Hows this forum helped??

[lostinlife]

Hi i only joined tonight and like i said in my intro i am completly new to this forum thing so i am most probably postiong this in the completely wrong topic section but give me time im a reasonable quick learner so hopefully i will create a better understanding and get used to it. Anyway my question is how has this forum really helped people as ive joined to try to help overcome my depression is there anyone on here who has done this with the help of this site and now just logs in due to the friends they have made and to help others?? im sorry if this is an inappropriate thing to ask like i say im new and will learn where the lines are drawn as i go!!

[Obayan]

I have. When i first came here, i was ready to give up. My husband had just died, my daughter was married with her own family, I was all alone. My depression found a whole new depth of misery to explore and I almost was lost in it. Add to that my ptsd, plus many numerous physical ailments, and I was ready to give up on myself and on life. I found the chatroom first before coming to the forums. I got immediate help and love and understanding. Then i found the forums. Today, I still have a lot of physical problems, and i still have ptsd, but I also have a lot of friends who i've made some deep attachments to here. I have a place where I can go and feel wanted, needed, and cared about. I'm a volunteer here as a moderator for the chat room and the forums. I spend my time helping others and making it a safe place for someone else to come and get help. I like to think i've come a long way since first coming here. But honestly, I don't know how i would have made it thru that first year without this place or the wonderful people here.

[crystalgaze]

It's helped tremendously.... It's like I can think out loud, without having to worry....

I find I can organize my thoughts better here than anywhere else or with anything else. (Maybe I'm really too much all over the forum.... ) I tried like an online journal before where things can be marked private (of course), but it wasn't really my cup of tea.... I've used good old fashioned paper & pen, but in the end, it's just thoughts on a page.

What I like about here is that I can get feedback & people will be sensitive.

[TackingIntoTheWind]

Welcome aboard, (((( lostinlife ))))! I can definitely say that being on this forum has helped me a lot! ( In fact the main reason that I actually got around to finally getting myself an e-mail address last year was so that I could post on this forum, as well as reading the posts on this site from other people. )
As I have depression/severe anxiety, I've found a lot on this site to help me manage my depression/anxiety better, and to help me challenge my negative thoughts and fears. ( I've found the meditation tips, humour and quotes on Warmsoul's Corner particularly helpful for this ) Reading the posts from other people on this site is another thing that's been really helpful to me, by hearing about other people's experiences and ways of coping with their own depression, I've learned a great deal of things that have REALLY helped me to manage my own depression better. There are a lot of very intellectual biscuits on this site. ( Or " smart cookies " as our US cousins say! )
Also, I do feel that this site is a very " safe space " as (((( Obayan )))) says. And, as (((( crystalgaze )))) says, it's a place where people " can think out loud ", and in my case vent, in an atmosphere where people who can understand how I feel will be supportive and sensitive.
Also, having depression/anxiety can be very isolating, and being on this site is one of the positive things that helps me feel as if I'm not as alone as I sometimes feel, and fear, that I am.

[Jaymn]

I have a place where I can go and feel wanted, needed, and cared about.

Same for me. I don't think there is another place like this?