Monday, June 29, 2009

I can only fight one battle at a time

It's Monday night 8:31pm. I only had a bag of chips for food all day. I have been crying since noon, at work and all the way home and at home. my anxiety was at all time high, i felt like i was going to die laying on my couch.
I'm going to see my psychiatrist tomorrow to see if i should get on some medication. i know they'd recommand something, but I know this feeling of depression, I have experienced it before and I got over it. It was not pleasant, i was a mess, as i am a mess now. my head hurts, my limbs are numb, my stomache is in a twist, my heart hurts, i can't eat, i can barely sleep..
my therapist is telling me that even though it might cause me anxiety to take the bus or train, i should still do it. even though i have anxiety staying home by myself, i should still do it, because i shouldn't run away from it. because i need to go through staying home alone to know that i won't have an anxiety attack and that i will be ok. so through that, i can build my own confidence with staying home alone.
ok, i get it. i totally get this whole counter-anxiety tactic. it's like putting someone who's claustraphobic in an elevator for 2 hours, push their anxiety to the highest limit and thereby getting over it. but guess what, i am home every day by myself. i go through my days feeling lonely and can't concentrate because i am so terrified of going home alone. some day i am just so tired of fighting this battle. i just want to come home to someone. to know that someone care enough to say to me "listen, u r afraid of this situation, let's just deal with it one step at a time. i will be there, i will stay with u until u get better, because i believe u will be better one day. u just need a little help now."
everyday i feel like i can't back down. i can't be weak and just say, ok i give up, i don't want to go anywhere alone. i want to feel loved and cared for. most of all, i want that care and love from my parents. yes, friends help. but at this time, friends can only help me so much. they have their own lives, you know?
i feel so ashamed. so guilty for asking for help. because i SHOULD be able to deal with this ON MY OWN. but i am a fucking loser and an idiot, because i just asked my parents to come over to stay with me tonight. am i a fucking loser or what? a fucking 24 year old can't stay home alone! what a fucking ridiculous situation?
i beat myself every single fucking day because i can't get over this hurdle in life without some help. and i feel so fucking ashamed for asking for help. so it's this vicious cycle, where i am trying to get rid of my anxiety and depression at the same time.
my anxiety is caused by depressive thoughts that NO ONE CARES ABOUT ME! i am all fucking alone on this earth. i am so incapable of dealing with life that one day i will end up taking pills every day to live and eventurally die like michael jackson, over dose.
i can't stop thinking like that. i feel like one of those junkies that takes drugs all day, no one can save them, but to watch him/her die. i am watching myself dying and i can't do shit about it! and i am not taking any drugs at all!
i have xanax and have been carrying it around, but i never took it, because i don't want to rely on it. so when the therapist told me i might need some medication to get over the depression, i was terrified, because i thought i'd be strong enough to fight it on my own, i don't want to get addicted to anti-depressants. it also made me feel ashamed that i cannot fight this on my own.

this weekend i was supposed to take a train to boston by myself, meet up with friends and go to maine to raft and sky dive. then on sunday night i will come back and pack for london, and leave for london 5:30am on monday. i was excited about sky dive and all that, but now.. not so much... because i feel extremely anxious thinking about taking a 4 hour train by myself, and then come back and fly to london by myself and stay in a hotel room for 2 weeks by myself. yes i know there are distractions, such as books, movies, hanging out with coworkers. but knowing me i would be so detached from reality, i wouldn't be able to focus on them.
i feel this enormous pressure to take on these 2 challenges head on. like I HAVE TO TAKE THE 4 HOUR TRAIN BY MYSELF BECAUSE IT WILL NUMB MY ANXIETY. and if i don't, i won't be able to go on this rafting trip and i will be a fucking loser, because i wasted a perfectly fun weekend because i can't take a fucking train by myself. also, i might be losing my job because i can't fucking fly and stay in a hotel room alone. those are going to make me feel like shit even more than i already do.
but god, this battle is so hard to fight. sometimes i just want to be like, ok, steph, u can't go to boston by yourself, then take it easy. ask your parents drive you, spend a road trip with them, who knows, they might like it. don't feel bad about it. you are just in a bad position in your life now, where you need a little bit help. it's ok. ask for help. don't feel bad about it. everyone needs a little help once in a while.
i want to take a leap towards wellness, but i know i'm far from it. so i'm going to take it step by step, baby steps. and stop beating myself up about it.

i am only strong enough to fight one battle at a time. please don't judge me because i can't take a train or flight by myself. i am just trying as hard as i can to not to take any pills. and even if one day, i need medication to get over my depression, i don't want to feel bad about it. people who have a cold takes medicine, just because i am not sneezing and coughing doesn't mean i shouldn't take medications. i am not eatting, not sleeping, i can't concentrate at work, i just need a little help. why do i feel so ashamed!!! stop feeling that way and just do whatever that can make u feel better, even if that means to have your parents staying with u for a few days. because one day u will feel better.. it's just that day is not today...

1 comment:

Mlle_Lou said...

Steph,
I am in NY for the summer ( before going to Penn for one year), if you would like to chat for lunch at the cafe at kinokuniya (close to train to go back to work?) anytime, you can let me know, if not is ok too.
I have so little in me to help anyone emotionally , but if you feel alone I will be happy to scape my internship for lunch :).

my email: mlle_lou_lou@yahoo.es
Lou is my second real name!

fellow lonely traveler