Struggling to enjoy things

[Aqua7KH 5,395]

Hey guys, I just wanted to start a little discussion I guess of something I have trouble with.

As some of you may know, I go through anxiety and depression.

It really holds me back from enjoying some thing. And I just wanted to know if any of you experienced something similar?

There's a show out right now that recently came out and I watched it. Sadly though, I was unable to enjoy it as much as I would like to because of the anxiety.

I don't know why, I don't know what the cause of it is, but I often experience anxiety when it comes to certain things.

With this experience, I was getting anxiety over watching the show, firstly I guess because of how popular it is, and as a result when I actually watched it I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have. And it sucks because I really want to. This often happens with other things I enjoy, and it really ruins things for me.

Anyone goes through something similar?

[keyslinger 307]

I have the same problems as well. I have a hard time socializing and I have never even been on a date nor had a lot of friends. I just try to power through it. 

[HarLea Quinn 26,501]

 I suffer from anxiety and OCD which are very closely related/connected. I'm chemically imbalanced due to my crohns and then on top of that some of my meds can cause anxiety as a side effect so I get a double attack. I usually don't get relief until the side effects start to wear off naturally. I can't take different meds to replace these ones so i'm forced to deal with it . Things I do to calm myself? Well music is a huge soother and so is talking to friends and distracting myself. I also pray too and I get relief from that as well. I know this isn't exactly the same thing but still- anxiety sucks to go through no matter what reason. I think in your case it seems pressure related. You feel like you are suppose to enjoy and like these things so you put pressure on yourself from the start.

[Elrandir 783]

Hey guys, I just wanted to start a little discussion I guess of something I have trouble with.

As some of you may know, I go through anxiety and depression.

It really holds me back from enjoying some thing. And I just wanted to know if any of you experienced something similar?

There's a show out right now that recently came out and I watched it. Sadly though, I was unable to enjoy it as much as I would like to because of the anxiety.

I don't know why, I don't know what the cause of it is, but I often experience anxiety when it comes to certain things.

With this experience, I was getting anxiety over watching the show, firstly I guess because of how popular it is, and as a result when I actually watched it I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have. And it sucks because I really want to. This often happens with other things I enjoy, and it really ruins things for me.

Anyone goes through something similar?

 

I have the same problems as well. I have a hard time socializing and I have never even been on a date nor had a lot of friends. I just try to power through it.

 

That is my life in a nutshell. I was raised without much social interaction and, sometimes, I think that's the cause of this, but there is also the fact that I like being by myself. Sure, I can hang with a small group of people, but I would be the the type of person who would stay in the background rather than socialize. The anxiety is always there, I just try to ignore it for the most part. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

 

And like Lea said, I use music, or read to calm myself. I literally could spend the whole day reading or listening to music.

[Trece the Xam ( ▀ ͜͞ʖ▀) 3,859]

I don't have any problem of this sort, but let me tell you that Lea and Elrandir are both very right there, music does calm people down. I myself listen to music all day as long as I'm not with other people.

[juliermo 1]

Well i have been depressed many times in my life.Its something that our body does to alarm us that  we need to change our lifestyle and move forward.Most of the time it starts with panic attacks or generalized panic disorder.There's a lot to say about this subject but the most general advice i would like to give you is to consult a psychologist that specializes in Cognitive Behavior Therapy.This is the most successful way to fight these symptoms.No matter how strong we are,we need some guidance in very complex situation like depression.The sooner you find someone that could help you,the easier would it be for you.

[Aqua7KH 5,395]

I have the same problems as well. I have a hard time socializing and I have never even been on a date nor had a lot of friends. I just try to power through it.

 

  

I dunno, I guess last night I've just been upset and just sad, because I really want to enjoy it but I have a hard time to due to anxiety. The next season will be coming out soon and I don't want to get anxious over watching it. This has happened to me in the past and it just really just gives me a hard time yknow?

