[so_punk_rock]

My depression is not as bad as it used to be...i have to say. However i know that my life is far from perfect. Which is fine, my life doesnt have to be perfect....i just dont want to be so lonely all the time......and i really cant do anything about it. Being on pc helps but i really have nobody to talk to anywhere else. I cant get rid of this feeling and im trying not to break down yet trying not to pretend everything is ok, when its not. I dont how i could keep going on in this exetremely isolated environment. Its not healthy and that is a fact. Im not supposed to be this cut off from other people but i dont know what to do. I like being a strong person but i know i cant do everything by myself. I really need help. But i feel like its never going to come. I know there is a way out but i just dont see it.

[Lisa Michelle]

Can you join a support group?
I recently felt total despair over the fact I have no friends/people to go out with and do things with. I'm back living with my mum and step dad and my mum is the only person I 'hang out' with. I go out with them each weekend. Infact the only time I leave the house is with my mum.
I got desperate and considered joining a support group. Hoping there would be someone similar to me, my age, who I could maybe be friends with outside the group.
I live in such a crappy town that of course nobody my age was there. The women were lovely, welcoming, supportive, friendly... and I can see how a support group would really help... infact one womans aid she has been coming regularly for 3 years.... but my anxiety was so bad that I haven't been back since, because basically I'm scared, and also I felt like "the odd one out" being so much younger.
Anyway, now I've made it sound terrible, oops..... maybe there is a support group where you live (washington dc is a big city right? so you have much more chance of getting a group of similar people).

Other than that I can suggest a volunteer group (I'm working my way up to that) or maybe join a class?

Oh if you look on meet-up online they will list the groups in your area (NONE IN MINE!!)

If you suffer with anxiety these ideas are probably pretty scary, but I know how hard it is to just magic up friends, and groups are a good way to meet people. Support groups will be more understanding and also suffer with the same problems.

Are you in therapy? Maybe you could even try group therapy, it would be like a support group but more structured I guess.

I know how lonely it feels to have no friends around. I hope things improve for you soon x

[Rohag]

Hi, So_punk_rock! Lisa Michelle's suggestions are wonderful. Loneliness is a real demon. Here are a few links to loneliness/making friends resources culled from PC:

Support for lonely people! A PsychCentral public user-created social group.
Are You Lonesome Tonight? by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen
Support for lonely people! A PsychCentral public user-created social group.
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) Home Page
DBSA Support Groups and Chapters
DBSA Support Groups and Chapters Directory (Terms of Use)
Making And Keeping Friends: A Self-Help Guide from the US Dept. of Health and Human Services
WikiHow: How to Make Friends
CalTech Counseling: Making Friends
Summary Guide to Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People

[so_punk_rock]

Thanx for the advice. Honestly i dont even feel close to my own family. I dont feel close at all. I dont trust my family with any of my deep personal feelings. I never had them to rely on....emotionally. So im accustomed to not being emotionally attached. I never completely trust people with my feelings and my thoughts. I want to have at least one person i can trust but i dont have any. I always have to hold something back and not say something about myself because i feel certain people just wont understand.

[Rohag]

Originally Posted by so_punk_rock

I dont trust my family with any of my deep personal feelings. I never had them to rely on....emotionally. So im accustomed to not being emotionally attached.

Thank you. This is an important realization; an element of your reality you cannot ignore. You and anyone attempting to assist you in moving toward a more satisfying life have to take this into account.

By no means does the issue of emotional detachment prevent you from reaching greater happiness. Competent assistance will know how to integrate it in strategies for getting where you want. I hope you can get that competent assistance.

[so_punk_rock]

thank you. im kinda on edge right now, i needed to read that.