Donna White50 said:You're spiraling into overthinking, which is a fast track to depression. You feel this way because you're at a major crossroads in life—it's that identity crisis you hit when you're trying to transition into adulthood and independence. People who don't finish college usually hit this in their late teens, and those who do go through it right after graduation. It's all those questions: Where am I going? What am I doing? How will I survive? Can I actually do this? Why can't I? Why does nobody get me? Does life even matter? Why am I here? It's a lot...
It'll pass once you find some kind of work and start taking care of yourself. Seriously, any job will do. If it isn't in your field, fine—just get in there. Everywhere is short-staffed right now, so you could grab a seasonal gig just to break out of this dark hole. Just something to help you fight back and prove to yourself that you *can* do it, even if it feels impossible. Once you're busy with that, you'll start dealing with actual, concrete things instead of these endless, useless thoughts and fears that lead nowhere...😉
Now, just go on Indeed or something and start applying for whatever you can handle...😉
As per usual, an excellent post.👍
That thing you called "separation" or "life adjustment"—for me, that hit hard right after finishing my degree back in the late 90s, during the era of the hardline Republican Party leadership; finding work back then was a genuine nightmare. No offense intended, but if time travel were real and I could jump back to 1998 or maybe 2001, I bet none of us would be complaining about anything anymore after returning to 2018.🍿
I was profoundly depressed by unemployment; I mean, I literally didn't have enough cash to buy a burger as a grown man. If I had actually had $6.75 I would have been constantly stressing over how to spend it, imagine $6.75🤦. I've always struggled with low self-esteem, and in my early twenties, I truly hit rock bottom. Every single morning I'd wake up wondering what on earth I was going to do with myself—just an indescribable sense of emptiness and boredom. At least we have the internet today🙄. I was convinced I was incompetent, and since I'm also a bit clumsy, I convinced myself I was just stupid and useless too. Eventually, I pulled myself together and went back to a psychologist I'd seen when I was a kid. We found our first job, then the second, then the third, though there were times I was unemployed and relying on benefits. All in all, the longer you stay in that state, the harder it becomes to claw your way out. Nothing is easy, but you have to try. And as I said, despite the massive gloom and overwhelming pessimism, things are arguably better and easier today; it's easier to find work, and the terror used to squeeze workers has lessened because employers are terrified everyone will just move across the border. Granted, finding a *good* job still isn't easy, but damn, being broke is much harder.
Joseph Bailey41 said:It isn't really your circumstances holding you back; it's the fear itself. You have to face it head-on by intentionally doing the things that scare you. This doesn't just apply to job hunting—it applies to anything you can think of. For instance, maybe go out and try bungee jumping or something similar. There’s nothing quite like an adrenaline rush to help shake off that sense of hopelessness and lack of motivation.
As per usual, the Flying One comes up with these wild, one-of-a-kind theories.😁👍
So, let's weigh the options here: Bungee jumping versus sitting in a psychiatrist's office. On one hand, you get this incredible surge of adrenaline, see brand-new sights, and meet new people. On the other hand, you sit in a waiting room surrounded by miserable faces, only to walk in and spend maybe ten measly minutes answering questions before they hand you some pills and tell you to come back next month for a follow-up check-in?
It’s absolutely Bungee jumping for me.👍