Isolation/Social Withdrawal

@Feefee80

I am sorry that it has become such a strong force in your life.

I can definitely relate... Those tasks can seem so daunting.

@Sjr

I find myself avoiding people. I get easily overwhelmed when someone tries to engage in a conversation with me. It difficult not to seem rude but I am really trying to hide how nervous I am. This mostly happens when I am out running errands or at any social gathering when there is a lot of people I do not know. Either way it has been getting harder and harder for me to make friends. I often get fustrated with myself. Frustrated with the fact that this anxiety I feel affects so many aspects of my life that I so badly want to be successful in and the biggest part of my success is being able to communicate with people without feeling like I want to run and hide.

@Pilotkitty

I hear you... Communicating with people becomes so incredibly difficult in this situation... I am really sorry that you are feeling this way 😕

@Sjr I tend to isolate myself when my anxiety, depression and schizophrenia is really bad.

Recently I have noticed that my isolation habits have gotten more severe.

I have deleted most of my social media platforms and other means of communication, I avoid responding to texts and phone calls, I avoid having to interact with my housemates, I have a difficult time interacting with the child I work with, and have even stopped keeping in touch with my closest friends.

I consider my withdrawal a defense mechanisms or a form of self-protection. I feel that people expect or require too much energy and emotional investment. I don't feel I have the resources to react emotionally to peoples lives nor the energy to be engaged in social interactions. Therefore, I isolate to avoid the stress and disappointment altogether.

I'll add too... depression has caused the spectrum of emotions I generally feel to shrink so significantly that I don't even feel bad about not talking to my best friends most of the time. And every time I do reach out... or reinitiate contact... I feel worse again. Thus, I have become very devotedly withdrawn.

@Sjr I can totally relate to your post. I feel like it's taking over my life I mean, I have these goals and things I want to accomplish and then I never get the strength and courage to to them outside the house it's destroying my life I don't know if it's depression or something else

@JmylBBR

likewise I feel like it is taking over my life

i have very little desire to really maintain any kinds of relationships.

i feel too tapped out right now to have enough energy in me for that...

I am so sorry to hear how much it is getting in the way of the things you want to achieve. That is seriously heartbreaking and I feel so much for you.

it is a legitimate loss. It is a loss of relationship and connection as well as a loss of the ability to actual hopes and dreams.

i do hope there is improvement for us in the future and that we can find a way to overcome it or be set free...

@Sjr

correction:

to actualize* hopes and dreams

@Feefee80

Likewise... I am not in a hurry to surround myself with people that I feel drain me... But I know I need to learn how to have and maintain relationships (not just going MIA all the time).

Thank you for responding. It means a lot to me...

I am glad you're here... I'd love to hear more about what you're going through if you feel comfortable sharing!

I used to feel very depressed when I was younger due to not having many friends and problems with girlfriends. But one thing that does help is to stay confident about who you are as a person. Most of us tend to think that phases like this is a life long thing, but in reality it and a lot of other things can be changed. Another helpful thing I can suggest I suppose is that not letting your past define who you are helps a lot with self doubt, and if you're good enough to get the things you desire. Humans are incredibly adaptable to their surroundings, even the most unaware of us. so never lose hope and try to 'live for the now' as best as you can :)

@Understandingfox

Thank you for your contribution 🙂

it is always so helpful to remember that things are not always a permanent state

Since my depression plays a big part in my emotional numbness, my inability to really care about people in general has led to most of the social isolation. Yes, I do still talk to people and my friends and my classmates, but I amnot very emotionally invested in relationships as I used to be.

An example of this would be this friend I have. Sometimes we meet up and chat and be very good friends, but then he can treat me like I am not even friends with him sometimes. Like strangers. Normlly that would upset someone but with me, i am finding it harder and harder to really care. Like 'Oh, I guess I am losing another friend, wouldn't be the first time.'. Its like almost complete apathy due to my normal emotions being suppressed. Its kind of scary and I don't know how to really fix it, but yeah. That's how it is with me now.

