Splitimage, thanks for your kind words and counsel. I am hoping to find some support and perhaps even some help here, that's why I finally decided to take the plunge and post...

Yes, I'd like to get some kind of career counseling; it's something I've wondered about for a while now, but I'm afraid it's likely to be pretty much unaffordable (it *is* NYC, after all). There are a few Ys here, though I don't know if they offer anything like that. I'll do some googling and see what comes up, though. Thanks.

It *is* particularly difficult to manage when everything seems to be going south, and then all the stress sets off all my worst mental/emotional/etc. issues. And I'm beginning to suspect a number of my problems might be due to a personality disorder (very probably avoidant, maybe also dependent) that my current situation is just making worse. The sensible, logical me (who pops up every so often) says that I ought to try to find some kind of free/very low-cost therapy that'll get me moving again and also work on those bad thought patterns and relationship problems and whatever else. Hm. Maybe that will help me put myself back together and figure out what I need to do... like maybe career counseling? :-)

I dunno. Sometimes I'm almost on the edge of being able to function halfway normally, then boom. Back into the black hole again. Sensible, logical me is totally eclipsed by miserable, tortured me, and nothing seems worthwhile any more. It sucks.

Anyway, not to go on and on with this, especially in such a morose manner, so again, thanks for your comments and suggestions. It really helps to know some folks are reading my self-indulgent crap and actually feel like answering. Bless you all.