Hi starlight and welcome! I think being part of a group can help a great deal, both in sharing and receiving support. I encourage you to jump in however you feel most comfortable doing so when ready. I have found some really kind and supportive people here.

Welcome to the anxiety board at DS.

Just a heads up, tomorrow DS will be not available due to system maintenance and system upgrade.

Glad you were able to post!

Often, being misunderstood means that the fit is not the best one for the moment.

Thank you wintergreen for your encouragement. Support is very important and even though my husband supports me he just doesn’t understand sometimes. It will be nice to talk to people that go through similar things.

Thank you mid for the reminder!

Welcome. I have life long general anxiety, social anxiety disorder and OCD.
My husband doesn't really understand. He is more supportive than
years ago. We have been married 32 years. Being part of a group can
be helpful.

Hi tired. I am 43 years old and I have anxiety, depression. I have slowly started to get the help I need, but sometimes finding the right therapist can be a challenge. I am staying positive and hoping for the best.

hello star. welcome to ds.

here's to hoping that trying something new will be the start of many, many good things. for sure, doing the same old thing typically results in the same old problems. my personal favorite definition of insanity is doing the same thing, over and over, while expecting different results.

welcome aboard. i hope you find stabilizing companionship here.

What a great welcome arfie thank you so much! I’m definitely stuck and trying to claw my way out. This is way out of my comfort zone. But what do I have to lose by trying. Thank you again for your warm welcome.

Hello! There are ways to make friends. Great start joining a support group. You might want to look into Meet-up groups in your area. There are groups on Facebook. I actually met my best friend when she moved in across from me. I went over and introduced myself. That was in 1992. She understands my OCD because she used to date a guy who had it. I have a good guy friend. We went to high school together but never knew each other until I ended up in an accident after a reunion and he and his wife, who I did know, brought me home. That was 20 years ago but we started to talk on Facebook and now we talk almost every day. If you don't work, maybe you can get a part-time job to meet people. I am glad that you have your husband. I have been without love for 26 years. Life! Keep coming back here!

Thank you so much green! I was on Facebook and when used as it’s intended it is a great outlet. Unfortunately my children want to use it to hurt and cause drama to me and that is very unhealthy for me and my mental health. I found this group which has been AMAZING! It’s not the same but it lets me feel like I’m not alone in this cruel world. The support on here gives me hope! I do work from home, which has been an adjustment, now I feel I don’t have any social avenue. Just to talk about normal everyday happenings. It’s a challenge everyday… I’m doing the best I can with what resources I do have to be more social and stay positive. I’m not going anywhere… lol. You guys have no idea how much you help me just by listening. I love baking so needless to say my husband gets is fill on treats that I make. I like challenging myself to new recipes… keeps me busy… thank you again green for all your great suggestions you made my morning!

Welcome Starlight43!

Here's a couple other suggestions to meet new friends -

Church, if you are so inclined. Lots of social things go on at church.

Volunteering is another place to meet new people. There are probably more volunteer opportunities right now, just before the holidays. I used to volunteer a lot, and I found it to be very fulfilling.

Neighborhood. Do you know your neighbors? Taking a walk outside (having a dog with you helps start conversations, but you can go alone or with your husband) and just say Hi if you see someone outside their house. Work your way up to having a longer conversation later on.

Oh! I just saw that you said you had a puppy. That would be *perfect* to walk him, and people would love to see the puppy, and a conversation would start that way.

Just a few suggestions. Hope you like this board. Hugs!

You are so right! Volunteering to help out is very rewarding. I haven’t done anything like that in years… what a great idea! Thank you girl!! I live in the mountains which I love but I don’t have a lot of neighbors. Church is another great idea! You have me making some phone calls today.!

Over the years, I have met friends through school, college, work, neighbors, Websleuths which is a crime sleuthing forum that I used to belong to and just rejoined, boyfriends,, bars, brothers and an anxiety disorder support group. I know you are going to meet new people soon. Just be oroCtive.

proactive.

Hi green! I agree with you 100%. When I went to call around about volunteering I got really nervous and chickened out. I get very excited to do things but then my anxiety tricks me into thinking I can’t do it. I would even like to get into a hobby, I just never take the big leap to do it. I’m hoping with this group my confidence builds. I don’t want to fail. So I need to slow down and take smaller steps.