Something similar recently happened to me with Birth by Sleep too. I watched a playthrough where the guy absolutely hates the game and says that it's like the worst game ever, so since then I haven't been enjoying Birth by Sleep like I've always have, and it just made me unwilling to even play the game anymore especially since I get anxiety over it. It sucks

 

 I suffer from anxiety and OCD which are very closely related/connected. I'm chemically imbalanced due to my crohns and then on top of that some of my meds can cause anxiety as a side effect so I get a double attack. I usually don't get relief until the side effects start to wear off naturally. I can't take different meds to replace these ones so i'm forced to deal with it . Things I do to calm myself? Well music is a huge soother and so is talking to friends and distracting myself. I also pray too and I get relief from that as well. I know this isn't exactly the same thing but still- anxiety sucks to go through no matter what reason. I think in your case it seems pressure related. You feel like you are suppose to enjoy and like these things so you put pressure on yourself from the start.

 

Yeah I think that's a part of it. The pressure was certain a part, especially when it started at around five years ago when I started to stress over knowing everything about something. When I encounter a show on my own and watch it, I usually enjoy it so much more. Sadly though when I involve myself too much in certain things that starts to ruin it for me as well. I think there's more to it, but in general it just really, really sucks especially since I want to have fun and want to enjoy it yknow?

Recently I went to a program and the doctor there thought at first I have OCD which then morphed into Aspergers on the autism spectrum. I tend to stay with things that are 'familiar' to me, say if there's a video on YouTube I enjoy and I'm familiar with it I deem 'safe' I often watch it over and over again. But back to the whole dilemma, I just I dunno, this whole thing just makes me sad.

 

 

That is my life in a nutshell. I was raised without much social interaction and, sometimes, I think that's the cause of this, but there is also the fact that I like being by myself. Sure, I can hang with a small group of people, but I would be the the type of person who would stay in the background rather than socialize. The anxiety is always there, I just try to ignore it for the most part. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

 

And like Lea said, I use music, or read to calm myself. I literally could spend the whole day reading or listening to music.

  

I grew up with hardly any friends until 8th grade ^^' Now I have friends like you guys and my best friend from 8th grade where I used to live, be as of my waking like I'm just, not really doing much I guess. I wake up, go to work and go home that's it. Often when I go out I go bymtself and wander around. Luckily my older sister takes me with her out, but now that she has a baby we can't quite do that anymore. Luckily I'm apart of an amazing program that gives me a lot of hope, and soon I'll be playing Pokemon Go with one of my doctor. ^_^

 

Well i have been depressed many times in my life.Its something that our body does to alarm us that  we need to change our lifestyle and move forward.Most of the time it starts with panic attacks or generalized panic disorder.There's a lot to say about this subject but the most general advice i would like to give you is to consult a psychologist that specializes in Cognitive Behavior Therapy.This is the most successful way to fight these symptoms.No matter how strong we are,we need some guidance in very complex situation like depression.The sooner you find someone that could help you,the easier would it be for you.

Yeah, I'm actually apart of an amazing program right now, although I just started so I haven't been able to really explain all my issues. I told my therapist about this and he actually offered to watch the show with me and help me through it! Since I watched it by myself though I'm just going to tell him what happened, and I'm hopeful he'll be a great help to me. It just makes me sad, because I just want to be happy and enjoy things.

[keyslinger 307]

I have aspergers as well and it it is difficult to deal with sometimes but I just focus on certain things like Kingdom Hearts and it gets me through. 

[jorrell3946 70]

I too go through anxiety sometimes, and I have ADHD as well. I lose interest in some things after trying them out for a short amount of time, mainly with video games! I'm only in it for the main campaign and or story and then after that I don't play it again unless there's another certain thing to unlock after going through the end game portion that might interest me! It's like I have to find or think of something that I like that'll make me happy or get me interested! I'm just trying to not have an attitude (which I have every now and then) and be happy every day and thinking about KH, Tv shows, and listening to Music help a lot.

