I have a couple of genuine IRL stressors that are really negatively affecting my mood. As well as time-related & distance related limitations to seeing anyone professionally about my problems & actually going anywhere to meet people. They mostly all revolve around my job, and the physical condition of my body; but IDK, they're probably not as bad as a number of other people's on here.
The real thing here is though, that I always feel fuckin' deeply ashamed of my own person, & who I am. That I'm not capable of what I want to be capable, and that I'm still not really independent by 30 (or I will be 30 in november I guess).
And I'm entirely horrified by the prospect of going to meet anyone new. Any new social encounter is just another opportunity for me to embarrass myself, or make myself & everyone around me feel fucking miserable. It doesn't matter how "outgoing" I try to be, or how much I try to approach people in good faith. Everything always turns to shit, and I can't ever help myself from making it worse.
I figured that this is something that most people on the site know already, but in case anyone wonders I do also have ASD; which, aside from the fact that I have already had a more animated thread about similar feelings to these in c/mentalhealth, is why I'm posting this here.
This is an excellent post!
Adding to this- volunteer work at an organization you vibe with.
When I was at my lowest I started volunteering at a makerspace in my area. Helping people in my community really helped with getting grounded again. Seeing the lives of others improve in real time feels amazing.
Check to see if your town has a volunteer council. If there isn't one check to see if there are programs that you can join online.