Yes, I can relate. I'm having a difficult time being around people, even my parents. I get stressed out because I feel nobody understands, and when I'm around others it makes my anxiety worse. But after I am alone for a while, I start to get lonely. And, the vicious cycle continues.

I'm trying to get a handle on my anxiety through therapy and this support group. People say it will pass and things will get better, but sometimes it feels like it's always something else getting me down. Maybe I'm not fighting hard enough, I don't know. I do know that it is very frustrating and exhausting.

I wish I knew of a great solution to the problem. That would be so nice. You're not alone and I hope things get better for you.

Yes the two often go together for many people. Although, I know some people with anxiety without any depression symptoms.
I know how you feel. I have been there. I have found that the more I get out and try to improve myself the better I feel. I went through a few years of just drifting through life, going through the motions. Hope you don't go that long. There are a lot of self-help books on anxiety and depression that may be useful to you.

I can relate - and it makes sense. Anxiety sharply limits your life and anything that does that can cause depression.

You also sound like you might be an introvert. Introverts often like being "alone together" with people - like having people in the house at the same time but everyone is doing their own thing.

Introverts also get that feeling of wanting to be around people when they're alone and wanting to be alone when they're around people. It stinks. The best solution I've found is to try to balance it and not necessarily have a lot scheduled. When I want to be around people, I like to have places to go - small venues without a crowd.

Where the anxiety and depression mix, either or can bring out the feelings you are describing.

These are normal, yes, normal, when you are in a raised level of anxiety. The best way to reduce this the fastest naturally, is to move.

It's hard to "let it go", and relax, yet we feel better when we do that.

Best wishes.

My pdoc explained that anxiety and depression often occur together and its often difficult to tell which came first. I feel exactly the same as you about being around people. I want to do it but it just seems to take a lot of effort and it shouldn't. So then Im happy when they leave , but
find myself lonely again a couple of hours later. It just seems like and endless cycle.

In the past couple of months I've found myself less and less dealing with anxiety and more often just feeling sad, scattered, deflated, and unmotivated. I'm trying to figure out if this is the antidepressant I'm on or if the pills are helping the anxiety, which was masking the depression all along. For me, it's hard to separate the anxiety and the depression. Either they are from the same source or they are the same disorder.