Hi LKC,
Welcome to the forums. Posting here is a really good start, thanks for sharing a bit about yourself. I'm sorry you are at such a low point right now...
I also suffer from depression and anxiety. I see my psychologist about once a month and take my medication daily. Obviously these are big factors in me managing my mental health, but there are also lots of little things that I find helpful too.
With regard to managing stress, I like to write to-do lists. Sometimes it's all the things I am trying to achieve in the long run, sometimes it is things I need to do for work or my family, and sometimes it is just simple things like 1)take a shower 2)eat breakfast etc because sometimes I feel so low I can't seem to do these things. But when I have it written on my list it doesn't seem like such a big task so I can handle it. Then I feel really good when i can tick something off my list. When I start feeling like I am getting no-where, I look back on my list and see the things I have already ticked off.
With my mood, I like to reward myself for any little 'win', like if I had been feeling overwhelmed about making a phone call but I did it anyway, I will reward myself with watching an episode or 2 of one of my favourite shows.
Loneliness is tricky. Depression and anxiety make me want to be alone, but the feeling of loneliness is awful. My saving grace is my dog. I can be away from people but still have her for company. She is also great motivation for me to exercise as she loves her walks and sometimes when I forget to eat, feeding her reminds me I should eat too.
Don't be afraid to let trusted friends and family know what is going on and how you are feeling, even opening up to a neighbour or workmate could be more rewarding than you might think. When people know how you are feeling, good people will try so hard to help you feel better and let you know you're not alone.
Please keep in touch and let us know how things are going.
Boo 🙂
