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Ask HN: Why keep living?

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Ask HN: Why keep living?

#1

Post by an_tie_hero »

It may be because I live in a country without great access to mental health care (America, in case it wasn't obvious), but I went through a very long period of my life where I was horrendously depressed. Suicidal depressed.

I won't go into the details that led up to this event (I'm using a throwaway account for a reason!), but basically I had all of my dreams in life shattered and then I dealt with the Department of Justice for a year. The long-term stress robbed me of any self-confidence.

I finally got over it last year when I started doing small kind gestures for the people I care about. Volunteering to run errands. Cleaning the dishes. Anything to convince myself with concrete examples that people are happier that I'm around. Anything to justify not committing suicide.

And it worked, until last week when I suddenly started feeling anxious and depressed for no discernible reason. Being kind to others doesn't seem to have the same effect this time around, so before my condition gets any worse, I'd like to ask the community what reasons they have for continuing to live. Maybe I can figure out why I feel so crappy and pre-emptively stave off those inner demons.

Re: Ask HN: Why keep living?

#2

Post by WoodenChair »

Please seek a mental health professional/suicide hotline/tell a family member/tell a friend/move somewhere you feel better/do anything to get out of this state.

That said, there are many good reasons to stay alive: love, pleasure, personal connections, contentment, spirituality. You may not have any of these now, but you must acknowledge the possibility that they will happen for you in the future. Even people in the worst of circumstances are able to sometimes find these things. Hope for a better day must stay alive.

Re: Ask HN: Why keep living?

#3

Post by feybay »

I have so many things I haven't done yet. I have so many people I haven't met yet.

Life is a short and most likely one time thing. We might as well see what we can make of it and who we can impact in a positive way.

Please talk to your friends and family if you start having harmful thoughts.

Re: Ask HN: Why keep living?

#4

Post by an_tie_hero »

WoodenChair wrote: post #2

Please seek a mental health professional/suicide hotline/tell a family member/tell a friend/move somewhere you feel better/do anything to get out of this state. That said, there are many good reasons to stay alive: love, pleasure, personal connections, contentment, spirituality. You may not have any of these now, but you must acknowledge the possibility that they will happen for you in the future. Even people in the…

    """
    ... a mental health professional ...
    """
I'm afraid that I can't afford that option financially. I probably won't be able to in the immediate future (next 5 years), either.

Re: Ask HN: Why keep living?

#6

Post by ProAm »

an_tie_hero wrote: post #4
WoodenChair wrote: post #2

Please seek a mental health professional/suicide hotline/tell a family member/tell a friend/move somewhere you feel better/do anything to get out of this state. That said, there are many good reasons to stay alive: love, pleasure, personal connections, contentment, spirituality. You may not have any of these now, but you must acknowledge the possibility that they will happen for you in the future. Even people in the…

""" ... a mental health professional ... """ I'm afraid that I can't afford that option financially. I probably won't be able to in the immediate future (next 5 years), either.

Most professionals will find a way to make this work, or have a sliding scale. If you are serious about getting help you need to try.

Life is what you make it to be, it's unique to each of us. I can tell you why I find it worth living but it probably wont mean much to you, or anyone else because its my path. It seems as if you have found a little bit of enjoyment from making others happy, Id recommend you pursue that further. Everyone needs a passion, something that they enjoy and drives them but its never easy to find it. All I can say it keep putting one foot infront of the other and put effort into finding your path. My comment is obtuse and I apologize for it, all I can say is everyone walks their own path and its not always easy.

Re: Ask HN: Why keep living?

#8

Post by an_tie_hero »

ProAm wrote: post #6
an_tie_hero wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

""" ... a mental health professional ... """ I'm afraid that I can't afford that option financially. I probably won't be able to in the immediate future (next 5 years), either.

Most professionals will find a way to make this work, or have a sliding scale. If you are serious about getting help you need to try. Life is what you make it to be, it's unique to each of us. I can tell you why I find it worth living but it probably wont mean much to you, or anyone else because its my path. It seems as if you have found a little bit of enjoyment from making others happy, Id recommend you pursue that…

    My comment is obtuse and I apologize for it, all I can say is everyone walks their own path and its not always easy.
No, your comment was perfectly okay. I was just stating that for everyone reading this thread to know.
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