Mental health is important for your overall wellbeing and knowing that many people are suffering from various predicaments (abuse, neglect, social anxiety, etc) use online platforms as a means to escape, let this thread be a place of sharing, advice and counselling.
Especially with Covid-19 madness going on, quarantine and lockdown can create a lot of victims, do not be afraid to share and for the listeners (readers), be considerate and kind when giving advice or comforts.
Gaming together is also a great way to alleviate loneliness and relaxes the mind (the slow pace of AC), encourage sharing of friend codes with other people on this thread to eliminate loneliness
Please note that sharing can be sensitive, please respect other people's lives and stories (strictly private and confidential outside of this thread).
I've been feeling so bad since I stopped working due to COVID. I feel disinterested in everything, even food and I just want to sleep all the time because I feel better sleeping than being awake. Anyone who talks to me, I push away and am short with them. Then later I feel horrible and lonely cause no one is talking to me.
I'm a mess and I just want everyone to know that they're not alone if they feel bad too! It's a tough time for all of us!
I've been feeling so bad since I stopped working due to COVID. I feel disinterested in everything, even food and I just want to sleep all the time because I feel better sleeping than being awake. Anyone who talks to me, I push away and am short with them. Then later I feel horrible and lonely cause no one is talking to me.
I'm a mess and I just want everyone to know that they're not alone if they feel bad too! It's a tough time for all of us!
I just graduated from university shortly before this Covid-19 madness happened and got a placement for a job I wanted but it is now postponed. I was already a rather introverted person before the curfews and lockdown but it has a way of messing with you.
My escape was teaching math to a Grade 1 kid who my family is very close with and I picked up my 3DS and played Animal Crossing New Leaf after a long hiatus. It keeps me distracted and I can socialise and interact with others in the game.
Hope you find something that you can look forward to and escape into during this tough time.
I was diagnosed a while back with severe depression, anxiety, and ptsd, mainly because of the loss of someone in the family that you wouldn't expect to ever lose, someone I was meant to grow up with, and won't ever get to, mixed with a whole heap of childhood trauma I never addressed with anyone up until that point.
Its difficult, a lot of days, and I'm sure there are more underlying problems my therapist and I never got to given that, that session was the first and only session we ever had together before she quit to move out of state. I am twenty four years old, and I've been dealing with it on my own for as long as I can remember, given I was only five when we moved into the place that started it all.
I recommend therapy so strongly to anyone who feels a heavy weight on their shoulders, I know its not always accessible, but if it is, even as someone who hasn't been in a long time, I do recommend it and I do intend on finally going back to it when I'm able, its very clear to me now its necessary (due to covid the offices I went to before are inaccessible for now, but hopefully soon).
A big break through for me was starting to live for me, I used to say that my friends were the only reason I was alive and just this year I realized that its unhealthy to put that on them, to almost blame them for it, so I started to take a different approach and say that I was living for now, and that's good enough.
That might sound morbid to some but, its actually been such a relief of stress.
I don't place any heavy expectations on myself anymore, I just, live, and take it step by step. Distractions are an amazing tool, if you are feeling so negative you're worried you won't see the sun again, go on youtube and watch tik-toks or say something totally out of character to a friend to make them laugh and laugh about it yourself too.
Laughter is a great gateway into calming your mind enough to step away from the negatives and then go on to playing animal crossing or reading, any calm activity you fancy.
Trying to start with calm never really worked for me, so, try to begin by just making yourself feel better if even indirectly.
Sometimes I dance around my room to a loud and kind of unexpected song like Timber, sometimes I just scream at random (though that one is less pleasant for my family), its all just perspective, trying to help your mind understand that you're in a safe space, even when you feel alone or isolated.
Its okay not to feel okay, but its important to know how to help yourself feel better, don't just sit stagnant and drown in your sorrows and be prepared for it if everyone who loves you is occupied.
Standing on my own is something that was really healthy for me to acquire a skill for, it took years to really understand and accept it.
I was diagnosed a while back with severe depression, anxiety, and ptsd, mainly because of the loss of someone in the family that you wouldn't expect to ever lose, someone I was meant to grow up with, and won't ever get to, mixed with a whole heap of childhood trauma I never addressed with anyone up until that point.
