[Beebizzy]

Hello All,

Who does it?

Does anyone else want nothing more than to be at home curled up on the sofa and not bothered by anyone - ever?

Some people need others, and interaction, to feel better. I'm not one of them. I feel worse because I cannot bear to burden people, and because I am afraid of & paralysed by how perfect others appear vs me. Also it's tiring.

I (inter)act just fine at work (at least I think I do LOL). But I have no interest in seeing people after work or in doing things. My idea of bliss is to be home alone.

Ditto for the phone - hate, hate, hate phonecalls and especially making them.

I used to be very sociable. This is something that's developed over the last year or two.

Hope everyone is having a lovely Sunday.

Beebizzy

[roads]

I could have written your post, Beebizzy, except for the "I used to be very sociable" line. I never was. I am better now at pretending to be, but I pay a price for it.

I've had T's say it's part of depression, but it's the same, regardless of everything else. I guess it's just me.

[codeWeasel]

Classic Depression. When I am in my down swings, my couch gets a very distinct butt shaped indentation in it from the hours I spend there.

While my heart tells me sitting in front of the TV is all I can handle, I also know in my head that its really bad for me to be doing it. That just adds to the depression.

Maybe you need to get a tweak in your meds.

Always remember, the good part about BP is that "this mood shall pass".

[Miss Laura]

Me down to a tee when I am in a depressive state.

Ye sure the odd few days where being in bed or just in the house is what I need.... I need the sanity of knowing that I don't need to talk/face people. But then if it lasts longer than a few days I know I am depressed and need to try and change my train of thought

[hanners]

Same here. I have a hard time resisting the urge to isolate myself when I'm depressed. I'm getting better about it though, at least I recognize that I'd be better off finding someone to hang out with than stick to my room and go online. I still isolate though, mainly when the idea of being social feels too overwhelming for me.

EDIT: I should add that maybe I need to recognize that it's only the idea of being social that feels overwhelming, and that socializing will help me feel better, since it usually does.

[sillyfab]

Yes, I isolate. When I'm depressed, I'll do almost anything to spend 8 hours or so all alone, just hanging out in my sweats at home watching t.v. and having coffee all day. Sometimes I sleep on the sofa after a good cry and then wake up and have coffee again. LOL It's actually physically painful when I'm depressed to be around people. But I have to watch myself, too - I don't want to isolate so much that I start having suicidal thoughts again. That stuff was beyond frightening!

[Seaswept]

I isolate also when I am depressed. Its always in the winter months. My family makes plans to go out to a game or a get together with friends and I just cancel, usually last minute. I, too, just want to curl up on the couch with my blanket, Lifetime and a bowl of ice cream.

[Ryask]

YUP, funny thing i used to think that i was naturally just more of a loner maybe, not so much of a social person, oddly enough now that i am actually stable on medication and not depressed i rarely stay home, and i am actually involving myself in activities like for example i started a student council at my college, i go to meetings and talk to people all the time. This might be the more me, then the me who doesn't need anyone, who sits at home wishing the sun would stop shining into her room.

[ohlala]

I love spending time alone. As a matter of fact, I never considered it "isolation" until it dawned on me that normal people did not wish to spend as much time as I did on the couch, reading books, not seeking social interactions, hibernating. I force myself to socialize and I'm OK with it, but I still cherish my solitude. Could never understand people who said they always needed to be with another person all the time.

[OneDown]

I tend to isolate often as well. When I'm depressed, I don't want to be bothered by people and want to draw into myself as much as possible. When I'm hypomanic, I get very irritable very quickly and don't want to be bothered by anyone. I've found that socializing when I'm depressed really does help lift my mood, but there always seems to be another crash afterwards.