Struggling with severe anxiety and depression

Hello @Hdog192 and welcome. Thanks for sharing your story. The forums seem to be quiet at the moment as people come and go, and I'm sure others will respond.

Congratulations, submitting your thesis is a big milestone. I can understand your uncertainty as you wait on what happens next, whether that be further studies or maybe employment. How are you looking after yourself day by day? You deserve to be kind to yourself with selfcare activities and finding things to look forward to - which can feel challenging with anxiety and depression. Physical activity - I walk every day - can help with mood and sleep. Staying socially connected is important too. It's good you have your parents' support and the psychiatrist's appt is only a fortnight away. If you feel in crisis, helplines or as you say A&E might be appropriate. If it's more a sense of overwhelming anxiety, finding distractions or practising breath control exercises and mindfulness can help tide you over until the feelings subside.

Finding a new sense of purpose through a writing project or independent reading in your subject field might be a possibility like @PositivePossum6 or pursuing another hobby or interest. Some here do craft or do up old bikes or garden - join choirs or book clubs - anything really. And just hanging out on the social threads is always good.

What are your plans for the rest of the day?

Take care

Dimity

@Hdog192 Congratulations on finishing your thesis, that is a huge accomplishment.

I have kept myself very busy to not deal with childhood trauma (bullying) until recently. I had to stop working and finally face what was going on. I just wanted to say that only you can decide if you experienced trauma and a psychiatrist might be helpful.

The worst thing about bullying is the repeated incidences, it is a very complex issue and you might need some time. If you need help each state has a mental health line, you can call and start to engage with your local community mental health team without having to go to A& E.

I carried shame and embarrassment for a long time, but it also made me independent, resourceful and empathetic towards others.

I am happy to chat if that might help you, if you are thinking of self harm please reach out, there is a list of call services, Suicide call back line has psychologists, just call if you need someone to talk to.

Hi @Hdog192,

Welcome to the Forums. My name is FloatingFeather and I am one of the peer support workers at SANE.

I'm sorry to read what you are going through. It sounds like you have been going through a pretty intense time lately. I imagine that doing your honours thesis would have been quite demanding too. Congratulations on submitting it - what a big achievement!

I have had severe anxiety and depression in the past and even though it was many years ago I still remember that feeling like yesterday. I totally understand what you mean when you say your appointment in December to see a psychiatrist seems like ages a way. When I was going through anxiety and depression time almost felt like it stood still sometimes.

What I will say is that even though it was a very hard time in my life I did recover from it. It does still rear its ugly head sometimes but I am much more aware of the signs and can usually `nip it in the bud' before it takes hold. The good news about anxiety and depression (even when it is severe) is that it is very treatable and although you may feel like it will last forever (at least that's how I felt) with the right help it can definitely be managed well and kept under control.

If you feel your medication isn't work well for you perhaps you could speak to your GP. Sometimes the medication isn't the right fit. If you have just started taking medication recently it can take a few weeks to really start working well.

Another thing I used to do was play video games. It wasn't that I really love video games but it was just something that helped keep my mind engaged and give me some relief from how I was feeling.

I wish you all the best - keep reaching out on the Forums. That's what we are here for.

Warm wishes,

FloatingFeather