Its difficult, a lot of days, and I'm sure there are more underlying problems my therapist and I never got to given that, that session was the first and only session we ever had together before she quit to move out of state. I am twenty four years old, and I've been dealing with it on my own for as long as I can remember, given I was only five when we moved into the place that started it all.
I recommend therapy so strongly to anyone who feels a heavy weight on their shoulders, I know its not always accessible, but if it is, even as someone who hasn't been in a long time, I do recommend it and I do intend on finally going back to it when I'm able, its very clear to me now its necessary (due to covid the offices I went to before are inaccessible for now, but hopefully soon).
A big break through for me was starting to live for me, I used to say that my friends were the only reason I was alive and just this year I realized that its unhealthy to put that on them, to almost blame them for it, so I started to take a different approach and say that I was living for now, and that's good enough.
That might sound morbid to some but, its actually been such a relief of stress.
I don't place any heavy expectations on myself anymore, I just, live, and take it step by step. Distractions are an amazing tool, if you are feeling so negative you're worried you won't see the sun again, go on youtube and watch tik-toks or say something totally out of character to a friend to make them laugh and laugh about it yourself too.
Laughter is a great gateway into calming your mind enough to step away from the negatives and then go on to playing animal crossing or reading, any calm activity you fancy.
Trying to start with calm never really worked for me, so, try to begin by just making yourself feel better if even indirectly.
Sometimes I dance around my room to a loud and kind of unexpected song like Timber, sometimes I just scream at random (though that one is less pleasant for my family), its all just perspective, trying to help your mind understand that you're in a safe space, even when you feel alone or isolated.
Its okay not to feel okay, but its important to know how to help yourself feel better, don't just sit stagnant and drown in your sorrows and be prepared for it if everyone who loves you is occupied.
Standing on my own is something that was really healthy for me to acquire a skill for, it took years to really understand and accept it.
Thank you for sharing! I know many people are afraid of sharing because of judgement and ridicule but I think everyone's journey is unique and it makes them who they are.
I'm glad to hear that you have managed to understand that cherishing yourself is a healthy practice. Like the age old saying of learning to care for yourself before caring for others.
I am also 24, well born 95, so technically 25 but I'm a December baby. People sometimes call me stiff and emotionless but they wouldn't say I'm not kind or generous. I had a tumultuous childhood, I was given to strangers to be cared for throughout my developing years and never learnt to form relationships, had trust issues and would make a fool out of myself for people to like me. Like you, over the years, I learn to love myself and I never judge people intentionally without hearing their story.
I am not good at giving advices sometimes because I can be a little blunt and direct but I try to help whenever I can because I feel like sometimes we just need someone to give us a helping hand to get us back on our feet.
Let's get through this and know that better days are ahead. ☺
i got diagnosed with chronic depression and anxiety back when i was 11 and it’s been a fight ever since. i am now medicated and will (hopefully) be seeing a psychiatrist in july, but it seems that everything that is supposed to help... doesn’t.
corona isn’t really helping with that. while it’s reduced my school stress a bit, being trapped with my family for days on end really just isn’t beneficial to my mental health at all lmao
I started my mental health journey last year. The therapist I've seen so far has determined I have depression and social anxiety, thus I've been on anti-depressants for half a year. They really keep my paranoia/fear in check, but they don't change me or my life. I still have most of the work ahead of me, but things have been delayed for obvious reason. I don't mind it though, I feel safe and comfortable at home and New Horizons has brought me some purpose in these dark times.
I know that I was depressed since I was a child over a decade ago, but the social anxiety developed through heavy bullying in and outside of school. A lot of kids did terrible things me, but I was no saint either. Kids are little ****s, I just had no support system and never reached out for help because honestly I didn't think I'd live this long.
I guess sharing your journey or experience is very valuable so that people know they're not alone with theirs. Sometimes it's just easier to talk about your Animal Crossing experience, but talking is a good start.
i got diagnosed with chronic depression and anxiety back when i was 11 and it’s been a fight ever since. i am now medicated and will (hopefully) be seeing a psychiatrist in july, but it seems that everything that is supposed to help... doesn’t.
corona isn’t really helping with that. while it’s reduced my school stress a bit, being trapped with my family for days on end really just isn’t beneficial to my mental health at all lmao
I'm sorry to hear that and cannot imagine what you must go through. Try looking for a thing you enjoy, can be something small like sitting and drinking tea (which I do).
