I don't know if I find strength or sadness in discovering that I'm not alone in my struggles. If others share my reality, I get this sense that they understand me more... and yet the confirmation bias blinds me into thinking that what I'm feeling is more common than what I should accept. So here's something a little different (if it's not helpful, it's at least something to think about)...
Last summer, a documentary-film called Blackfish was released (it's excellent, even for those who don't enjoy documentaries) and reintroduced a pretty simple idea. This idea is based on freedom, but in every sense of its definition: captivity kills.
Blackfish explores the lives of killer whales, apex mammals that are actually considered to be highly intelligent and have stimulating social lives. More specifically, the film has us look at what happens when a killer whale is forced to live a captive life (2/3 of it sedentary and in darkness... sound familiar?) for the sake of human entertainment.
Animal activist alarms aside, amazing parallels can be drawn between human and orca lives. We are also apex predators and mammals. We also live highly socialized lives. Both orcas and humans have their own varying 'cultures' and 'dialects'. There are systems of inheritance and senses of family among both species.
When a killer whale is raised in captivity, it becomes psychologically traumatized (stemming from its removal from the original habitat), under-stimulated, under-exercised, self-harming, unpredictably aggressive, depressed (visible in behavior and vocalization patterns), and live much shorter lives.
So, what about us? For the most part, we live contained lives and perform tricks (i.e. jobs, daily monotonous tasks, duties) on command. We are under-exercised, depressed, and self-harming, as a species. Are we living captive lives? Are we the ones keeping ourselves captive?? No wonder so many of us seek escapism through drugs and alcohol, whatever form they come in.