Chronic Depression

[M-aggie]

My name is Maggie I am 22 and have had depression for years and I don't know what to do anymore. I feel like it's getting worse at the moment probably because I'm looking for a job after Uni and keep getting rejected. I feel like a weight on society and don't have any skills or qualifications to contribute. There is no need for me in society. 

[indigo22]

Hi M-aggie,

Welcome and thank you for reaching out to us.

I want you to know that there absolutely is a need for you in society, we are all here for a reason. If you had no skills or qualifications, you would not have gotten into Uni, let alone completed it.

I went into dysthymia at age 12 and major depression at age 14, it became chronic a few years ago and I am now in my 60s.

You are still young, you may feel like an adult, but you have so little life experience at 22 that you have nothing to compare to. I can understand that being rejected would make your depression worse. However, what if you are thinking about this the wrong way? What if the reason you are being rejected is because you haven't yet found the right job for you? What if those rejections are leaving the door open for the right job to come along?

We all have things we are really good at. So in your case, what are those things?

Are you following what your heart wants to do? Or are you following what is expected of you?

I went into dysthymia because I was told by my father if I went into the one thing my heart wanted to do, I would not be supported. I ended up doing what was expected of me and have regretted that decision all my life. We are here to do what makes us happy, not what makes someone else happy.

So what makes you feel happy when you think about it? It could be artistic in nature, or working in a nature environment, music, are you a whiz with numbers? Try to think of something that you are really good at that comes naturally to you.

You are at the age Maggie, where you are getting to know yourself, your likes, your dislikes, there is no better time to have this discussion. I would like to support you through the process if you are comfortable with that.

I will be here whenever you want to talk,

indigo

[sbella02]

Hey Maggie, thank you so much for reaching out and welcome to the forums. I'm sorry to hear that you're feeling like this. As someone in a similar position, I feel that I might have some advice for you or, if anything, even just some words to make you feel less alone in your experience.

I've gotten rejected from jobs so many times, especially out of uni. There are many ways to increase your chances of getting hired (eg: delivering resume in person, knowing somebody within the organisation, calling often to follow up, etc.) but at the end of the day, as Indigo has said, rejection may actually be somewhat serendipitous. There's a job out there that is the optimal fit for you, and your journey is leading you to it. This is just one way to think about it, and that's often the approach that I take.

Volunteering in the field can be a good way to break into an industry if you're still in search of a job. This way, you're utilising your skills, developing new ones, and gaining more experience for future applications. 

I'll ask a few questions here, what do you like about this particular career path? What initially attracted you to the role, or field? Do you have a specific role in mind or are you applying fairly broadly? What will working in this role or field do for you both personally and professionally?

Keeping in mind why you began a certain career path can help restore your confidence in applying for jobs. It can be so easy to get so caught up in the rejections that you lose sight of your intentions and what lights your fire.

I hope this helps and some of these words can resonate with you. Please feel free to keep chatting with us, we're here to support you. 

All the best, SB

[Pesketh]

Hope you’re feeling a bit better ;-; life is hard.