good on you Heidi, that's really cool.

You can post here, too!

Hi Heidi, I also suffer from extreme social phobia, depression and chronic insomnia. I have isolated myself from everyone as well. I found a volunteer support group in my area for depression run by peers. And have been considering going for the past 3 weeks just to be around people and see if I can possible make a friend there. But I have yet to find the courage and the energy to go. I think any small steps you make to help conquer your illness are steps in the right direction. I hope you fare well and have a positive outcome. johnnyboy

Any step in the right direction is a good thing, good luck with it.

Any step is a good step. I have found a lot of solace and companionship through the Internet. reaching out and sharing your story is helpful and important in healing.

i am a very isolated person also, but I have come to enjoy my isolation in my apartment because I have good friends IRL and many Internet friends. I feel like even when I am alone I am never really alone, there is always the cat and my Twitter followers to listen to me talk. Also DS. This place is great.

I encourage you to reach out to the Internet. I find my online interactions are often less awkward and feel less scary then IRL interactions because there is less stress interacting with people over the Internet. It can be very healing and help us to reunite with and speak with people who have fallen out of our lives. The Internet connects us when far away.

Good luck and feel free to check back as to how it goes.

I THOUGHT AT 1ST U WERE "CHANNELLING" (LOL), BUT I NOW C U MEANT U WERE CHALLENGING YOURSELF 2 GET ACTIVE.
GOOD 4 U.
KEEP AT THE SOCIAL BONDING.
ITS GOOD 4 U..........................................
GBU
DB
;-O

Thanks everyone. Glad I'm not alonr with this issue,

Okay, I got on Facebook and the world didn't end. I am, however, very jealous of a friend whose daughter just got married and who is now heading to Japan for a vacation with her husband and other friends. Some people's lives just seem to be so easy compared to mine.

That's the thing about Facebook, people only put up the best sides of their lives so it's easy to get jealous of former friends who are doing seemingly really well. I enjoy Facebook because it keeps me connected with old friends and my family, but it can be toxic and if it makes you feel bad remember, people are only putting up the side of themselves they want everyone to see.

If you want more online outlets, I can recommend Twitter and Tumblr. Tumblr has a great mental illness support network and is a great place to vent about issues and get support.

The Internet is powerful. It connects us all when we are apart, and can help to make one feel less lonely.

Thanks Andrea. I will definately try tumblr. I just sent an e-mail for the first time since I don't know when and again the world did not end. I actually feel better, less depressed.

Andrea is right about facebook people only post the good in their life, people want you to be jealous and envious but if you actually followed them around all day you would see that their life isn't soo great. People want to impress others and they actually need to impress others to make themselves feel good. I got off facebook for that VERY reason. People r soooo fake on there. You could get back on but I wouldn't let it be my main place to go on the internet use the sites Andrea talked about. Honestly I think facebook causes depression by making people feel bad about themselves.

Yea, be very careful with fb, people have a tendency to try to show off a lot their "happy" lives, when for some that really is not the truth. I'm not one of those people, but I know some people that are sure like that, they don't seem to understand and/or care that people like us who are depressed and have trouble trying to be social and what not just feel worse when we see those things. People that are happy all the time come off as either very fake or very lucky for the most part. Don't let social media get you down, it's a way to connect to people too far to visit but don't let it make you feel any worse about yourself, I've made that mistake far too many times myself.

Congrats. Facebook and e-mail are nice "baby steps" and you can "unfriend" or "unfollow" anybody who says inflammatory things that conflict with your beliefs.

hi all am new here..u all seem to nice and i have had open heart surgery shingles and depression...but i can identify here as i too find facebook a downer at times and only check in once in awhile..i love the photo sites and participate in them but i want to be well again , feel like my old self and have friends but just lifting the phone sometimes seems like an effort...off to the docs to see about zoloft ...i think it is time to face up to my problems that i have been battling...sorry for the rambln...took so long to get in here....xo

Hey sweetie. I sent you a pm so I won't say much here other than to tell you that I'm so proud of you! Take what is good for you from FB, okay? I'm quite sure that most of what everyone sees is far from what people's every day lives are really like. No one has a perfect story book life no matter how they might portray one on FB.

Huge love and hugs xoxo

LMT

Thanks everyone, I already got an e-mai back from a guy named Gabe Howard. He is mentally ill but does a lot of public speaking and advocacy for the mentally ill, IN my note to him I just said thanks for being a voice for the rest of us, He reakly appreciated my note. Sounded like he needed to hear some appreciation as maybe he was having a hard time,

Raspberries, welcome to DS.