this post was submitted on 20 Dec 2023
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[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago

I feel like this is a young persons question. I’m old enough that I’ve been dealing with myself for a long time. I’ve come to terms with everything. I’m fine with myself. It’s all the external factors that are hard. The direction of the world governments, the climate, the price of things. If I could just exist in a vacuum. I’d be pretty happy with that.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

I'm a complete recluse. My own family never sees me for days on end, because leaving my room for almost any reason gives me extreme anxiety. My parents always fought a lot growing up and it became my safe space to escape from it, but now it's a problem. They're divorced, but I still can't make myself come out more than a few times a week, besides going to work. I always feel ashamed never being able to come out, but the anxiety is paralyzing. My ADHD also makes my life hell, as well as depression.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago

Jesus, fucking everything.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Shy bladder syndrome - I can only take go on a toilet and do my business at my own home while no one else is nearby, and this makes it very hard whenever I get hospitalized, have to stay somewhere overnight (thankfully never happened), or being in school/work as I can never use the toilet once the need arises - gotta wait until I'm back home for that.

The worst it had affected me was at a hospital once where it took me around 2-3 days to be able to finally start urinating there after countless attempts over the time period, and 2 weeks to be able to take a shit. It's no fun.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I don't trust anyone. I have a total of two friends.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Heh, one more than me.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Not knowing what I want out of life. Including whether to break off the nine-year, kind of dysfunctional relationship I've been in (neither option feels good).

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I can be insufferably insistent at times. If someone says they'll do X with me, or for me, I will pester them until they do, "playfully" jabbing at them the longer they don't do whatever they said.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Honestly doesn't sound too bad. If I had a friend who both reached out, and then pestered me, I might actually feel valued lol

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

My immediate problem is I have an extremely hard time asking for help, in any context. I think it stems from trust issues. My immediate thought when something needs to be done is "I will do it, or it won't be done and I will deal with that outcome", because I think the chances someone else will actually do it when asked, the way I want it done, are pretty low.

Makes you a rock star at work until you break under that expectation you set. Makes for weird relationship dynamics when you help all the time and never ask/expect that it will be reciprocated. It's just not a great position for fostering healthy interpersonal dynamics in general. I'd argue that it might also sap energy from working towards some things you want done, and are unhappy, deep down, are left undone.

I think there's even a name for it - helper syndrome or something. It's a weird "It actually works pretty well, until it doesn't" position.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

It's difficult for me too sometimes. I was sick so I was trying to figure out who should I ask to bring me some medicine from pharmacy or whether to not ask anyone. Maybe I could go there myself even though I was very sick or maybe I could be without medicine. Finally I asked a friend. I almost didn't ask her because I didn't want to bother her and I would've hated it if she said no.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Oh hey you’re me? I am working on this with my therapist right now and we’ve been thinking it’s a trauma response from a mix of my mother being a leech, being constantly abandoned as a kid, and the subsequent need for control with a dozen or two little side dishes in there to flesh out the ‘I will never ask for help’ dinner.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago

Mostly everything.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

The crippling depression that's completely stopped me from functioning in any meaningful way. That's definitely the big one.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Executive dysfunction. I have a horrible time with completing tasks that I've built up stress over, my brain just won't let me start because it feels hopeless. It's a constant struggle to get things done. And nobody understands. I don't really expect them to, because "oh sorry that task stressed me out so much that I've just completely avoided it" isn't a valid excuse. ADHD drugs helped but I don't want to be on them, and a prescription to them bars me from doing other things that I actually enjoy. So I'll probably just struggle with it the rest of my life.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

ADHD drugs helped but I don't want to be on them, and a prescription to them bars me from doing other things that I actually enjoy.

I'm curious, could you elaborate on this?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I want to be a recreational pilot. I'm quite good at it, very committed to and interested in the procedural aspects of it, and religiously adhere to the safety guidelines. According to FAA rules you cannot have an ADHD diagnosis and be prescribed drugs for it and fly, point blank. I've never been officially diagnosed with ADHD, but the FAA reached out and grounded me because I didn't lie on the medical application and said I'd dealt with depression in the past. Despite the medical examiner clearing me and issuing my certification.

The long, tedious process of trying to be cleared again stressed me out more than flying was fun, and now I'm just sort of in a limbo, after thousands of dollars spent on training.

This is all to say that the process taught me that the stigma around mental illness is alive and well in the USA, and I just don't want any of it on my medical record anymore. I can deal with it. Mental health support isn't good enough yet to actually significantly improve my life, or at least it's never worked well enough for me. So the consequences of having any hint on an official document somewhere of not being 100% mentally stable and content 100% of the time aren't worth it. Who knows if a new opportunity or new-found passion comes along and I get fucked out of it because I felt sad for a long time and wanted to talk to someone about it, or I wanted some help trying to make my brain work more like everyone else's. I'll do what I should've done from the start, and suck it up.

Sorry for the rant, definitely more than you were looking for, it's just been weighing on me.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Holy shit... who hasn't struggled with depression at some point? I'm so sorry that interfered with your certification. I guess I get why depression is a red flag but it's just so common, you'd think if you're cleared by a medical examiner should be enough. And ADD is so common too, but I get why you wouldn't want it on your record. What a bummer :(

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Yeah, it's a federal agency, and one that's obsessed with the process of slowly and iteratively improving safety standards. So I understand. It just sucks. 50 years ago mental health wasn't something the FAA had to think about. Now, so many more prospective pilots have at least something on their record. So they need to catch up. The biggest issue, I think, is that career pilots hide the problems they have in order to keep their jobs. Because they don't have much of a choice. Suck it up, or jump through a bunch of hoops to seek treatment and still possibly lose your income. Lotta closeted alcoholics in aviation, I'm positive.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Unless you are using it like an addiction, you just need a good match. This will be an asset to the right partner. Good luck to you.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Thanks. This is the mother of my two children and the woman I intend to be with for the rest of my life. We have a very open conversation about it and are working on it. Currently on the same page and on the right track. 😊

Thanks for your words! ❤️

PS: not an addiction, thankfully!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Good, that is good. If your kids are small, it may keep getting better - I run pretty hot, once a day lady at least and nursing kids knocked my libido down below zero. It was unsettling. The combination of stress and hormones (and coming after the high of pregnancy sex drive) was so depressing, sex was scary and uncomfortable just awful time. It does pass but feels like it won't.