Don't be afraid to ask for help and say no when you have to, no one in the whole wide world is more important than your wellbeing, not telling you to be selfish just be considerate to yourself.
Like Katrina the fortune teller in ACNL always says: some days are just bad, but there are better days ahead (I don't remember the exact sentence and it may not be accurate but it's along those lines).
I started my mental health journey last year. The therapist I've seen so far has determined I have depression and social anxiety, thus I've been on anti-depressants for half a year. They really keep my paranoia/fear in check, but they don't change me or my life. I still have most of the work ahead of me, but things have been delayed for obvious reason. I don't mind it though, I feel safe and comfortable at home and New Horizons has brought me some purpose in these dark times.
I know that I was depressed since I was a child over a decade ago, but the social anxiety developed through heavy bullying in and outside of school. A lot of kids did terrible things me, but I was no saint either. Kids are little ****s, I just had no support system and never reached out for help because honestly I didn't think I'd live this long.
I guess sharing your journey or experience is very valuable so that people know they're not alone with theirs. Sometimes it's just easier to talk about your Animal Crossing experience, but talking is a good start.
I'm glad you found a purpose in New Horizons. Yes, sharing groups are often overlooked or underappreciated but they're incredibly valuable and important. It connects people with similar experiences and shows them that they're not alone in their struggles.
Talking is always a good start. Sometimes people will give us insights that we otherwise would've missed or not thought about.
Well, I suffer from depression and anxiety, I also have aspergers and extreme social anxiety. Jeez, I'm a mess aren't I? I've known about my aspergers since age 5, but my depression never got to extreme levels until the last few years. I've been slowly taking steps to better myself and make myself more happy. I have some amazing friends in my life and they've definitely helped me cope with my problems and have frankly given me a reason to live again. Despite that, I'm fighting my own battles still, we all are, and my ******* parents certainly make things worse on me sometimes because they don't understand my problems, either that or they try to downplay them. Either way, I'd certainly be willing to talk to anyone that suffers from these issues and let them vent to me. My VMs/PMs/Discord DMs are always open. No one deserves to suffer and if I can make life even a little less ****ty for someone, that'd be wonderful.
Well, I suffer from depression and anxiety, I also have aspergers and extreme social anxiety. Jeez, I'm a mess aren't I? I've known about my aspergers since age 5, but my depression never got to extreme levels until the last few years. I've been slowly taking steps to better myself and make myself more happy. I have some amazing friends in my life and they've definitely helped me cope with my problems and have frankly given me a reason to live again. Despite that, I'm fighting my own battles still, we all are, and my ******* parents certainly make things worse on me sometimes because they don't understand my problems, either that or they try to downplay them. Either way, I'd certainly be willing to talk to anyone that suffers from these issues and let them vent to me. My VMs/PMs/Discord DMs are always open. No one deserves to suffer and if I can make life even a little less ****ty for someone, that'd be wonderful.
It doesn't matter whether you are a mess. Besides everyone perceives you differently even yourself, be kind to yourself. There will always be people better off and people worse off. What's important is you have a heart. Willingness to help others is a fine trait and makes you stand out as a decent human being regardless of conditions both mental and physical.
Although COVID is a really hard time for everyone, my silver lining is that I have more time to tend to myself and discover what I wished I did years ago. Quarantine has let me FINALLY start doing make up, my daily skincare routines without feeling too dead, selling and clearing out my closet. I would say I was pretty sad when school was in session since I had to manage so many things and deal with lots of people that I did not want to interact with. Social isolation can be really hard but as always there is a positive or a bright side to everything.
Although COVID is a really hard time for everyone, my silver lining is that I have more time to tend to myself and discover what I wished I did years ago. Quarantine has let me FINALLY start doing make up, my daily skincare routines without feeling too dead, selling and clearing out my closet. I would say I was pretty sad when school was in session since I had to manage so many things and deal with lots of people that I did not want to interact with. Social isolation can be really hard but as always there is a positive or a bright side to everything.
Always find the positives in every situation is a good way to live Keep up the good work! Remember to always find time for yourself even after the quarantine, curfews or lockdown.
