Depressed

[Callumm]

hey everyone, I'm feeling really depressed atm, I can't seem to get my head out of it.

alittle about me - I'm single 36 and live alone, I'm also estranged from family and all my friends are on Facebook, none offline. So I'm isolated and need to talk to people that understand how I'm feeling.

[Wild_]

Hi Callumm,

I haven't been on here for a long time, but I saw your post and just wanted to drop a line and say you've done a great thing to post on Beyond Blue. Sometimes it can be frightening to step into a new space, even if it is online. I share your feelings, and I'm not the only one here who will say that you're not alone in how you feel. Depression makes the feeling of being alone worse, I understand that. Sometimes when I feel alone, I go somewhere where there are people (supermarket, out for a short walk) to feel that sense that there are people around me, even if we are not communicating as such. I'm all for animal therapy, have you tried it? Just meeting a dog walking past on the street is really fulfilling for me. Something to consider perhaps.

Wild.

[PamelaR]

Hello Callumm and a warm welcome to Beyond Blue

I see that you posted under the relationships and family issues in April this year about being estranged from the family because of child abuse.

How brave to reach out to our community of caring, friendly, supportive and non judgemental people. This is a safe place to talk. All our posts are moderated and there are community rules about not giving information that identifies yourself.

I am 64 year old survivor of child sex abuse. Life has been extremely difficult at times, though I have learnt how to manage my symptoms of depression using a range of techniques. I have PTSD, anxiety and depression. So I can imagine what you're feeling and remembering. At times it feels debilitating, at times it feels overwhelming, however, one thing is - I do feel so much better and you can too. To get there, it takes courage, resilience and commitment. The path to recovery and healing is very rocky, though the end result is like seeing the sunrise and the sunset. Beautiful.

You haven't told us much. Nor do you have to. Though it does help if you can give us some ideas about what is happening with you at the moment so we can support you in the best possible way.

Some of the important things I did to heal was to:

find a supportive doctor who is there for me

see a psychologist on a regular basis

exercise, walking is my preference these days. When I was younger I'd swim, cycle, go to the gym.

good healthy lifestyle (e.g. good food, limited alcohol)

have interests - e.g. hobbies, sports, clubs (book reading, chess). This helped me to get out of my isolation and to develop friendships.

feel safe in my environment.

Keep reaching out to us. Tell us a little so we can support you some more. But only if you want to, there is no pressure on you to do either.

Kind regards

PamelaR