Edited September 3, 2016 by jorrell3946

[Kaweebo 3,617]

Over the past two months, I've been struggling with crippling anxiety and it's been causing me depressive episodes. I don't have clinical depression, but I've suffered from anxiety all my life. I've managed to get used to it and function normally, but a couple months ago I had a really bad attack that spiraled me into a deep depression and very bad anxiety attacks over everything. I especially relate to the feeling that you can't enjoy things, that's usually known as 'anhedonia', ceasing to enjoy things you once loved.

 

I can handle the stressful attacks, I can handle feeling a little down but if I can't enjoy life, then what's the point of it, you know? I've been gradually getting better with some ups and downs (I had a couple nervous breakdowns over the past few days) but I am steadily improving, even if it doesn't feel like it at times. It seems like a lot of people are dealing with some hard stuff like depression and anxiety right now as I've never had it this bad in my entire life. It's one of the hardest things I've ever had to deal with and it's made me feel like dying on more than one occasion.

 

The only advice I can give is the one that seems to work for me: You just have to realize and remember that you won't feel like this all the time. Eventually, you will get control of your life back again as long as you keep moving forward. 

Edited September 3, 2016 by Kaweebo

[Mystics Apprentice 2,397]

I go through something very similar, and I sometimes really feel that it is related to the depression aspect.  I know in depression one loses interest in things that they once enjoyed, or just activities in general, and when I go through a really negative bout I find that almost nothing seems fun to me, even if it's something that I used to love.

 

As for the pressure thing regarding the show you would like to enjoy: I can totally understand this, as I feel this way with some video games.  I feel guilty when I don't enjoy games that other people love, but there are so many games that I just can't get into.  I think it also has a lot to do with my lack of time and being unable to apply myself to something fun without feeling guilty about it, but truthfully I think depression comes into play a lot.  It may also be that your interests have changed in time and maybe you don't enjoy the same things that you used to.  Have you tried experimenting with new activities, a new genre of show, et cetera, and see if there's something out there that you can derive enjoyment from?

 

What I myself have had to do in a similar situation is usually just drop whatever it is that I'm trying to force myself to enjoy, and try to engage myself in something else that distracts me, even if I feel that I'm not enjoying it.  If I'm distracted I'm at least not experiencing a negative feeling as I would be with the thing that I'm trying to enjoy, and I tell myself in time I will be able to enjoy things.  It may be a different situation for yourself, but that is at least how I've tried to work through it.  I wouldn't feel too guilty about not enjoying the show.  It may just not be according to your tastes anymore, or it may be a more underlying issue such as depression that isn't allowing you to enjoy it.

 

As you probably know already, I'm always here for you, so feel free to chat with me anytime! : )  I wish you all of the best in working through this.

[Aqua7KH 5,395]

I go through something very similar, and I sometimes really feel that it is related to the depression aspect. I know in depression one loses interest in things that they once enjoyed, or just activities in general, and when I go through a really negative bout I find that almost nothing seems fun to me, even if it's something that I used to love.

 

As for the pressure thing regarding the show you would like to enjoy: I can totally understand this, as I feel this way with some video games. I feel guilty when I don't enjoy games that other people love, but there are so many games that I just can't get into. I think it also has a lot to do with my lack of time and being unable to apply myself to something fun without feeling guilty about it, but truthfully I think depression comes into play a lot. It may also be that your interests have changed in time and maybe you don't enjoy the same things that you used to. Have you tried experimenting with new activities, a new genre of show, et cetera, and see if there's something out there that you can derive enjoyment from?

 

What I myself have had to do in a similar situation is usually just drop whatever it is that I'm trying to force myself to enjoy, and try to engage myself in something else that distracts me, even if I feel that I'm not enjoying it. If I'm distracted I'm at least not experiencing a negative feeling as I would be with the thing that I'm trying to enjoy, and I tell myself in time I will be able to enjoy things. It may be a different situation for yourself, but that is at least how I've tried to work through it. I wouldn't feel too guilty about not enjoying the show. It may just not be according to your tastes anymore, or it may be a more underlying issue such as depression that isn't allowing you to enjoy it.

 

As you probably know already, I'm always here for you, so feel free to chat with me anytime! : ) I wish you all of the best in working through this.