Like my friend NoUsernameHere, I also have Aspergers and social anxiety. I wouldn’t say I suffer from depression, but I am on anti-depressants and have been on them for a long time. I would say that I have bad days and good days like everyone does, but in the past couple years I’ve made a change in my life and started focusing on others rather than myself. Whether it’s doing something special for them or simply being there for them and talking to them, I like to help others because I don’t want anyone to ever have to go through the pain I went through in the past. I’m really good at motivating others and really poor at self confidence, but recently, thanks to my friends online and people supporting me IRL, I’ve started to gain a lot of that confidence back that I lost. I’ve also done martial arts for almost thirteen years now, ever since I was 10 years old, and so being there and doing that always instills a sense of confidence in me and pushes away any bad thoughts. When I’m out on the floor there I feel like I can take on anything. I would also say one other reason I don’t give in to bad thoughts anymore and rebound quickly from feeling down is because I have a very strong will. Even though I don’t believe it myself, I’ve been told I’m one of the most ambitious and strong-willed persons my friends know. My PMs/VMs/DMs are also always open if anyone ever needs to vent or talk to me about something that’s bothering them as well.
I have severe anxiety and an overactive nervous system that always makes me feel bad about every encounter outside of the internet. I’m awkward and easily flustered; I have a difficult time using words as I often stumble over them only to embarrass myself. I stutter and I hate it so much. I’m not meant to socialize, but the internet and the forums especially, makes it much easier. I also have some childhood traumas and baggage, but I’m slowly learning to love myself and that the things that happened were not my fault.
I hope everyone can do the same; you’re beautiful and incredible and never let anyone, even yourself, tell you differently!
my mental health has really been suffering lately. i suffer with anxiety and i know that it's getting worse and worse, particularly since in quarantine i can't go out and experience situations that sometimes make me anxious to ground me back down to reality, so i'm stuck overthinking them instead, which will make things worse when the world eventually does open back up. a lot of my recent anxiety is due to stress caused university and the prospect of a new relationship. thinking about the two has just short-circuited my brain and i've had a complete loss of appetite over the last week which is really agitating and worrying me. i also feel pretty defeated because since i started properly suffering with my anxiety a year ago, i only started to find the courage to want to get help pretty recently, and given recent events, it's just not as accessible and i don't want to burden the nhs at this time.
i really wish everyone the best during this quarantine and i'm here for anyone who wants to talk!
I haven't been officially diagnosed or anything, but I can definitely tell I might have social anxiety issues. They have probably been present ever since I was a small child, just not super intense, and I realized I was an introvert and possibly had anxiety in 2018. I wasn't super scared of speaking up in front of people in class when I was in elementary school; In fact, almost the complete opposite. What I was scared of was when I thought people would stare at me in the hallway, or in the bathroom. There are several situations I can think of when I didn't want people's attention, and sometimes got peoples attention when it wasn't necessary. My mom has always put pressure on me to hang out with people and be social during summer vacation. One summer, she forced me to go to a sleepover with my friend so my parents could go see my sisters at the camp they were staying at, and they'd be out late. I was fine at first, but once I woke up the next morning, I cried for about 2 hours because I desperately wanted to go home. I've been to sleepovers before, they just weren't nearly as long as that particular situation.
I also get made fun of by my friends because I'm below average height for my age, sometimes get called out for being an introvert, and physically weaker than everyone else (can barely lift a gallon of milk, in case you're wondering). This is normal for our friend group, but I'm still sensitive about it and it takes a toll on my mental health at times.
Because of COVID-19, I actually am doing so much better. I haven't had any real issues, I finally have some alone time, and it's especially awesome with Animal Crossing and Splatoon 2 Splatfests returning (Those two kept me going back in 2018/19). It made me realize that people are the issue for me. For some reason, talking online with people is so much easier. Guess it's because I don't have to go outside and actually speak.
I suffer from treatment resistant Major Depression, Anxiety (both social and Agoraphobia) and PTSD from childhood abuse. It's a long hard road, but I see my therapist and psychiatrist religiously and they're committed to getting me better. And I am in better shape than I was before I moved to where I am now and started seeing them.
