[panda1234]

Hey all. New poster here. I'm joining because I'm just really confused at my general life right now. So a little background.
I'm currently a senior in high school right now and, for the lack of a better way to put it, life kind of sucks. I wake up every morning dreading having to get out of bed because every day is just more of the same. Nothing really makes me happy. Even my so call hobbies just make me feel guilty, like I'm wasting time that I shouldn't be wasting. And even they don't REALLY bring me any real joy.
I just feel like every single day is a huge grind, but I don't really know towards what. I have nothing really to look forward to (in the short term of the next months anyway) because, well, every day is the same and nothing makes me happy. I find myself unwittingly latching onto every little bit of hope for the future, whether it be an upcoming trip or an episode of some TV show that I watch coming out, or whatever just to keep from feeling like there's nothing good in life right now.
At school, I've kinda started to drift apart from the friends that I've had for years because I don't take joy from the same things that they do. The things that make everyone else laugh and have a great time, don't really have an effect on me. It's not like I'm making some conscious effort to not enjoy myself or be uptight about everything (quite the opposite, I find myself putting on the "happy face" all the time), I'm just not...affected by it. I still talk and I joke, but beyond that, I feel like the only time I say anything of substance is when I complain about stuff, which I feel like I do way too often.
At home, I'm just dead. I'm absolutely exhausted at the end of a school day (which I really shouldn't be because we don't really do anything and I get 6-7 hours of sleep a night). I end up taking an hour and a half nap every day, and I usually wake up with a headache and even sadder than usual. And then after my nap, I find myself sitting at the computer or on my phone, watching random YouTube videos or reading some article, or just absently flicking between pages because, for the life of me, I cannot dredge up enough energy or resolve to actually do something. It's kills me how much time I burn away just sitting there and not doing anything entertaining OR productive but I just can't stop. I sit for four, five, six hours sometimes just because I don't have the will to do anything.
And that...is my story. Sorry for the massive, stream of consciousness wall of text. I just...needed to get that off my chest and it's a conversation that's just awkward to have with real life people, especially since I'm so darn good at acting like I'm fine. Could anyone give me some advice? Am I depressed? Burned out? Just stupid and lazy? Thanks for your time!

[cherrykix]

Hi Panda,

I feel you. I used to be the exact same way in high school, just dreading it and hating every minute while I was there. I know what it feels like to not be able to pull up the energy.

I'm not a doctor, so I have no right to diagnose you, but it sounds like you're dealing with a severe case of depression. I know how that feels.

Do you have a therapist or psychiatrist? Is there anyone you trust enough to talk to about the things you've said here? You don't sound lazy or stupid at all; you sound like you're dealing with some tough emotional stuff that really needs to be addressed by a doctor or therapist. How is your relationship with your parents? I recommend talking to them about how you're feeling, and then (if you want) telling them you think you'd benefit from having a counselor.

Having someone to listen to me was my greatest part of high school; I found an amazing therapist, who I still have today, and it really helped me through those rough parts.

Please take care

[jacky8807]

Sounds like depression to me

[waterknob1234]

Hi Panda1234 and welcome to pc.
I am not a doctor so it is not for me to diagnose you but it does sound like severe depression to me. It may be helpful to see a psychiatrist, or therapist. There is a depression test you can take on this forum. You may want to look at it. And I don't think you are stupide or lazy. Another thing depression does is make you feel bad about yourself.

Hoping you get some help and feel better soon.

[Turtlesoup]

Welcome Panda-I agree with others that you are not stupid or lazy-a good place to start would be to see an MD & have labs done-many girls your age can have a thyroid problem which is easily corrected with medication-if it is depression there are a lot of different things you can do-If you have a close family member or teacher/counselor at school it would probably make you feel better to reach out & let them know how bad you actually feel. I know how hard it is when you feel like this-everything seems like such an effort but keep posting here-there is a lot of support available. Take care

[panda1234]

Thanks guys for all the support. I'm uhhh...not a girl I've just always been decent about expressing how I feel I suppose ,especially when anonymous. Nevertheless, thanks for all the advice and I'll see about going to get a doctor. Now to convince my parents that I'm not just making it all up...

