[Empathyflower]

I'm not quite sure how to approach what I need to relay. I've been terribly lost in two week cycles of depression for almost 7 years now. I'm a young adult, so I'm trying to seek help by finding likeminded people who can perhaps give me some advice.

I am deeply afraid of pushing people away, people I love. I see it in the over analyzing habits of mine. It scares me. I am unsure how to flip the switch to make it better. Many times I sit and stare off, and I feel so heavy with despair, and I'm Not sure why. It makes people I care about worry.

I feel that my fear of abandonment on top of my depressive nature, is going to lead me into certain loneliness.

Please, does anyone have any personal advice?

[basicgoodness]

I'm listening. I have no great advice, other than to ask whether you are receiving any kind of treatment for your depression. I hope you feel some relief soon.

[Nammu]

Welcome to PC. It's a great place to get heard.

[dexter]

Hi EmpathyFlower. I am going through some of the same stuff (as, you will find, are many of us here... We understand). The isolation (pushing people away) is one of the hardest symptoms I find to deal with.

Help is available I hope you are able to seek treatment with a therapist and possibly a psychiatrist. People have may varying opinions and experiences so it will depend on your needs. Personally I like therapy first with an open mind toward medications which I believe are necessary if the cause is truly chemical (but then I still believe therapy is "the cure" but the medication allows the therapy to work, overcoming the roadblock) This is just my opinion and others will have different experiences. The point is that help is available and will likely be more productive than you trying to "switch it off" if you've already discovered that that isn't working.

Therapy can help you deal with the feelings by learning and practicing coping skills, reprogram some of the feelings by learning about their root cause. There are different kinds of therapy taking different tactics (the program I am in now focuses around DBT and I am finding it helpful).

Good luck and please continue to post and read here for suggestions and understanding. The latter is sometimes lacking and frustrating among our friends and family so being in this environment of peers can be helpful.

[Marla500]

I second all of the above, keep coming back, we understand

[guiltier65]

good morning EmpathyFlower, I agree with Dexter in that the isolation is one of the hardest parts of depression. But please make every effort to reach out. If nothing else reach out to us. But try not to get caught up in the lie that you are a burden to those around you. They love you and mostly want to support you and want to see you get better.