So miserable!

i just feel like rubbish. i feel so inadequate up against all these other people, and like my life is going nowhere. i'm an art drop out, and i'll probably drop out of media studies when i start. while everybody else is learning and doing essays and getting somewhere in life, i've been told to put a rabbit in a box and keep it there for as long as possible - which i am unable to do. it's ridiculous, i just wish i was somebody else.

Hello, numbers. Take a look here: http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=108173

Then, look at your post again. Are you the victim of negative chatter? If so, how do you plan to change that?

It sounds like you are too busy judging your success by others? That was a big problem for me and still can be. Two of my brothers are in careers with very good salaries and here I am on disability trying to stay afloat. But part of getting better is learning that just because my 100% doesn't equate to 80k a year doesn't mean I'm not giving a 100%. The important thing is to do the best you can (and forgive yourself when you make mistakes). Maybe once you let go of the competition you can start to be more aware of what you have done and are doing. Thanks for sharing.

How are you doing, numbers?

thank you for that link, that sounds SOOO much like me.

Hey, I know how you feel - i feel like that all the time. But, i'm learning that there is no point comparing myself to others, it gets me nowhere I just end up feel worse about myself. It's cliche but life is a race but in the end it's only with yourself.

I dropped out of college 3 times (3 different colleges), could never stick with anything. But then I self taught history and got an a-level and am about to start a psychology degree with the Open University. I'm three years behind everyone else, but I know i'm much more ready than i would have been then. Everyone is different xx

I know the feeling. I think you would be surprised but I would venture to say that EVERYONE feels inadequate at one time or another. Perfectly normal. There's a book I highly recommend that has really helped me called Feeling Good. Its basic premise is that whenever you have a negative thought you can challenge that negative thought. For instance, you might be feeling "everyone is better than me." The, what the author calls, "rational response" is something like, "Of course EVERYBODY is not "better" than me. Sure there are some people that might be farther along academically but that doesn't mean they are better than me. There are probably some folks who are in my same situation or worse."

The other approach is to always give thanks for your blessings because regardless of how bad things seem sometimes, there is always something to be grateful for. Could be trivial, could be big. Sounds like your taking some interesting courses. Good luck and enjoy!

thank you for your replies, i appreciate them.