I have recently been diagnosed with a chronic lung disease. It has taken a huge toll on my quality of life. I'm married with 2 kids, and I work full-time managing a hair salon. I really don't know how I get through most days. I feel like I'm always running on empty because of my medication and constant stress. I often have to work long hours, and sometimes I'm on my feet for my entire shift without breaks. It's the nature of my job, but I'm starting to think I can't physically do it anymore.

I was hospitalized for my condition twice, a few months back. I have received threats from my boss that I might get demoted if I continue to get sick and miss time. I realize that this threat was against my human rights, and I would fight if I had to. It causes me huge amounts of stress knowing that I could be demoted and not be able to pay the bills. It frustrates me that I work for a place that lacks such professionalism, but i love my job.

My husband and I have issues that we need to work on. We are in marriage counseling. I hate that I never have any energy to deal with things properly. I feel like I'm trying, but at the end of the day I'm exhausted, and my medication makes impossibly irritable. I want to be positive and work on things, but I have a hard time pulling myself out of the lows I get into.

To make all of this worse, I don't have anyone in my life outside of my immediate family. I've grown apart from my other family (parents, siblings, cousins, etc) and I don't have any friends anymore. I basically work, try to parent and sleep. I have no energy for anything else. I have no idea how to make new friends right now, and I can't cope with these feelings of isolation. Whenever my husband and I aren't getting along, I fall off the deep end, and I just feel like I want to die. Some days I feel like I'm only still here because of the kids. I'm aware I need counseling, but I'm broke. I've missed too much work being sick. I'm on a waiting list for free counseling, but it still may be awhile before I get in.

I can't cope with the sadness anymore.. I want to get better and improve myself, so I thought coming here would be a good start.

Any advice would be much appreciated. TIA!