With COVID-19, I can't get out of the house and clear my head as much as I'd like, or go see my boyfriend's family, or have some retail therapy... And I worry that our world will never be quite the same. On a selfish note, I keep hoping against hope that things will clear up before the end of June so I can travel to our yearly vacation spot... so many good memories are made there. But it likely won't happen this year and it bums me out.
The positive is that we can still play D&D with our friends over Skype on the weekends - I look forward to hearing their voices. It soothes my soul. We laugh a lot together.
I suffer from/have 'classical' autism, SPD (sensory processing disorder), misophonia, hyperacusis, hypersensitivity, social anxiety, slight amnesia (ever since I first started living on my own with counsellors), and certain phobias including thanatophobia.
I also think I have a predisposition for other kinds of anxiety, depression and PTSD, of which I even have quite some symptoms that became worse ever since age 13 or 14, and lately (indeed, since age 16, I think), I've also been suffering from mental pain* with an unknown cause, for which I think I'm mandatory to visit a psychologist or psychiatrist anytime soon. (Hopefully when this pandemic clownery is all done and gone.)
And despite my diagnoses and possibilities in that respect, people still like to put me under pressure while they know very well that I cannot handle that, and it always has a negative outcome/result anyway.
I usually have music therapy to somewhat calm my mind down successfully, which has now been put on hold due to the current virus situation (don't worry, I'm not sick with it, it's just for safety), and I formerly had cognitive behaviour therapy, which, to be honest, was a bit difficult, as my social anxiety consistently blocked me from telling my therapist the things that bothered me the most at that moment, even when I knew them (the therapist) a bit better after a while.
Despite the advice of many people who think they're experienced with people like me, I do not take any medicine, and never did either, as I'm convinced that those only make my mental state worse, rather than better. I am considering to take CBD oil, though, as it's one of the few natural kinds of medicine, rather than the 'artificial' kinds like ritalin or oxazepam.
Even in situations like right now with the ongoing virus, I try my best to live as good and balanced as possible, since I'm also glad to be alive anyway, but my disorders and predispositions often tend to make things worse than they really seem to be.
At the moment, things like doing the groceries, writing while listening to calming music, playing (calming) video games, reading (out loud to myself, occasionally) and doing things with my hands (e.g. drawing or crafting) are some of the few ways that help keep my head a tad clear.
*To me, mental pain feels as if my entire body is in pain, with a difference being that I don't even experience physical pain anywhere until occasional further notice where the pain somehow becomes worse. I don't feel the pain whenever I'm distracted by music therapy or things that I like to do, but for most of the time, no matter how I really feel, I always feel it, and in different degrees per time, too. (Even already explaining this hurts me, to be honest, most likely because I don't think anyone would really understand.)
I have severe anxiety and an overactive nervous system that always makes me feel bad about every encounter outside of the internet. I’m awkward and easily flustered; I have a difficult time using words as I often stumble over them only to embarrass myself. I stutter and I hate it so much. I’m not meant to socialize, but the internet and the forums especially, makes it much easier. I also have some childhood traumas and baggage, but I’m slowly learning to love myself and that the things that happened were not my fault.
I hope everyone can do the same; you’re beautiful and incredible and never let anyone, even yourself, tell you differently!
There's no need to hate your stutter, people just need to learn to be more patient and understanding. Society has evolved in such a way that anything deemed out of the ordinary or imperfect are undesirable but that is not the correct way and you shouldn't let it demotivate or put you down. You are not illiterate nor or you disabled, there are people much worse than you (always remember that). Childhood traumas and baggage will always be there, I have them and have accepted them for what it is, learn to love yourself despite all the experiences you have gone through and what it has shape you into who you are.
As long as you love yourself, people will see and people will emulate and that is better and more effective than words will ever be
my mental health has really been suffering lately. i suffer with anxiety and i know that it's getting worse and worse, particularly since in quarantine i can't go out and experience situations that sometimes make me anxious to ground me back down to reality, so i'm stuck overthinking them instead, which will make things worse when the world eventually does open back up. a lot of my recent anxiety is due to stress caused university and the prospect of a new relationship. thinking about the two has just short-circuited my brain and i've had a complete loss of appetite over the last week which is really agitating and worrying me. i also feel pretty defeated because since i started properly suffering with my anxiety a year ago, i only started to find the courage to want to get help pretty recently, and given recent events, it's just not as accessible and i don't want to burden the nhs at this time.
i really wish everyone the best during this quarantine and i'm here for anyone who wants to talk!
