I would give her anything she wanted. And then some, all over the fear of being unwanted. Unappreciated. Fear that I wasn't good enough. On the Contrary I was too good. I was perfect. Well not 100% perfect, but close to perfect as I could be. I gave 110% of what I had and I devoted it to her. never told her no. I pushed away Ben, Dallas, Justin and Brianna, (my friends/family) my parents, all for her. I sacrificed everything, because if I didn't I would feel like a failure. Failure of a human being, and I couldn't accept that. Turns out being "perfect" wasn't enough. I failed anyway.
This event in kindergarten I think is the reason of who I am today. All the negative things I've been experiencing. Depression, anxiety, numbness, mood swings, introverted, awkward, lack of confidence, over thinking.
Sometimes I wonder if I played with that group of kids that day, I would be a completely different person. Different personality, different friends, different experiences., different character traits. I would have had a completely different life because of that one day.
Social isolation.
It's been eating at me... bad.. it's the root cause of everything that I've been through. It shattered my entire identity of who i was at that time, and the impact of that event I still carry with me. Influencing my decisions, how I talk, how I think, how I perceive the world, my personality... Just because it doesn't sound traumatic to someone else doesn't mean it wasn't traumatic to me. Trauma comes in all shapes and sizes, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.
I don't know why I'm writing all of this down but if I can understand it maybe I can be the solution. If there is one
. I think I'm unloveable.
.The only way I can actually get someone to like me is becoming agreeable. Because it's easy. And I don't think I have the tools to form a legitimate emotional/ friendly bond with anyone.
. I feel like I spend more time trying to escape life than to live it.