this post was submitted on 25 Mar 2025
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No Stupid Questions
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Sounds horrible. I'm sorry about your dad and your action paralysis sounds brutal. I can definitely relate too.
I've struggled with it too up to my late 20s and my brother had a very serious case of it. For me, I stopped answering the phone for years during my depression until every last person who cared about me just stopped calling. I remember one day came where I realized it was my birthday late that afternoon. No one had called. Not a single person. "Well, this is it. You did it, Pudutr0n. Congrats." I thought to myself.
I can't blame them either. I wouldn't take calls or answer the door. I just refused to live. I didn't want to take part in society. I didn't want to face the pressure of being judged by others for my every word, the state of my life and my lack of accomplishments. I felt shame about every ounce of my being and guilt for not ever showing up or picking up for anything or anyone. It was bad.
On some level I just wanted to disappear into not being remembered by anyone so I could take my own life in peace, knowing no one would care.
But that day never came. For some reason some people never, ever ever stopped caring. And depression can be horrible and push you to be a dick to people too. It did in my case, anyway.
When I started showing up again, there were some people who were just happy to see me. They didn't care about the long list of failures I had accumulated, my lack of achievement, how weird I am, how I threw my life away, gained weight or had absolutely nothing to share. They didn't want anything from me. They were just happy I was showing up. At first I couldn't conceive the concept of unconditional care/love, but i'll tell you. It exists. And not just by friends either. Some mental health professionals are this way too. On the other hand, some are psychopaths too, so there's also that. heh.
I'm sorry you're feeling the way you are. I'm sorry you can't get out. I'm sorry you're being blamed for something you didn't do. I'm sorry you have no ways to give yourself joys. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. It sounds horrible and I'm sure you don't deserve it.
There's nothing to be afraid of and there's nothing to be ashamed of regarding other people though. If I found anything at all during all my years of darkness, it's that regardless of life conditions, there are some things that never stop mattering. In my case a big one was loved ones. I didn't want to see them because I valued them too much to expose them to myself, and seeing their disappointment when they looked to or talked to me would have destroyed me. I felt bad about shutting them down. I really did. Not because of what I lost, but because I hurt them. I was on this constant insane guilt trip about it too which didn't let me do anything to change, well, anything.
Anyway, I don't know how it's like for you, but I would advise you to take a good look at what's still important to you and who still cares, because that information will be priceless for the rest of your life when you get out.
If you're experiencing shame and guilt, just keep in mind the people that would want you to feel embarrassed, insufficient or not enough in any way because of your life, what you look like or what you've been through, those people are meaningless. You wouldn't want to spend 5 seconds with them to begin with, even if you were on top of the world... and the people who wouldn't want you to feel this way... they are the ones that matter, and guess what? They stick around. When they think you want them to, anyway. And they don't care about the stuff you find so unforgivable or the questions that would make you feel "not enough" at a dinner party. They just care about you cause you're you.
Maybe identify these people. They're important. In my case, many of them are online, and some are family. It helps to talk to them when I feel I'm feeling bad, too. If you reach out to them, they'll likely respond too, even if you feel bad for doing so.
INo one can get out of this for you and idk how long this will last but know this: when you do get out, you'll have crystal clear notion of what and who truly matters in life. And that, my friend, is something of immense value.
I have faith in you and hope you make your way out of the hole soon.
Take care of yourself, M137. You deserve it. <3
Wow, few can relate in the ways you've expressed, I haven't been able to sit down and read your whole comment yet but the bits I've read show you understand. Thank you, and all the best to you! I'll come back and write more once I have the energy. Hugs!
Thanks for the kind reply. No need to read or write a long thing back if you're not feeling it. Just know you're a valuable person and there are many ways out of this. Hugs to you too!