Are my emotions situational?

[Zoey_S]

I have not been formally diagnosed and I am wary to go to a GP because I am not sure if I am just feeling a normal response to my life or not. I don't feel like counseling or medication etc can help as long as my situation does not change.

My current life situation: I have had no friends for quite a few years. When I try to reach out to people I am often blown off, but then these same people will still talk to me if they have something they want from me, which makes me frustrated. I am now 20 years old and since I was 14 years old my birthday has in my head literally only served to prove how unloved I am. I have a relatively high position at my part-time job for my age, that I only took because I am super passionate. However, I feel like no one appreciates the sacrifices I make this job as a full-time uni student and there is a particular thing (not going to go into details) on which the manager and I disagree, and whenever I see her I feel like I am being attacked and that she constantly refuses to see things from a different perspective. I feel like I am not wanted or my efforts acknowledged. I am currently in the process of deciding whether to resign.

My response: I am usually okay. About once every two-three weeks I might have a cry, but then I will feel better soon. Things are getting particularly bad at my job, coupled again with the fact that no one wants to hang out with me and feeling like my sacrifices were meaningless, that for the past week I have had trouble sleeping (can only fall asleep at 1-2am and then wake up again 4-5am) and am constantly crying. I also cannot find motivation to do study or exercise. I started feeling bad 3 weeks ago but only at a mild level- it has only gotten bad recently.

Are my feelings because of the stress of my situation? Should I wait and see if things get better? Or is not and I would be better off going to a GP?

Thanks

[Lazykh]

Hi Zoey,

Welcome to Beyondblue. It sounds like you're going through a tough time. The question is not really whether you have some disorder, it's whether you are happy where you are and whether you want to do something about it. It seems like you're thinking 'no' and 'yes' but haven't quite taken action yet. That's fine. I would definitely recommend seeing your GP sooner rather than later. If you wait, maybe you feel better, but maybe you feel worse, and can you/do you really want to have to cope with feeling worse than you do now. Since your problems have been going on for quite some time, an antidepressant/antianxiolytic might help you to get out of the place that you are emotionally stuck in. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get exactly the right medication for you, but when you do it's well worth it. Often without anxiety or depression, you'll feel like a different person and find you can make the decisions that you have been avoiding because it's just been TOO MUCH for your system.

There's a good chance stress has a *major* role in what you're experiencing, but that doesn't mean you have to put up with it, and when you're stressed is not a great time to be trying to make life changing decisions. The medication would help with that.

Also at your GP you can ask for a mental health plan that gives you ten sessions (sometimes free sometimes subsidised heavily) with a psychologist, which I strongly recommend. Once again, you don't have to be mentally ill or diagnosed with a disorder to benefit from psychotherapy.

I think your sleep is not helping things either, as lack of sleep will be stressing you out even more and stopping you from thinking logically and rationally. The lack of sleep is a reflection that your body is not coping with the stress you are going through. So please do see a GP, tell them what you've told us. Good luck and please come back and chat any time.

Lazykh