Lived Experience Forum

[daddy]

Hello I'm a "newbie"  currently deeply depressed and feeling hopeless and lonely.Do others feel this time of year hard to handle? Interested to hear of others feelings at present?

Thankyou

[frog]

Hi @daddy welcome to the forum. I'm sorry that you are feeling so depressed. I have had periods like that too.

I also find this time of year hard to handle.

Maybe it's because of all the expectations re celebration and resolutions.

This time round it's possibly even harder because the last few years have really felt like a series of cumulative losses for me, and for many. I don't have the energy or will for resolutions/goals, and the fact that it's almost impossible to plan in the face of a pandemic is not helping!

Having said all that, I am still looking for wins, however small. For me sometimes that means 10 mins outside without a mask at lunchtime, or seeing one of my indoor plants pick up. This stuff is trivial I guess, but it keeps me a bit grounded.

Take care

[chibam]

Hi @daddy . Welcome to the forums!

I can completely relate to the Xmas/New Years depression. Yet another reminder that the clock is ticking over and life hasn't gotten any better. It's getting later in the game and, even if life did "get on the right track" in the near future, starting out at this point will be a very hard road; and we've already seen that help is almost impossible to come by.

This changing of the years is a ritual, and increasingly painful reminder that those promises you heard in your gullible youth, that: "if you just hang in there, things will work out. Nothing bad lasts forever." is a complete load of bullplop. The years come and the years go, and nothing ever, ever gets any better. Bravo, guys. You tricked me. Laugh it up.

[Former-Member]

Hi @daddy. Yep, new Year sure does suck! I don't know why, but I wish there were less public holidays that way I can keep up with daily activities with support workers all year round. this is just me, though. Support services totally suck around Christmas time too; this is when everything shuts down for almost two weeks and it seems that when most of us feel like we need help so badly, we have to wait for it, you just can't get help when you ask for it damnit.

[Former-Member]

Hi @chibam I totally hear ya. I get it too, the support system bloody sucks! It's great when help is finally found, but until then it's a f*&$% pain to deal with the lack of services. And it takes flaming ages to make people understand, too.

[Carlo]

Yes, it is a particularly tough time of year.
We all have hopes of joy and connection... but for many of us, it just highlights the reality of our lives.
Hope 2022 gives us the opportunity to change all this!

[OzGrace]

Definitely feel this is the most difficult time of the year for MANY people! Including me. I feel for you... Try to have patience with the days and with yourself. ❤️

[Rhye]

Hey there @daddy and a big warm welcome to the SANE forums 

I'm so pleased to see that other members have jumped in here and shared their stories of coping during the holiday season. It can be really tough to navigate these heavy feelings when there are so many service closures this time of year.

I'm wondering whether you feel supported more generally i.e. do you have a support team (therapist, counsellor, friend, GP) that you can turn to when you feel this way?

I also wanted to point you to the list of SANE support services, and in particular our free counselling service, you can reach to our team of counsellors by phone, email or web chat from 10am to 10pm Monday to Friday AEST, if you need support or someone to talk to.

Again, happy travelling through the forums and if you ever need support here in the forum feel free to use the @Former-Member ( @ moderator) function 😊