I get what you mean. I don't think it's completely depression, as back in 8th grade this started with me even when I was far from depression (I was very happy) but I do think that the depression made it far worse for me.

What aggravates me though is that I really want to enjoy the show about it and I really think I would've enjoyed the show far more if it wasn't for my anxiety. If I had no anxiety id be healthily obsessed with it. But the anxiety for it just held me back and messed it up for me. it makes me sad because if only it was different

[Veemon 1,540]

I get what you mean. I don't think it's completely depression, as back in 8th grade this started with me even when I was far from depression (I was very happy) but I do think that the depression made it far worse for me.

What aggravates me though is that I really want to enjoy the show about it and I really think I would've enjoyed the show far more if it wasn't for my anxiety. If I had no anxiety id be healthily obsessed with it. But the anxiety for it just held me back and messed it up for me. it makes me sad because if only it was different

Aqua, I want to tell you how much I can relate to every line you just typed.

(I am speaking as a person here.)

 

The depression inside me is directly connected to my social anxiety. I love my Digimon, and I would have no problem expressing how much I like Veemon. But the problem is, I am shy, and what's worse, if I try to talk about something like that, nobody seems interested, and that discourages me. It makes me unconfident about myself, and I stop expressing my inner thoughts and ideas. And then, I become sad and depressed, praying that one day, I would finally meet that one girl who would actually be interested in me the way I would be in her... But still, even then, nothing happens, and time moves on without me.

 

I want to feel and be proud of liking Veemon and what I do best, but how can I be when no one is even the slightest interested in any of that? All of my imagination is bottled up not just in my brain, but in my heart and soul. Some days, it feels so decayed and old, because it's left untouched for so, so long.

 

I try, every, single, day, not to forget my beliefs and interests, especially Veemon, because I don't want to lose my hope of finding true happiness with someone.

 

I'm sorry for ranting a bit... You now see what my life has become because of depression and social anxiety... I hate sounding so unconfident, but I still feel so alone and unnoticed in everything I talk about...

[Aqua7KH 5,395]

Aqua, I want to tell you how much I can relate to every line you just typed.

(I am speaking as a person here.)

 

The depression inside me is directly connected to my social anxiety. I love my Digimon, and I would have no problem expressing how much I like Veemon. But the problem is, I am shy, and what's worse, if I try to talk about something like that, nobody seems interested, and that discourages me. It makes me unconfident about myself, and I stop expressing my inner thoughts and ideas. And then, I become sad and depressed, praying that one day, I would finally meet that one girl who would actually be interested in me the way I would be in her... But still, even then, nothing happens, and time moves on without me.

 

I want to feel and be proud of liking Veemon and what I do best, but how can I be when no one is even the slightest interested in any of that? All of my imagination is bottled up not just in my brain, but in my heart and soul. Some days, it feels so decayed and old, because it's left untouched for so, so long.

 

I try, every, single, day, not to forget my beliefs and interests, especially Veemon, because I don't want to lose my hope of finding true happiness with someone.

 

I'm sorry for ranting a bit... You now see what my life has become because of depression and social anxiety... I hate sounding so unconfident, but I still feel so alone and unnoticed in everything I talk about...

I understand Vee. But remember that there is someone out there for you, waiting for you to meet them. There's a girl somewhere who is absolutely obsessed with Veemon. But even if there isn't someone who quite doesn't love Veemon as much as you, don't get discouraged. Sometimes the person we love has different interests or even- you can introduce her to that interest. Isn't that the fun part? Completing someone with you. It's the yin and yang; not yin and yin. Who knows. Maybe there's a girl who never even saw Digimon, but would love to see it. Or even if she doesn't quite have an interest in it, maybe seeing you so happy will make her happy. Life sometimes don't quite work out the way we think. But the beauty in that is, it could work out in a way we like even better. Open up your possibilities. Be spontaneous.

In reguards to your social problems, have you ever tried conventions? If not please do. You will meet so many people with the same interests as you there. See if there's a Digimon convention! Join Digimon forms. Cosplay as Veemon! You'll have a wonderful time.

