[Nomad17]

Hi everyone. Hope you're all doing okay.

Things have been getting bad with my depression and anxiety lately, and going out in public has become extremely hard for me, and I'm curious as to if anyone else feels like I do.

Do you guys ever feel like an awful person? Like you've done something horrible and everybody knows it but you? And everyone around you absolutely hates you and knows you're complete scum? I've been feeling like this lately, and it makes me feel really ashamed and is affecting my willingness to go out in public. I just feel so awful. I almost feel persecuted. Whenever I do go out, I feel followed in my car because someone thinks I'm a bad driver and I didn't notice or something.

I've just started feeling this way recently, and its making my depression and anxiety a lot worse, and I just wanted to know if this is something that others feel or if its similar to something you've all felt.

Nomad

[RJ78]

Absolutely. This is one of the major symptoms of my depression and anxiety. I go over potential situations where people I love will end up hating me, over and over again. And it hurts like hell. And then I feel super lonely. No wonder, I've created a made-up world where those I trust and love the most are somehow abandoning me!

I know in my case it's linked to the intergenerational effects of domestic violence and the shame that's associated with it. I've been working on relieving the feeling of shame for several years now with therapists, and it does generally feel a bit easier.

RJ78

[InfiniteSadness]

I feel this way often too in different ways..

[GreyThinker]

yeah I feel like that. I am pretty sure though that you are not a bad person, so don't let those feelings overpower you. Sorry I can't help you at the moment with strategies to lift you up, but just wanted to encourage you to realise it is in your mind not in reality.