Getting out of my depression

Hello. I've been on Lexapro (now 20 mg) and Zyprexa (now 5 mg). I feel as though I've been slowly getting out of my depression, but gained a little bit of weight (now 140 lb.). Still playing a little bit of the video games, but not as much as I used to, mainly because I can't find anything to do at home. I've been trying to go back to learning math, but it seems as though most of the time it just seems boring. Sometimes I think that I should be a math teacher, but I just find math to be boring sometimes and I feel as though I'll never be able to learn all of it.

Now I feel like I should go out and talk to people. But I think one of the main reasons I've always been shy or introverted is because I just don't know what I should say to people. And I'm always afraid that I'll stop somewhere, getting to a point where there's no conversation and making it awkward. That's what I'm afraid. Does anyone else feel as though they don't know what to say to people?

hi Therightpath

Gaining weight, does seem to happen to most people on meds. This is because meds slow down the metabolism consequently putting on weight. The only remedy for this is reducing carb take to below 1800 every day. Combined with moderate exercise.
Video games are a good distraction from depression. If math is boring. Is there any other subject you would like to study instead?
I certainly have felt that way about talking to people. But you can always talk about their favorite subject, which is in fact themselves. Asking them where they're from, what they are interested in what they're doing with their lives and so forth.
There is Nami, which is the American organization for the mentally ill and they do run peer to peer support groups and connection groups in some areas. You can Google them and get in touch with their headquarters to see if they provide any of this in your area. Then you will be interacting with people with depression as well. Which would make things a lot easier.
But I have found this I got more of a grip on depression and anxiety. This problem of being worried about what to say to people has disappeared to a great extent, though. On days when things are difficult it can resurface. Take care. I hope and pray everything gets much better for you soon. God bless and best wishes from your friend Francis

Hi sorry to hear you're struggling. I too tend to put on weight with medication because it just makes me sooo hungry. I hope you can find a way round this. I fill up on ridiculous amounts of vegetables and quite a bit of fruit. Not what I'm craving, but it helps. I hope you can find some company and support locally. Meanwhile, this is a good place to make friends.

Hello therightpath. Welcome to pc. I am glad that you feel your meds are working and you are coming out of the depression, even if the progress is slow. Progress is progress. I know you feel shy about people, but to tell you the truth, if you keep conversation about them and not so much yourself, the other people will do most of the talking. People love for others to take an interest in them and their world. It makes them feel important, even loved.

Sorry about the weight gain. Medicines have side effects like that. Sometimes it is a trade-off between medicine easing depression and causing something like weight gain, or not taking medicine and staying in depression. In my mind depression is so miserable I will take the weight gain, but that is me. If math is boring to you, you may want to do something besides teach math. Find something that you would enjoy doing. Have you seen a career counselor? They might be helpful. Best of wishes.

Hi therightpath. Welcome to Psych Central (PC). Sorry you are suffering from depression and possibly social anxiety. I think Psych Central is the place that has helped me accept myself so much and meet other people.

Glad you have joined our community. Many people here at PC find they can share these feelings and what they are going through with the confidence that people go through similar things and can empathize. So many forums are offered as well as Chatrooms (after you have 5 posts or comments on others posts). Depression chat meets on Thursday night at 9pm EST and Anxiety Wednesday at 8PM.

You can also be an active member in other ways like supporting others in their questions, reading articles and posts http://forums.psychcentral.com that are applicable to your area of concern.

Please feel free to private message me or any of the Community Liaisons by left clicking on the name in blue to the left of their post) for questions or just to share.

hi therightpath
socializing is always difficult for me. i stick to a small group of people. the ones that i work with mainly. as for math, it sounds like it may not be for you. finding something you are truly passionate about is something that you will rarely have doubts about. welcome to psych central. you will find we have several forums where you can post about your concerns and receive feedback from other members. you will get a lot of support here. again, welcome

I can't say much about the weight gain, except that I gained thirty pounds on Zxprexa. However, it's the same thirty pounds that I lost as a result of my depression and anxiety-related IBS.

I agree with the people who said that people love to talk about themselves, so if you are a good listener, you'll be seen as a great conversationalist. I am pretty introverted, so it is tough for me to talk to other people sometimes. I do much better one-on-one than in a group.

Here's something interesting: I went to my first DBSA support group last week. It took me weeks to get up the courage to finally do it, and I had to take a Klonopin before I went into the building. I was nervous and shaky because I had no idea what to expect. There were about 25 people there and we got split up into smaller groups, each with a group facilitator. That put me at ease a little bit. The facilitator established guidelines for the group, some of which were that each person gets the chance to talk (if they want to, no putting people on the spot), and without interruption. Also, what gets discussed in the room stays in the room. That helped me relax a bit too. To my surprise, I actually felt comfortable enough to share my own experience, which is a huge deal for me, because I hate talking in groups! Hopefully something like that can help.

talk to a therapist about this one. he or she can help you w your social skills . I did it w my therapist on Thursday afternoon before I went to my choir party that night . he or she will do a role playing exercise to help you overcome your shyness w people .if you don't have anything nice to say to people don't say anything at all .

Yes, all the time. The awkward silence thing has actually happened to me on numerous occasions too.