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It’s hopeless
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I am 17 years old doing my VCE online. I have posted once before about the pressures of VCE and my anxiety. In April, due to the stress of VCE at my main stream school and a medication that made me worse I got diagnosed with major depressive disorder and anxiety which led to an attempt and an admission. That was a few months ago since then it was has gotten a little better..
But now, I can’t do this anymore. I thought I was just getting better I was going on walks, eating, and even going out with friends. Everything was so great. I had this important event for my friend and I found out people from my old school were going to be there I was so excited and the day off I just felt ugly and so ashamed of the person I have become. I didn’t go and I shut everyone out I deleted all my social media I ghosted everyone who reached out. I don’t know what happened I am so embarrassed. Now I’m sleeping constantly staying in bed I have no appetite I don’t shower or go out.
I was just getting better I don’t understand why this has happened I can’t do this anymore. Everything feels hopeless now. I had so much hope I really thought it was getting better. It feels like it won’t ever get better.
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Hi welcome
After decades of mental health issues some things ive discovered is concrete. Things like moods, excitement, depression and energy come and go in cycles. When we are "up" we think we'll stay there but we dont.
So when we fall we seek to escape because we blame ourselves for failing to remain stable (like everyone else). Your action of deleting friends from social media is sad and desperate, a rejection of your world will not produce retaliation from friends as they have no method to connect. Such isolation is preferable than "facing the music" from dumbfounded friends. But cutting ties has consequences as you've found out.
What i think is that some of us have to go through these actions and regret them so we learn what not to do. Most others have such wisdom from early on in life but some like you and I have to learn the hard way.
But all is not lost, there's hope. If you were to try to rebond with those friends most wont want to because they dont have the capacity to do so. These people dont deserve your friendship. On social media this will reduce the number of friends but better quality- kind people. They the best ones.
Sometimes drastic change is needed after all your mental health is priority. So if you decide your education isnt sustainable you might feel happier seeking a part time job or two (not full time as that's taxing).
I think you've done really well with your life in many ways and I can sense you're kind.
"Of all little piggies the one with a straight tail gets shunned... until she uses her pointy tail to rescue the others stuck in the mud by getting them to hold her tail"
Uniqueness, kindness, hope and loving yourself is the key to your future. Relax, take deep breath and keep trying but accept than falling over happens no matter what.
Reply anytime. How do you feel now?
TonyWK
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Dear eliz_a2998,
I just thought I would share that you are not alone in having your system shut down and withdrawing from everything. Sometimes it just happens to some of us and it can be a part of our internal system's way of coping. Only a couple of years ago I shut down and stopped answering my phone, my front door etc and went into a reclusive mode for a while. I have gradually learned that for my own particular reasons, my nervous system has done this sometimes. It is like an inner self-protection mechanism and those survival responses are evolved to kick into action if our system feels overwhelmed.
So it is really important not to be hard on yourself but to work gently with your nervous system and inner world to communicate with it and try to understand what might be happening for you. There is a psychologist and meditation teacher, Tara Brach, who has a helpful approach for addressing these sorts of things. The approach is called RAIN which stands for:
Recognise
Allow
Investigate
Nurture
So it's a case of first of all, recognising what your feelings might be, seeing if you can come up with something that describes what you were feeling, whatever feels relevant for you. Then the next really important step is allowing the feeling. Just being present with our feelings is one of the best ways for them to begin to communicate with us, giving us clues about what might be happening. We don't need to try to control or get rid of feelings but just be kindly present with them. That's what gives us an opportunity to investigate what might be happening in our inner world. Then finally we can meet what we find within ourselves with compassion and nurture ourselves where we are vulnerable. Some of Tara Brach's meditations using this method are online if you want something to follow.
I am wondering if this is something you could work through with your therapist? It can help to have a compassionate witness alongside you. It can be a bit like peeling back layers of an onion or going on an archaeological dig, a journey of discovery. I know right now you are feeling hopeless, and having yourself close down in that way can make you feel like that, but going gently and exploring what is happening for you can help to open some doors of understanding into your inner world and also develop strategies for meeting feelings that arise with compassionate awareness. Bringing such presence to situations can help the nervous system know it is safe and doesn't need to close down.
I hope maybe that helps a little. My guess is you are a sensitive person and sensitive people often have wonderful gifts and insights within themselves. Just going gently and being curious can help to allow some of the challenging feelings to ease and some hope to return.
Please feel free to let us know how you are going if you would like to. Take good care,
ER
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Hello and welcome to the forums.
Pulling back from friends, shutting people out can be pretty normal when you’re struggling. At least for me. Whether it’s the best way to cope is another question. I’ve done something similar myself with ghosting people, and when I mentioned it to my therapist, they suggested that getting out and being around others might have helped take my mind off things. But it is easier said that done.
What I’m really trying to say is: don’t be too hard on yourself for this. You’re not the first, and you definitely won’t be the last, to handle things that way.
Can I ask what kind of support you’ve got right now? Whether at home, at school, or from a professional?
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