What are you looking for?
Featured Topics
Select a topic to start reading.
Sometimes people say things like, "If you want to talk, let me know," or sometimes "talking to someone may help." Okay. Cool. Good advice, right? But, what is it that I am supposed to talk *about*? I suffer with crippling depression, and everyday is a struggle. Part of me wants to reach out to someone, but I don't know what I need from them. Do I talk about how I am feeling at this moment? About how I feel daily? About last night when things felt out-of-hand? Do I talk about my overall symptoms? Or about how it seems impossible to find a good doctor nearby? Or about how my family is clueless? Or about my fears for the future?
And what do they do with this information? I mean, what on Earth could they say that would really make any difference? Do they just listen to it all and then at the end say, "I'm sorry to hear that?" Do they offer to help brainstorm solutions to these problems? Or do they simply offer a distraction from these problems for a while? Why do I crave social interaction in the first place and how could it possibly be helpful?
btw -- these aren't rhetorical or hypothetical questions. I would really like some feedback on how these social interactions typically go. I'm a little socially awkward and I tend to isolate, so I genuinely don't know how to go about talking to friends about these things or what to expect during the conversation. Any opinions/experiences/etc. would be appreciated. Thank you.
If you see a comment that is unsupportive or unfriendly, please report it using the flag button.
More Posts
-
Finding Support
I tend to isolate, and I struggle with trying to find friends who I can trust and open up to. Many of them know that I've been having a lot of issues latel...
-
Feeling worthless and extremely jealous
I have a long history of feeling inferior, worthless, stupid, incapable. I'm not good enough. I'm not pretty enough. Not smart enough. I am getting destructi...
I’ll tell you things from my point of view.
We all need social interactions because we are human. It’s how we built our lives and society. We survive because we are capable of forming groups and sharing our thoughts and build on those thoughts.
When someone asked you to talk to them or anyone, you start with whatever is on your mind then or what you have been thinking that day because it’s the easiest place to start. Then you just see where the conversation takes you. The other person, the one listening, in turn might listen to you, ask questions, have a conversation, give advice, help you find solutions - they can do any or all or none of the above. That honestly depends on the person. Sometimes you can even ask the person to do something specifically. You can ask them to just listen and not give their opinion. You can ask them for support. You can ask them to help you find solutions. The other person is probably just as confused about what to say as you are.
I hope this helps you a bit. :)
Reply