Feeling so out of place.

[votregitan]

Lately I've been feeling so out of place. I feel I don't fit in anything at all, and lately nothing has my interest except for my kids and work. When I'm not working or with the kids that's when the empty feeling sinks in. I'm trying really hard to be happy but I still have this feeling of emptiness. My best friend still hasn't contacted me and I think that's what has me feeling so blue. I hate feeling this way, I used to be so happy go lucky and fun. Now I just boring and moody. *sigh*

[Honey Pumpkin]

Well, I don't know the full backdrop to your story, but it sounds like you might be suffering mild depression? I'm in the UK, and here January is the worst month of all, dark and cold (yesterday was officially the most depressing day of the year!) - but if you're in California I'm guessing you don't suffer from SAD?

 

I don't think you should self-diagnose on the internet, but there is a questionnaire online to maybe think about depression:

 

link removed

 

Some of the questions sound a bit like the symptoms you describe, to be honest. The BBC website (which is usually pretty reliable) lists these as common indicators of depression:

 

• Variation of mood during the day. It's often worse in the morning, improving as the day goes on - but the pattern can be the other way around.
  
• Disturbed sleep, usually waking early and being unable to get back to sleep
  
• A general slowing down of thought, speech and movement
  
• Feelings of anxiety
  
• Tearfulness for no reason
  
• Short temper
  
• Lack of energy and constant exhaustion
  
• Inability to enjoy things
  
• Lack of concentration
  
• Difficulty making decisions
  
• Feeling that you're forgetful
  
• Negative thoughts about the future
  
• Feelings of guilt
  
• Loss of identity
  
• Blaming self and low self-esteem
  
• Feelings of hopelessness and despair
  
• Unrealistic sense of failure
  
• Loneliness, even when around others
  
• Becoming preoccupied with illness
  
• Loss of appetite and resulting loss of weight
  
• Reduced desire for sex
  

 

Do any of these sound like they might apply to you? The first piece of advice they give you is to monitor your mood:

 

"This is the starting point for managing depression. It will help you learn to spot an episode of depression before it's too late. Using the thought-monitoring technique, you can decide which thoughts represent an accurate picture of what's going on around you and which are unrealistic and created by your mood beginning to fall."

 

There are loads of good references and suggestions, if you want them let me know and I'll post them.

 

Take good care of yourself!

[Clementine orange]

You, me and author Douglas Coupland know:

 

She say she feels lost, sort of like the way she felt when she was younger.

I told her that everybody feels lost when they're young.

But she say there's a difference. She tells me that at least when she was young she felt lost in her own special way. Now she just feels lost like everyone else."

 

- Douglas Coupland, Life After God

 

Sorry it's no help but at least you know you aren't alone in these thoughts

 

You might also try Peggy Lee's "Is that all there is?"

[votregitan]

Thanks guys, I feel a bit better today. I exercised yesterday and I believe that helped out alot. I appreciate the comments