I tend to isolate myself from the love ones close to me mostly out of fear. I'm scared to comunicate how my depression works. Sometimes I need to be alone because the only way for me to get over my feelings is to meditate and pray. Which I prefer to do on my own. Other times I isolate myself even though the last thing I want to do is be alone. It's hard to go up to a love one and say, " I feel like crying." It's hard because they are going to ask why and sometimes the answer is "I just do." A lot of people don't understand that. The worse thing about depression is that sometimes there isn't an obivous answer to why I feel sad, angry, agitated, worthless, hopeless, and lonely. So instead of explaining why I am depressed and so forth, I isolate myself.

@LainaghStory

Thank you for sharing!!!

I don't consider my isolation as isolation exactly. When I'm at the bottom of my deepest depressive wells, I tell myself I'm not isolating for me (although I know that is a large part of it too). What I'm doing is quarantining myself to save others from the toxic poison I feel coursing relentlessly through me. I shut myself away to keep the contagion from spreading, from infecting and hurting those that have done nothing to "deserve" being so affected by it. It took me a long time to realize that this was how I felt about isolating myself, and it makes sense for me more than any other way of thinking about it ever has.

@ladylazarus1971 Same with me, I couldn't agree more

@JmylBBR

Thank you as well for your input!!

It is always good to hear a "yes me too!" When one shares something personal.

thank you tons and tons!!

@ladylazarus1971

thank you so much for sharing this!!

it is incredible how so many of us experience isolation but how it has a different motivation for each of us.

i really appreciate your input

none of it is easy. That's for sure

I'm shocked at how I kinda feel how you all guys feel. I'm not depressed or i actually don't know. I'm really confused with my emotions for a long time. But when I read this thread, I felt that someone knows how I feel. Just kept nodding while reading all these stuff you guys post. So thank you very very much

@Blueberrycheeesecake

This is so inspiring to hear. It is incredible to feel like you aren't alone. And while it doesn't take away the struggle it does make it a little less scary in that many other experience something similar (not exactly the same but very similar).

Thank you for speaking up and sharing that this meant a lot to you.

I hope it leads to new realizations and awareness and understanding of things about yourself. You deserve it!

My social isolation is much greater than I would prefer, as I'm utter crap at connecting with people. I must have been gone when the lessons on how to be social and make friends were scheduled. I'm also an introvert with some social anxiety which doesn't help. It gets frustrating when I try things like go to events and meet-ups and end up feeling invisible. Which in turn makes it harder for me to push myself to keep going out, but I know I won't meet anyone staying home. Unfortunately- I don't meet anyone with friend potential when I go out either...

Most of my socialing is internet based, and whilst its better than nothing- I really miss having real world friends to do things with- even just chat over a coffee.

@ForcefulCranberry

This is heartbreaking 😞

I am sorry that things are this difficult.

It can be extremely difficult finding quality friends. But it's definitely worth looking and not losing hope. Sometimes they show up in unexpected places.

You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but have you done any sort of CBT therapy for your social anxiety?

Social anxiety is a nightmare. I feel for you. 😕

@Sjr

No formal therapy. I have read a lot of self help books and journaled, so I guess I'm trying to work through it on my own.

@ForcefulCranberry

Thats wonderful. I recently came across an app or site called Joyable that is specifically for helping with social anxiety.

It has and still is going on currently for the past two years, I just get stressed really easily and if my friends piss me off the least I will isolate myself, but everytime I do that everyone asks me if I'm ok, and honestly it's so annoying, you just want time to think through things and calm down. Last week I got really mad at my friend and I didn't see how angry I was at her and so I withdrew from them because I didn't want to hurt her anymore and I just needed fresh air as you could say it. We always come back togethrr I guess and they know when to leave me alone.

Hi, this is exactly what I have been struggling with. Staying cooped up in my apartment rather than going out and doing things.

I have isolated myself from everything I love. I feel like that's the only way to protect myself and my emotions. I tend to be more isolated on days when my depression and anxiety are really high like today. I find myself sleeping alot, more then normal. I know there must be some light at the end of all this.

