The Depression Thread

[Narmoth]

I had me a little adventure on Tuesday night that is sure to become an ongoing Bor story. It invloves me, a nineteen-year-old neighbor, and a gun.

The point of all this is that I'm upset. When real, verifiable violence enters my life, my nerves become frayed. My PTSD does aweful things to me, and I truly wish such instruments of death and destruction didn't exist. I truly wish there was peace of Earth and goodwill toward all, not just during the holidays, but throughout the year.

Well, guns don't fire of themselves. There are usually a safety <I don't know what it's called in english but it's a kind of lever on the guns holding end> that keeps it from firing that has to be released before you can actually shoot it. Of course, it doesn't allways work, but if you keep you hands away from it, and point the gun to the ground, nobody should get hurt.
You also have to ready it before shooting in addition to the safety hatch or whatever it'ss called.

Still, getting a situation you don't feel you control on your hands is allways unpleasant. I've been there myself, finding an unconcious drunk person on the street as I was going home from a party.
And of course a gun, especially if you have bad experience with it, is extremely unpleasant.

[The Great Skenardo]

My gecko died, and my other one isn't eating. I've been sad for a while before I found this, mostly because I wasn't sure what to do to let people know. Let us pray that Spot enjoys heaven, and that Speckle eats again.

-_-

It's very sad when familiar and favorite pets shuffle off this mortal coil. My sympathies.

[zeratul]

Hi, I'm in a horrible mood today. Aside from my MP3 wacking out, my sister, who is normally nice, and just got a boyfreind she likes is acting like a rude jerk. One of my other sisters who has an ocassionally annoying sense of humor was getting on my nerves as well. I was perfectly nice to them. I practically destroyed my punching bag a minute ago. I need to de-stress.

[The Great Skenardo]

@Zeratul

Punching bags is a good step. Another is to get away and send your mind elsewhere. If you can, taking a walk or a long bike ride is a good way to de-stress, if traffic isn't a real problem where you live.

Sisters, eh? Well, I know from several years' experience of being a pesky younger brother that we can be a pain in the britches at times.

[zeratul]

They're all older sisters actually. Seems like im the only mature one now though

[The Great Skenardo]

They're all older sisters actually. Seems like im the only mature one now though

Just a point of curiosity; you said the sister got a new boyfriend she likes and is acting like a jerk in the same breath. Does that mean you think the two are related?

[zeratul]

No I was just saying I think it's surprising. Her becoming a jerk happened this week though.

[The Great Skenardo]

No I was just saying I think it's surprising. Her becoming a jerk happened this week though.

Ah. Well, yeah, that happens. Sometimes people go through a swelling and ebbing of jerkiness; Unless she's picked up bad habits, I'm sure you'll see her return to civility fairly soon.
Although if it persists, you might want to make sure your brotherly ears are perked up to detect any problems she might be struggling with.

Good luck with your de-stressing (note: not 'distressing')

[Serpentine]

Bor, I think all I can offer there is >huggles<

Bookboy, any idea whether geckos mope? It might be worth seeing if getting another companion, maybe... don't know much about the psychology of reptiles.

[Vhaidara]

Wow, that coming from someone with "Serpent" in her screen name doesn't surprise me for some reason. and FYI: they were both female.

[Serpentine]

Well, I was seriously considering getting into herpetology for a long time, and I'm still thinking about going to the Australian Reptile Park for work experience 'course, doesn't mean I actually know anything... Still, even if they were both females, there's plenty of evidence of various animals getting depressed after a companion dies. None of geckos, specifically, so far as I know, but still... Guess it depends whether she stopped eating before or after the other died.

[Dragonrider]

@Zeratul
Although I have no sisters, I do claim the dubious right to being big sis to three brothers, and I have quite a bit of experience with them all conspiring to be annoying at once. Usually it's in a moment when there's something else completely going on with me, and they (a) are totally oblivious of my current emotional state, or (b) something they've been doing for a long time has built up and finally I explode.

Usually this results in ME getting in trouble, or feeling guilty for sounding like a whiner, etc., etc. I've learned to deal with it by sequestering myself in my bedroom when I feel the mood on me, and adie from the additional problems this causes when they enter without knocking, it seems to work. When I'm stressed usually some "alone time" helps me deal.

What's the worst is when I think I'm being reasonable and then I look back and realize that they were RIGHT.

Punching things can help. But make sure it's not a living thing or you will be in trouble. With my parents at least, slamming doors is also a big no-no. So I have to be careful.

