Anxiety, depression and insomnia

[Flowergirl99]

Hello,
I'm not really sure how to start this.
I guess I've had anxiety and depression for years now. But lately the last couple months it's all been way worse.
At work no matter how hard I try. Or how many extra hours I put in (I start early, stay late and come in on my days off)
I still seem to be getting told I'm not good enough.
I haven't been able to go out with friends without having a mental break down and bursting into tears.
My boyfriend is understanding and tries to help and listen but I just get frustrated ad he doesn't quite understand. My parents try to help but always seem to just say don't think about it.
I was seeing a therapist but it all got too expensive.
I find I'm only getting like 4 or 5 hours sleep and just seem to be really hard and negative on myself. I've gained weight as eating is like a comfort. I feel like I have no future as I'm not overly smart and don't have any real interest. I don't really have any friends either.

I'm just not sure what to do at this point to get out of this slunpt. And how to be more positive and confident in myself.
If anyone has any tips I would appriciate it.

[white knight]

Hi, welcome

Often with “slumps” in our life it’s from the snowball effect. Many people with depression can not tolerate too much stress, our bucket overflows more easily.

Lack of sleep compounds it all. It’s well known that lack of sleep is a major factor why we are moody or over reactive.

Unfortunately we don’t have a reset button apart from holidays. We need to chip away at issues to eliminate them and there is many things we can consider in that process.

- try not to have any expectations of others to understand your mental deficiencies. What they cannot see, they find difficult to assist with

- read up on raising confidence, attend motivation lectures, self praise

- evaluate your job and occupation especially the hours of work.

- more relaxation

- consult your GP

Here is some reading up on the topics above. You only need to read the first post if each thread

use google

beyondblue topic a good nights deep sleep

beyondblue topic the best praise you’ll ever get

beyondblue topic the just won’t understand- why?

beyondblue topic distraction and variety

beyondblue topic depression,a ship on the high seas

beyondblue topic he helped me for 25 years- Maharaji

I hope they help.

TonyWK

[White_Rose]

Dear Flowergirl

Hello and welcome. Great to have you here.

I don't know if this will help, many people struggle about depression etc so you are not alone. I say this because the day I found out I almost burst into tears with relief. It shows how little knowledge is out there. Here you will find people who offer their experiences and what helped them. So stay and chat with us. We get you.

Under The Facts at the top of the page you can follow links to the information available on beyondblue. Fact sheets you can download but must send for booklets. No charge. If you give some of this information to family members and BF it may help them understand what is happening for you.

May I ask what sort of therapist you were seeing? Psychiatrist/psychologist/counsellor? Seeing a psychologist who bulk bills via a mental health plan may be an option for you. See your GP to set this up. Psychiatrists usually have out of pocket expenses which vary from therapist to therapist. Again chat to your GP. The advantage with a psychiatrist is their fees are always refunded to a large extent by Medicare. Seeing a psychologist with a mental health plan means you have only ten sessions per year. However this may be enough.

There are many community organisations that offer free or low priced consultations. Salvation Army, Relationships Australia, Anglicare plus any local organisations. This is an area your GP can point you to.

Clearly you are under a great deal of stress from work. This kind of stress does interfere with sleeping and it becomes a habit which is difficult to change. May I suggest you see your GP for a check-up. There may be underlying causes which are adding to your distress. Not necessarily serious but the nagging type.

Having looked at your work hours I am appalled that your employer allows you to work such long hours. It's not usually the case that working longer makes you more efficient. In fact working these sorts of hours is more likely to further reduce your capacity to work effectively. Some employers provide an Employee Assistance Program. Not usually in private industry but some do.

Has someone actually told you that you are not good enough or is that your interpretation of their words. It is important to be sure what your manager is saying. Have you worked there for long? Surely they must know how you effective you were at your job before this depression swamped you. It probably feels like a wall of water has crashed down on you and you cannot swim.

Mary