How does one cope with anxiety and depression while having no friends?

[decibelx]

I struggle with bad social anxiety which is the cause of the lack of relationships in my life, and this has lead to me being depressed over a long period of time. Both have been hitting me especially hard these days with no support system to fall back on. I am away from my family while studying in Australia and making friends has been just as hard as it was back in my home country. More so with Covid present. I don't know how to cope. I speak to the school guidance counsellor occasionally but there's only so much advice they can give me.

What has worked for you if you too have experienced this?

[Sophie_M]

Hey Decibelx, thanks for reaching out to the Beyond Blue community. We know that it is not an easy thing to do and you have shown a lot of strength in sharing your story. We're also really sorry to hear of the difficult past few months that you have been through. But please know that you've come to a safe, non-judgemental space to talk about your thoughts and feelings, and our wonderful community is here to provide you with as much support, advice and conversation as you need.
If you feel up to it, we'd recommend reaching out to our Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service. The website will be regularly updated with information, advice and strategies to help you manage your wellbeing and mental health during this time. You can also call our dedicated support line, staffed by mental health professionals, which is available 24/7 on 1800 512 348.
We hope that you keep checking in to let us know how you're going, whenever you feel up to it. 

[Aphador]

Hey Decibel 🙂

Good work on recognising that you need help! I'm sorry you are in this situation and have not found the guidance counsellor to be useful.

It's so hard when we feel like we don't have a support network around us. I am lucky to have great friends who I can be open with right now, however, I may have to move away by myself at the end of the year, and when I begin to think about it, I start to dread being alone.

There are techniques I use to alleviate this; however, they may differ depending on your specific situation. As Sophie has stated, it seems like you may find the Beyond Blue Coronavirus support pack useful! As somebody who- in the past- has struggled to make friends, I can also understand you on that front. Usually, we form relationships with people that have similar interests/passions to us. So I have a couple of questions for you:

(1) What kind of interests do you have? What do you do for fun? We can work from here.

(2) What do you think prevents you from making friends? If you don't mind, I'd like you to elaborate a bit more on the situation... Do you get nervous when talking to people? Of so, practising mindfulness might be the way to go!

Hope you feel like you can respond, I am looking forward to it!

Aphador 🙂