[The Great Skenardo]

Update on my own situation


Things are going great now between myself and my lady-friend. We just celebrated our two-year anniversary, and we're working on plans to take a trip together.

Thanks again to everyone fort he hugs and support.

[Yiel]

Update on my own situation


Things are going great now between myself and my lady-friend. We just celebrated our two-year anniversary, and we're working on plans to take a trip together.

Thanks again to everyone fort he hugs and support.

Very good to hear Skenardo!

[Katonta]

I agree, Congratulations TGS! Happy Anniversary!

[LurkerinthePlaygnd]

I also just celebrated an anniversary of sorts, Skenardo. Yesterday marked three years clean and sober for me. Even so, it's still "one day at a time."

[zeratul]

Hi guys. I'm depressed/obsessing over the situation i mentioned in relationship woes.

[Serpentine]

Zeratul, as there's nothing you can really do unless you call her or go round to her place, I suggest you do something you can be really absorbed in to take your mind off it. Read a riveting book, watch a favourite movie, play a game, visit a friend...

[ocato]

I finally got ahold of my academic advisor and it seems I applied to the wrong subschool. It might be too late to apply to the other school and he pretty told me to figure out what classes to take by myself. At my old school you got to sit down with an advisor and they'd help you figure it out. This school is bigger and more complicated--and no one cares? Geez. Also, I might not be able to change my application to the right subschool-- and I pretty much might not get to go now.

What am I going to do?

Honestly, at this point I think that if I have to abandon the prospect, I can at least muster enough tact and grace to do so with dignity. I'll just bail. Live where I want, do what I want, hurt the people I don't like and sing the songs I wanna sing. Go off into the world and disappear. I can't believe I so royally screwed this up.

[The Great Skenardo]

@Octao

This is for university, right? So you applied to the wrong college, if I have this right, and it's very late in the game? or did you apply to the wrong campus?

[ocato]

Right College, wrong 'school'.

[The Great Skenardo]

So, for example, you applied to the school of engineering instead of the school of liberal arts and sciences, yes? Is it all part of one campus?

[ocato]

Yeah, pretty much.

[Call_me_Fate]

Is it really that hard to switch schools within that college? Where I go, it was very easy to get myself into the business school even after I had applied to the college without selecting a school. In the university I went to before this, it was also very easy for me. I was originally a computer major, and I switched to accounting my second year. It was no trouble. I jsut went to speak with the people at the college.

Also, your first year should be many of the same classes no matter what school you are in. It is relatively easy to switch arround your first year in college without costing you too much time wasted with the wrong classes.

That is, unless this is a different case of course, which I'd bet it is.

[The Great Skenardo]

Hmm. I don't see as that's too much of a problem. I know a fellow who went to UMichigan but accidentally got into the wrong school; He'd wanted the meteorology program, so he applied and was accepted to the college of sciences. Turned out to be in the college of engineering.

So, what he did was to kick back and fufill some university requirements that he had to take anyways, and then transferred into the correct college (either at the semester or the end of the school year; I don't remember which).

Any particular reason that this wouldn't work for you?

[ocato]

It hopefully will. But I am still freaking out as deadlines approach like a marching army.

[The Great Skenardo]

Heh, I can understand that.
Luckily, so long as you got the right university, the rest is recoverable. It's unlikely that your cirriculum for your first year will contain school-exclusive classes. So long as you keep your grades up, you shouldn't have trouble transferring to a different one with the help of an advisor.

So: Don't worry, be happy

[Bor the Barbarian Monk]

*snip*

So: Don't worry, be happy

May you die a thousand painful deaths for planting the damnable song in my head for the day!

@ Ocato: It's been a long time since I did anything college-esque, so I could be wrong, but don't most degrees require a bit of liberal arts courses? Why not knock those out? In fact, I'm wondering if it's possible to go to a part-time status, if only to remain in the school, and maybe get a part-time job on top of it. Grab some English, math, and history, and send in your application to the right school for the next semester. It may slow your progress, but it will be progress nonetheless.

Once again, I may not know what I'm talking about...but I get credit for trying.

[The Great Skenardo]

May you die a thousand painful deaths for planting the damnable song in my head for the day!

Well, at least the burning seething hatred's keeping your mind off your troubles, eh?

[ocato]

Well, I've been at my original school for 2 years. I've done math and science and english to death. As far as I know, I have 90% of my nonmajor cirriculum taken care of. Things aren't as bad as they could be, but I'm getting a lot of 'do you know yet?' pressure from my folks, and on top of other personal problems (see crazy rant from a few pages back) I am getting some pressure cracks.