The world will change when it opens back up, that is a fact that we must all accept.
University is only a stepping stone and a very small one (an advice), I have been through it and I have given alot of sacrifices to achieve much from the experience but when you are done, it will seem miniscule to what your life path will take you. Relationships are never perfect, it takes a lot of work, commitment and sacrifices. There will be ups and downs but remember at the end of the day, your mental health is more important than a relationship. Friends, families and loved ones can only help you so much, the rest is all up to you.
Having pets, virtual games, meditation or reading are all ways to distract or calm your mind. You don't necessarily need another individual to help you with your anxiety, sometimes the best person to help you is yourself, all you got to do is clear your mind and start working on the little stuff, slowly clearing one item at a time and sooner or later, you will have figured out what is it that really makes you anxious
I haven't been officially diagnosed or anything, but I can definitely tell I might have social anxiety issues. They have probably been present ever since I was a small child, just not super intense, and I realized I was an introvert and possibly had anxiety in 2018. I wasn't super scared of speaking up in front of people in class when I was in elementary school; In fact, almost the complete opposite. What I was scared of was when I thought people would stare at me in the hallway, or in the bathroom. There are several situations I can think of when I didn't want people's attention, and sometimes got peoples attention when it wasn't necessary. My mom has always put pressure on me to hang out with people and be social during summer vacation. One summer, she forced me to go to a sleepover with my friend so my parents could go see my sisters at the camp they were staying at, and they'd be out late. I was fine at first, but once I woke up the next morning, I cried for about 2 hours because I desperately wanted to go home. I've been to sleepovers before, they just weren't nearly as long as that particular situation.
I also get made fun of by my friends because I'm below average height for my age, sometimes get called out for being an introvert, and physically weaker than everyone else (can barely lift a gallon of milk, in case you're wondering). This is normal for our friend group, but I'm still sensitive about it and it takes a toll on my mental health at times.
Because of COVID-19, I actually am doing so much better. I haven't had any real issues, I finally have some alone time, and it's especially awesome with Animal Crossing and Splatoon 2 Splatfests returning (Those two kept me going back in 2018/19). It made me realize that people are the issue for me. For some reason, talking online with people is so much easier. Guess it's because I don't have to go outside and actually speak.
In my opinion, you do not have any problem with speaking out (posting your story is an example). Yes, some would argue it is different but it is in fact similar to real life, only the response is delayed and not direct. Readers of your post can choose to reply or not (critical or advisory or just a passing comment) and it will not be as instantaneous as in real life but you will still get responses.
From what I can tell, your biggest obstacle is your self-conscious and your negativity towards yourself. There's nothing wrong with being an introvert, your life is yours alone and no one has any right to judge you for it unless you are physically hurting someone. There's nothing wrong with your height or body frame, you are neither suffering from any cronic medical condition nor disabled in any way. If it is normal in your friend group to be judged then I'm sorry to say that they're not genuinely your friends and you are their victim.
What you need is to learn to love yourself and learn to find better friends. Friends that you can be comfortable around and will not judge you by how you look but by how you conduct yourself. There's nothing wrong with a little attention now and then, even animals will look at you not just humans (light joke). I am introverted most of the time and only social with my close friends, family and loved one but you still need social interactions just not as much as extroverted people. I am skinny (constantly told that too), I look weak (constantly told that too), I am selective with who I interact with (nothing wrong with that), these are all things acquaintances and strangers would say to me but they are not my friends nor are they important to me (this is what you must learn to distinguish). There's almost 8 billion people on this planet, you can make friends anywhere at any point in your life but your health is only one off (learn to love yourself ).
The last few months have been hard for me, I was just about to start therapy but I can't because of social distancing. I've considered therapy via phone or webcam but I have pretty severe phone anxiety. I'm Autistic, extremely likely to also have ADHD, and struggle with mood and trauma issues, and on top of that, I'm trans and need to work on assessing with a therapist if I'm ready for hormones or not, so it's been kind of gloomy to have to put that all off.