Don't give up and hang in there

[Veemon 1,540]

I understand Vee. But remember that there is someone out there for you, waiting for you to meet them. There's a girl somewhere who is absolutely obsessed with Veemon. But even if there isn't someone who quite doesn't love Veemon as much as you, don't get discouraged. Sometimes the person we love has different interests or even- you can introduce her to that interest. Isn't that the fun part? Completing someone with you. It's the yin and yang; not yin and yin. Who knows. Maybe there's a girl who never even saw Digimon, but would love to see it. Or even if she doesn't quite have an interest in it, maybe seeing you so happy will make her happy. Life sometimes don't quite work out the way we think. But the beauty in that is, it could work out in a way we like even better. Open up your possibilities. Be spontaneous.

In reguards to your social problems, have you ever tried conventions? If not please do. You will meet so many people with the same interests as you there. See if there's a Digimon convention! Join Digimon forms. Cosplay as Veemon! You'll have a wonderful time.

Don't give up and hang in there

Oh, well, I have certainly thought of stuff like that... But I just, ya know, never thought it would work or happen. I understand that what I hoped for sounded like an impossible task, and you're right, even if she wasn't into Digimon at first, it would be really neat if she was open enough to try it out.

 

Heh, weeell, I love the idea of Cosplaying as Veemon (or Flamedramon, perhaps), but it's probably somewhat expensive and really difficult to put together. I wish that soooo much...

 

 

Rock on!

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

Well, I haven't felt like this, but I can tell you that you just have to try your best to weather through your anxiety, ya know?  I can't imagine that it's easy dealing with this kind of situation, and it can be very hard on yourself, but you just have to believe that things will get better, ya know?  Pray to God for advice, for peace of mind, talk to friends, soothe yourself in whatever relaxes you the most, and try your best to avoid depression and anxiety, ya know?  Just keep on hanging in there, and you'll be okay!

[The 13th Kenpachi 4,279]

I know how you feel. I used to struggle with depression a while ago.

 

 

 

My best friend had depression and she nearly killed herself and I felt like I was the cause of it I nearly ended up killing myself because of the guilt I felt. Fortunately I saw the light before it was too late and kept fighting. She moved schools and is now much better at handling situations and she hasn't harmed herself for a long time.

Then I ended up on this site where everything seemed to go away.

 

I have social anxiety and it's terrifying. If someone asks me to go to shopping you know what I feel? Scared. Scared that I'm going to be judged or looked at by others, scared that I'm going to see an old friend and I won't know how to react. My heart pounds, my back feels heavy and my legs start shaking. I can't handle that, I'll still go because when I'm there I know that everything is okay because it never happens. But the possibility frightens me.

 

But here's where the contradiction lies.

 

I don't do much, I'm 16 I hardly go out with my friends or anything, maybe once a month if I'm lucky.

 

Through social media I always see people having a good time with their friends and doing fun stuff whilst I sit in my room alone. It makes me feel like shit to be honest. Everyone is enjoying life besides me.

I want to go out and enjoy life, but I don't want to be judged by others or be in a social situation where I don't know how to respond to people.

I'm sheltered in all honesty but I'm too scared to leave the shelter at times.

 

When I do muster up the courage to go out, I have a good time. I'm surrounded by individuals who help me and they make me feel glad that I'm breathing. All the bad stuff I thought would happen never happens.

 

 

But life goes on and nothing is as it seems. Those who you see over the social web are not perfect, they have struggles and goals and fears and regrets just like you and I do. No one is defined by a picture of themselves on the Internet and nothing is as it seems.

 

Put your faith in yourself, everything up to this point I've done myself and also with help from my friends. I don't need God to come through for me because I don't want him to solve my problems for me, that's not the meaning of life in my eyes.

 

 

 

[Rizzyy 736]

Yea it sucks a few months ago i couldnt even get out of bed and there were plenty of days i spent like half the days under my blanket just feeling like crap. I couldnt eve play minecraft or any other games for more then 15 minutes and then return to the bed to hide under it. Its really sucks but just power through and be strong!