[autumn15]

Hi Everyone,

I am in desperate need of venting right now. I am sitting at my boring remedial part time office job right now in which i have very little human contact and am required to pretty much do data entry all day. My job alone is draining and I find it hard to motivate myself to actually work when I have no one around me to even notice whether I am working or not. It facilitates my mind to wander and focus on everything that I am anxious or depressed about at the moment.

I have started studying psychology and human services part time and am getting increasingly stressed about assignment deadlines which are looming and I feel like I am way behind and unprepared and that I will fail.

I have an alcoholic mother who calls me every day when shes been drinking and just talks and talks and rants about everything that sucks in her life until I abruptly end the phone call feeling completely drained, irritated, upset and guilty for ending the call. I don't trust her enough to talk to her about my feelings or struggles so its hard to have a positive relationship with her lately.

I suffer from Social Anxiety as well so its difficult for me to initiate catching up with friends or talking about my problems because usually I feel like they are only hanging out with me because they feel obligated and am too self-conscious about how they see me if I am upset and weak.

Usually I can cope OK day to day because I have a very supportive husband (he is the one person in the world I feel 100% comfortable around) and can talk to him about my feelings until I am calm and in a better perspective again. The problem being that he is out of town for work for the next couple of days so my one saving grace is kind of gone.

So to conclude, I feel anxious and depressed and stuck behind the bars of my own problems right now and am trying my very best not to drop everything and go home and hide under the covers for the rest of eternity. Any supportive words would be most helpful...

[Miss Stressed]

"You don't always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go and see what happens" -Mandy Hale

"This above all: to thine own self be true." — William Shakespeare

"What you have to decide... is how you want your life to be. If your forever was ending tomorrow, would this be how you'd want to have spent it? Listen, the truth is, nothing is guaranteed. You know that more than anybody. So don't be afraid. Be alive." — Sarah Dessen

"Life moves on, whether we act as cowards or heroes. Life has no other discipline to impose, if we would but realize it, than to accept life unquestioningly. Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems nasty, painful, evil, can become a source of beauty, joy, and strength, if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such." — Henry Miller

"You only have so much emotional energy each day. Don't spend it on things that don't matter or on people who don't value you or your time. Be discerning." — Di Riseborough

"Nothing is permanent in this wicked world, not even our troubles." — Charles Chaplin

"When you focus on problems, you get more problems. When you focus on possibilities, you have more opportunities." — Zig Ziglar

"You must learn a new way to think before you can master a new way to be." — Marianne Williamson

"Live your life with purpose. Focus on your blessings, not your misfortunes. Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses. Be yourself and don't wait for the approval of others. But most importantly, have a positive and humble mindset no matter what situation you are in. Count your blessings, not your problems, and you will realize how beautiful your life truly is." — Troy Amdahl

And my personal favorite:

"Promise yourself —
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet. To make all your friends feel that there is something in them. To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. To think only the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best. To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile. To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others. To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble. To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words but great deeds. To live in faith that the whole world is on your side so long as you are true to the best that is in you."
—Christian D. Larson

[spring2014]

hi autumn15,
I too am studying human services and hopefully to switch over to psychology for my bachelor's of science degree in psychology and move on to my master's degree in counseling .please go and talk to a therapist about your problems . you will need a professional to help you with these matters .I see a counselor for my problems in my life . about your mother who is an alcoholic well she needs help too . also you might benefit by taking medications ro help w your anxiety and depression.cuz I have anxiety and depression also but im seeking help for my anxiety and depression . take it one thing at a time and one day at a time .






Diagnosis : Anxiety and depression
meds : Cymbalta 60 mgs at night
Vistaril 2 25 mgs daily for anxiety prn
50 mgs at night for insomnia

[LifeGetsBetter]

As an alcoholic who has been sober 13 years I can address your alcoholic mother issue:
When she calls drunk, politely and calmly tell her that you would love to talk with her before she begins drinking for the day. Then tell her you must hang up now and look forward to talking to her again. Gently say goodbye and Hang Up. Repeat as many times as necessary.

[bipolar angel]

Hang in there autumn 15.I had an alcoholic father hrowing up-it was very hatd because je mostly drank weekends/was very responsibke/differnt in brtween. Also we pretended there was no issue..life gets better-above-gave excellent advice. Also ad others suggestedd a therapistist can help if you don't already see one-thrreu are also adult children of alcoholics support groups in usa/not sure abput iaustralia but thy have published the books they use/very helpful. I fpund it useful to go in past, because it helped me realize how much childhoof conditioned me to react in certain ways, be a certain way etc-thn to adftess those issues-again, therapist can help with coping strategy.
Also, if you go to coping with emotions forum, go to 9/6/15-too many feels entry-kaliope listed some great anxiety coping stuff!!-sorry, I don't know how to do the cut and paste thing or I woulf have put it here for you!!
Hang in there, we are here to support you

[autumn15]

Thanks everyone for the words of wisdom and care here! I am feeling a whole lot better this week. I hung up on my Mum last friday night when she was mid-sentence ranting about crap (I was literally keys in hand, about to leave the house when she phoned and then when i answered she just would not stop talking at me). After that I didn't have any contact with her for 5 days. When I called her yesterday she was completely sober and acting like a normal human being. I also have completed a couple of assessment items for Uni and haven't been feeling so bad at work. Overall I am feeling alot more level headed!