[vital]

Originally Posted by panda1234

Hey all. New poster here. I'm joining because I'm just really confused at my general life right now. So a little background.
I'm currently a senior in high school right now and, for the lack of a better way to put it, life kind of sucks. I wake up every morning dreading having to get out of bed because every day is just more of the same. Nothing really makes me happy. Even my so call hobbies just make me feel guilty, like I'm wasting time that I shouldn't be wasting. And even they don't REALLY bring me any real joy.
I just feel like every single day is a huge grind, but I don't really know towards what. I have nothing really to look forward to (in the short term of the next months anyway) because, well, every day is the same and nothing makes me happy. I find myself unwittingly latching onto every little bit of hope for the future, whether it be an upcoming trip or an episode of some TV show that I watch coming out, or whatever just to keep from feeling like there's nothing good in life right now.
At school, I've kinda started to drift apart from the friends that I've had for years because I don't take joy from the same things that they do. The things that make everyone else laugh and have a great time, don't really have an effect on me. It's not like I'm making some conscious effort to not enjoy myself or be uptight about everything (quite the opposite, I find myself putting on the "happy face" all the time), I'm just not...affected by it. I still talk and I joke, but beyond that, I feel like the only time I say anything of substance is when I complain about stuff, which I feel like I do way too often.
At home, I'm just dead. I'm absolutely exhausted at the end of a school day (which I really shouldn't be because we don't really do anything and I get 6-7 hours of sleep a night). I end up taking an hour and a half nap every day, and I usually wake up with a headache and even sadder than usual. And then after my nap, I find myself sitting at the computer or on my phone, watching random YouTube videos or reading some article, or just absently flicking between pages because, for the life of me, I cannot dredge up enough energy or resolve to actually do something. It's kills me how much time I burn away just sitting there and not doing anything entertaining OR productive but I just can't stop. I sit for four, five, six hours sometimes just because I don't have the will to do anything.
And that...is my story. Sorry for the massive, stream of consciousness wall of text. I just...needed to get that off my chest and it's a conversation that's just awkward to have with real life people, especially since I'm so darn good at acting like I'm fine. Could anyone give me some advice? Am I depressed? Burned out? Just stupid and lazy? Thanks for your time!

Hi young panda,

I agree with the other posters that you have "depression" (which is mainly just the name of a collection of symptoms). Being "Burned out" is really the same thing. I kind of doubt that it's severe, but my advice (speaking as an anonymous guy on the internet) is the same in either case. I think that the right plan is:

1. Go talk to your MD, get a medical checkup and tell him/her what's going on. That's because there are a bunch of pretty common purely medical/nutritional things that can cause depression. I have a partial list and a link to a video about this in post #45 of this thread

http://forums.psychcentral.com/depre...n-escaped.html

2. Statistically speaking, the best treatments for depression happen to be great for you anyway: Improve your diet, exercise, meditation, enjoy your friends and family. Why not do them all? I also really suggest that you try the secret weapon described in the above thread, especially for the kind of procrastination you're doing. It is easy and fun to try and at least sometimes produces very dramatic results. There are other cool ideas in the "Depression Success Stories" section of this forum and elsewhere.

3. If all else fails, and you're really in trouble go to the next step with professionals.

You're at a naturally stressful time of your life. So much is up in the air. This can be scary, but also exciting if you look at it the right way. For whatever it's worth, I have a good feeling about you. I think you're going to do just great

- vital

[panda1234]

Originally Posted by vital

Hi young panda,

I agree with the other posters that you have "depression" (which is mainly just the name of a collection of symptoms). Being "Burned out" is really the same thing. I kind of doubt that it's severe, but my advice (speaking as an anonymous guy on the internet) is the same in either case. I think that the right plan is:

1. Go talk to your MD, get a medical checkup and tell him/her what's going on. That's because there are a bunch of pretty common purely medical/nutritional things that can cause depression. I have a partial list and a link to a video about this in post #45 of this thread

2. Statistically speaking, the best treatments for depression happen to be great for you anyway: Improve your diet, exercise, meditation, enjoy your friends and family. Why not do them all? I also really suggest that you try the secret weapon described in the above thread, especially for the kind of procrastination you're doing. It is easy and fun to try and at least sometimes produces very dramatic results. There are other cool ideas in the "Depression Success Stories" section of this forum and elsewhere.

3. If all else fails, and you're really in trouble go to the next step with professionals.

You're at a naturally stressful time of your life. So much is up in the air. This can be scary, but also exciting if you look at it the right way. For whatever it's worth, I have a good feeling about you. I think you're going to do just great

- vital

I've read your thread...and it all makes sense. I'm going to try what you suggested. Here's hoping it works! Thanks for the advice and I'll make sure to keep you updated on how its going, if you're interested at all

[vital]

Originally Posted by panda1234

I've read your thread...and it all makes sense. I'm going to try what you suggested. Here's hoping it works! Thanks for the advice and I'll make sure to keep you updated on how its going, if you're interested at all

That's great panda!

I'm definitely interested. Keep in touch.

- vital