Loss of interest

Lately whenever I'm home alone, which seems like a lot of the time, I feel so numb and lonely. I've lost interest in all the things I used to love to do. I often find myself doing nothing when I have things that need to be done. I just feel empty. Eventually I get so bored I watch tv all day even if I'm not interested at all. I get so bored sometimes I even cut myself just to feel something. I never feel like this all the time. I'm actually a sorta happy person...

If you don't have people to spend time with, you might try to change that. Humans aren't built to be alone a whole lot. It sounds like you are too isolated.

You have common depression. If it seems over whelming, try seeing a Therapist.

Hi BrownCurtains,
Just a few thoughts..........
Losing interest in the things you loved to do, feeling empty, feeling numb, feeling restless (e.g. in boredom) can be signs of depression.........so maybe something to think about/talk about/look for help with???
But the things you've lost interest in...........maybe look for different things which might attract your interest a bit more???
The watching TV all day...........maybe schedule specific things in amongst that and try to give yourself that push to do them/some of them???
The time alone.............if that's too much for you, do you think maybe you could hook up with friends/family a bit more, or even look at different/new social activities you could do??? Or even break up some of that alone time with phone calls to friends/family???
Just some thoughts...........and here if you want to talk more.

You might also want to check out the forums for Depression and Self Injury too. There are plenty of really understanding and supportive people around them as well as around this forum, so whatever/anything that helps a little.

AND, welcome to PC!!!!!

Alison

Here are the forums Frankbtl mentioned.

These are good things to consider. Maybe this will interest you also.

I would go out with people but I'm kinda young, (I don't want to say my age) and I don't really have any friends. I'm also not in a school. My social life basically is seeing a good acquaintance once a week. As for seeing my family I see them all the time, but I'm usually alone because they all have places to be. I would go see a therapist but I'm still not an adult, so I would have to ask my family, but they don't know anything about this. I'm also not that good at talking with people...like not good at all.

I have been like that my whole life, stuck in my room pretty much with nothing to do but play games. its boring and hard i understand you.

Hi BrownCurtains, do you think you could tell a member/s of your family a bit about how you're feeling??? I'd completely understand if you found it difficult to talk about everything, but maybe you could start by telling them just a little???
It might even help you to write some things down for them if it's too difficult to talk about things???
I'm just thinking that maybe they could support you a bit more if they knew some of what you're going through, support/help you with "expanding your life" a bit more and/or even support you with getting some professional help if you need that.

Alison

I do find getting out of the house helps me. I do go outside "kicking & screaming," however, each time I do, I'm glad I did.
I have dogs; So, whether I like it or not, I have no choice, but to walk them. Thank goodness.
After a walk or even a bike ride, especially in a local park, I always feel better.
*big warm hug hun*

Any chance of a part-time job, meet a few people, get some cash, get some experience for later? Just a thought.

I feel the same. Sometimes I want to be alone when I'm around people though. I started a new medication today so hopefully it gets better

I live with my parent so I can't get a dog or anything. We don't really have any bikes. And my parents don't let me leave alone because we live in a sorta bad area. But thanks for the advice. I will try to get out more, whether it's kicking and screaming, or for fun. I can't get a job though because I have a lot of work around the house.

I work at a part time job, I have busy friends, and I'm alone a lot. I have myself to talk to a lot. I don't go on dates, I hate being the person to feel like I have to owe someone something for someone to be my friend. I'm in your position since I've existed. Quality relationships are just for lucky people anymore.

Nobody is any good at a thing that they hardly ever do. Part of getting good at something is being willing to do it before you get good at it. This is a problem for people who are socially avoidant (as I've been myself.) We want to have some assurance of success before we will venture into interactions. That's a recipe for never developing any social skill. I try to tell myself that taking risks is okay, and failure is not the end of the world. I won't die if my attempt to socialize doesn't go too well.

We get attracted to going to therapists because we feel safe with them. But that just gets you more in the habit of only going into safe situations. It leads to a very boring life. And, of course, that's hard to be interested in.

We tend to think that no one will be interested in us. But people only get interested when they start to get to know us. It does get easier with practice.

meetups - there are gazillions of meetups in California.

group therapy for depression if you can afford it; a support group if you cannot afford support group therapy

A GROUP therapy can become that transitional point between individual therapy as you describe it (safe) and free form social interactions.

Yes, I found it real helpful to be in a partial hospitalization program because of the group sessions. Outside of that, I didn't find any group therapy offerings. But they are out there and can be less expensive than one on one.

if you really try, you can find free ones, through meetup. i go to an excellent Jungian group meetup once a month. It is free. It is not called group therapy, but it achieves same goals.

I do not know about the rest of the country, but OP and I are in Cali., and here there are multiple interesting meetups.

Why has no one told me about Meetup before? There seem to be oodles in the UK.

I also lost interest in most things.

Not in internet forums.