I often end up regretting when I choose not to isolate. It seems to cause me harm.

I'm making my world smaller and smaller. I used to meet friends and relatives, although I was much more depressed. Nowadays I don't keep in touch with friends and I don't visit relatives at all anymore. We just make phone calls and send messages. I feel rather fine. It's much easier this way. No surprises and stress, but on the other hand I feel I'm passing my life without living. Letting my fears and social anxiety rule mylife rather than love, and well this feels a little like I was burying myself alive. But it's so calm and easy like this.

Sometimes I get so much energy and became very happy if I have positive interaction with somebody, and I think we should meet more often. But then if I meet people and something unpleasant happens, it takes much too long to get over. I try to let it go and talk sense to my self and see the incident in the right way but it means battle against depression. I feel I should have a mental armor when dealing with people. It easier to abandon the good dealings (especially as somehow even happiness feels too strong and wearing) in fear of bad ones. But then life is easy but lacks of taste and it's standing still.

Isolation and withdrawal means for me not going out of the house and not actively talking to anyone, whether that be online or with family in real life.

In general being isolated makes my depression worse, however, after doing a lot of activities sometimes I need to isolate myself for a limited amount of time to recharge my batteries

The reason why I isolate myself is because I always feel like a bother to everyone. I can even see the annoyance on people's faces when I talk to me. Reality has showed me that no one wants me and that continues to happen again and again. My low self-esteem is not because of my faulty thinking, it's because everyone throughout my life has proved to me that I'm not likeable or wanted anywhere, and I agree with them a 100%. I really don't like myself and I feel so much shame so I don't want anyone to even know that I exist. I seem to bother others just by being there.

@compassionateGrapefruit9565 Maybe if I may say, and I wish I could say it with the most loving way, and absolutely knowing it is easy to say and hard to live and do, well to the point...maybe you just think people don't like you because you believe in it. Maybe you believe it so strongly, that you don't see the things that prove otherwise, and there might be people who think you are great, if you thougt it would be possible. Of course I don't know you and people around you but at least it might be so.

My isolation has taken on a new flavor lately. I am usually the one that makes plans on Friday night. I'm the one that gets the girls together to go to our favorite bar. But these last two weeks I've still been the one that makes shit happen I just end up getting to wherever we are going and not wanting to talk to anyone. Which is unusual for me in these environments because typically I'm making friends with everyone.

Sometimes i I see my depression as a response to a certain habit or lifestyle or experience being harmful to me so my mind and body respond by being depressed in order to pull me into protect mode to keep safe. I feel like my isolation is similar. I don't trust people right now and feel that I have to be on guard. So I isolate. To protect myself from the majority of untrustworthy people. Sometimes it's just probably a bit extreme.

I know I'm going through a depressive episode and that I'm not myself right now. I feel like I'm "under maintainence" and am too embarrassed to participate in social activities. I feel like everyone will notice that I'm depressed and I'll get there and just want to go home. I'm so sleepy all of the time anyways so it's better for me to stay in where there's no pressure.

I have completely stopped going out with people and doing things outside of school. Depression has made me so lethargic and it is so hard to even leave my bedroom every day. I always just want to sleep and not think. All of my old friends have moved on and they are being social and going to dances and such. I have refused to go to such gatherings so now no one bothers to invite me to anything. I asked for this but I still feel lonely sometimes. It feels like I've completely lost the ability to connect with others on a meaningful level. Does anyone else feel similarly?

I'm the same way. I've spent most of my time wallowing in misery by myself up in my room because in a 26 year old loser who will never find success or happiness. I guess I do this because when I'm by myself I can't let anyone else down or upset them. I just dont know what to do anymore.

@southjerseysteve sorry u feel like this, i understand I have been isolating, i think it is a coping mechanism yeah

I haven't been out for 10 days now, got myself in a bad way sleeping in the day, it's horrible!!!!

I'm finding it hard to face reality, it's easier to hide away from the stress.

But I know it's not good for just become so lazy!!! As I'm not working