Sorry probably TMI but if you can stay connected and especially if this is a change she has gone through it will come around. Little kids are such an enormous stressful job but they do grow.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

No no, not TMI. Thank you for sharing, every bit of info that helps us understand the situation is helpful.

Stress is definitely a big factor in our case. Lots of stressful circumstances. But intimacy for me is a stress reliever, whereas it seems like the opposite to her. So that's been a big issue for a while.

I've lurked a lot in r/deadbedrooms in the past year. A lot of advice there can sometimes make you lose hope. "Just leave him/her. You're not compatible." I've not posted there myself, and probably for the best. But it has been somewhat insightful.

It has come to a head for me a few times in the past year, where I've broken down and told her intimacy has to escalate soon. We need to do something here. I need to know what she wants and she needs to know what I want so we can rebuild and increase the intimacy frequency and quality.

So we have sort of a plan now and it's working pretty well so far. Wheels are turning. I just hope we can stay the course.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Good. I guess I should say there are actually two conditions under which my sex drive has failed completely, the other time was when I was working 4 jobs, and sex began to feel like just one more thing I had to do, instead of a source of relief. You guys don't have a fundamental mismatch, right? r/deadbedrooms is sort of a cesspool.

They are right that you cannot reconcile a once a week person with a twice a day person though - someone is going to be unsatisfied in that situation. So unhappy it wrecks their life? Maybe not, I made 20 years with a once a week guy, was frustrated but that wasn't really what broke us. Could have gone on like that, without it being a huge issue, I have hands and that's still regular connection, understand? If everything else was good it was plenty good enough. But for sure it's much less of an issue with my husband, as we wake up and do it every day before starting our day, to make sure we get off at least once with each other. Like, maybe I run slightly hotter than him but it's close, very close.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

Late, long reply...

I was working 4 jobs, and sex began to feel like just one more thing I had to do, instead of a source of relief.

4 jobs, holy... Yeah, I think that's exactly what had happened to us/her. She has even said so, that it feels like one more thing that needs doing. Also she has a history of burning out once or twice, so things are easily triggered as stress, unfortunately.

You guys don't have a fundamental mismatch, right? r/deadbedrooms is sort of a cesspool.

I honestly don't know. I don't think so, from what she tells me. Depends on what you mean I guess, but in my mind we are meant for each other, and we have told each other we want to be with each other for the rest of our lives. We are engaged, two kids.

Sounds to me like you are living the relationship dream, being with someone that is such a great libido match, whether low or high.

Update on our situation: in my mind we had a big setback. She said there's a lot right now. Our original plan was too stressful, and it just felt like implicit nagging rather than explicit, but still stressful.

I agreed to one month of not even mentioning sex at all. She felt very relaxed during that month, and she seemed much happier.

Now more than a week after that month, and I finally suggested we could maybe do something saucy. Nope. Too tired, early morning for work, etc... Same excuses as always.

I'm not too hopeful anymore. Feel like I'm back to square one. I don't want to start up our sex life again in 15 years when our kids are adults... While we're young, and whatnot. 😑

[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago

I am so much smarter than the whole bunch, and they just can't stand it

:-)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

God, where would I even begin? I hate almost everything about myself.

One big thing I cannot stand is how emotionally overreactive I am. When I get upset about something, I get so deeply and incredibly upset to the point where it doesn't even make sense. I feel things way too incredibly deeply and I hate it.

Another is that I endlessly frustrate myself by being lonely, but at the same time never putting myself out there to try to meet new people. But I hate new people and getting to know them. I only like people that I already know well.

And to top it all off, I made the mistake of letting someone get too close to my heart only for them to leave me. It's not even their fault because they are literally just my coworker...we weren't even friends outside of work. But I made the mistake of liking them and getting close to them. And if I can't even handle that with just a coworker, I don't know how I could ever put myself out there to be vulnerable for a relationship more than that knowing that they might leave me.

My insurance changes Jan 1st and I'm going to really try to give therapy a go this time around when I get my updated insurance info. I tried months back but quit after one session after seeing the price. Honestly I wonder if I need pills or something because I am just so incredibly frustrated with life and everything and I can't stop crying like an idiot.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Good luck buddy! Therapy really helped me, although it might take a few tries to find a therapist you like.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Good luck on your journey! Therapy is expensive and it can take a while until you find the right therapist. But it will be worth it, trust me.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

I'm too self aware that I'm paralyzed by most aspects of daily life. I'm frustrating to myself.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Angry and frustrated at everything I do,I dont do, could be doing, mix in a good helping of not having done enough of the thing I actually sid

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

ADHD. I blurt shit out. My emotions are about 6 steps ahead of the rest of my brain. Uninteresting things are death. Time is either too fast or too slow. Sitting still for long periods of time is torture

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

You can make a virtue out of it.

I also can't sit still. Not even for two minutes. But I have a job at the computer. Requires sitting most of the time.

I think that I'm never going to get spinal disc problems like all the other people who sit all day long. Spinal discs need motion to stay healthy. Trouble comes from sitting motionless.

My spine stays in motion all the time and now I feel good about it.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago

The universe

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