Anemia or something else?

Hey, I'm 21 and honestly, life's been pretty rough lately—mostly because of how I look. I read somewhere that it might be anemia, but who knows? Anyway, over the last couple of years, my skin has totally changed. It looks older, loses its bounce, and just seems pale. Even my beard looks weird, almost like there’s a gray tint to it. To make matters worse, my diet is trash. I barely eat anything and I'm constantly dehydrated because I just have zero appetite. I try, really, but I just can't force it down. Could that lack of food and water be why my body is reacting this way?

On top of that, I'm mentally trashed. I find myself envying everyone else's looks—and I mean *everyone*, even people others call unattractive. To me, they look fine. I just can't stop hating how I look, and I don't know how to fix it. People say you should stay busy to distract yourself, so I work and I hit the gym when I can, but it doesn't change the fact that I feel like garbage. I fall into these deep depressions. Some Saturdays, I won't even leave the house because I feel like such a freak. Honestly... sometimes I just want it all to end. During the day, I'm exhausted, and at night, I can't sleep—or even when I'm tired enough to pass out, my brain won't shut up. I just have no drive left for anything.

Please, I need some help 😢

Gerald Cruz5 said:Hey, I’m 21 and honestly feeling pretty miserable, mostly because of how I look. I read somewhere that maybe it could be anemia, but I don't know. Basically, over the last couple of years, my skin has changed—it looks older, loses its elasticity, and just looks pale. Even my beard looks weird, almost like there's gray in it. My diet is pretty terrible and I barely drink any water; I just have zero appetite. I try, but I really can't force myself to eat. I'm wondering if that lack of nutrition could be causing these physical changes?

On top of that, I’m mentally trashed. I find myself envying everyone else's looks (even people others call ugly, because even they look good to me). I have such a low opinion of myself and I feel powerless to change it. I read that staying busy helps distract you—and look, I have a job and I hit the gym, but it doesn't matter, I still feel this way. I fall into these deep depressions. On Saturdays, I won't even leave the house because I feel like a total freak... honestly, I feel suicidal... I'm exhausted during the day, my sleep is a mess, and sometimes even when I'm wiped out, I still can't drift off. I just have no drive left for anything...

Please help me 😢

We can't talk about anemia until you get some blood work done and see a doctor. My advice? Go find a psychiatrist. Don't let anyone talk you out of seeing a professional; it doesn't matter what people think, and they don't even need to know. What matters is doing what's best for you and taking care of yourself. A solid psychiatrist can make a massive difference, but you have to actually engage with them and want to get better. If you're dealing with depression, that's serious business, but it is absolutely treatable. So, please, let us know soon once you've scheduled an appointment. 🙂