I had a couple of you tell me to do some research regarding a possible career change. Well, I have been making phone calls to film post-production places (I love film and I took a digital video editing course earlier this year, so why not?) to ask them what exactly they do everyday. One person offered to take me on a tour of the place one day. I guess that's progress.
I've been working in post-production for over 10 years. Feel free to PM if you have questions or want advice on how to get into it. The work can be boring/grueling at times (what job isn't?) but at the end of a project it can be quite gratifying.
if you do the soccer thing, or any team sport, don't give up after a few tries. You'll suck at first, and it might be frustrating/embarrassing, but you'll only get better the more you play. Team sports are great not just for the exercise, it can really help you build up confidence as well.
CBT, cognitive behavioral therapy, has been shown to be very effective in treating anxiety and panic attacks. It is not endless talk therapy where you will be discussing every thing that ever happened to you in your life and all the things your mom/dad did to fuck you up (not that there's anything wrong with that kind of therapy). It is goal oriented therapy that can accomplish a lot in a shortish amount of time with very specific methods. Read up on it a little and see if it appeals to you. Good luck.
There is a lot of great advice in this thread.
Volunteering can help you get out of your own head and see the world from another perspective, and helping others creates a feeling of self-worth and joy.
Relationships can be tricky but I'm learning more and more that if you want a friend, you have to be a friend first. Even romantically, if you want a girlfriend, you have to be a good boyfriend. It's an active thing, not passive.
Definitely try to stop comparing yourself to others. Even though they may appear to have more than you, they could be miserable too. However, it is good to choose role models and can even be helpful to try to follow the path they took to achieving whatever it is you want to achieve.
One thing to add, and though it may sound silly, I really think it helps me, is to consciously think happy thoughts. I find myself doing it often. Even simple things like remembering a scene from a movie that made me crack up. Actively searching out the happy moments in my past and keeping those memories bright and fresh by "visiting" them often. Doing this will remind you that you are capable of happiness and will find it again.
Let yourself fantasize and visualize yourself happy in the future. Where are you? What are you doing? Who are you with? This exercise can help you put together those 10 and 5 year plans mentioned earlier, which are crucial.
Also: Things are never as bad as you think they are!
I just read through this thread, and I really appreciated reading the responses regarding ideas for coping with anxiety. I have struggled with anxiety on and off for 15 years. Definitely meditation and exercise have been keys in helping me through the anxiety, and medication as well. The one thing that I haven't been able to pinpoint is that I'll have some mornings when I'm driving to work, and will just start crying in my car and I don't know why. Sometimes I'm thinking about things that I'm thankful that I have in my life and I get emotional (thinking about my wife, and my 3 year old son). Other times, I start breaking down and I don't know why. It could be stress-related anxiety, but sometimes I worry that there is something deeper going on inside me and I haven't been able to figure it out. I've never had these break downs before until the past few years--I don't know if it's because I'm getting older (36 years old now) and I'm getting more emotional or what. I cry a lot more than I used to--but generally privately but I sometimes get concerned about that. Does anyone else ever struggle with this? I wonder if it's related to anxiety or something else altogether.
I don't think there's anything unhealthy about shedding some tears while being thankful for your family. I'd be concerned if you never did.
If you're regularly pulling over to sob uncontrollably, that's another story.
I don't think there's anything unhealthy about shedding some tears while being thankful for your family. I'd be concerned if you never did.
If you're regularly pulling over to sob uncontrollably, that's another story.
Well, that's good to hear...honestly, I don't ask friends about it so I didn't know if it was considered normal or not to do so. Yeah, I would definitely be worried more about myself if I had to pull over from sobbing uncontrollably as well!
Comments
I've been working in post-production for over 10 years. Feel free to PM if you have questions or want advice on how to get into it. The work can be boring/grueling at times (what job isn't?) but at the end of a project it can be quite gratifying.
if you do the soccer thing, or any team sport, don't give up after a few tries. You'll suck at first, and it might be frustrating/embarrassing, but you'll only get better the more you play. Team sports are great not just for the exercise, it can really help you build up confidence as well.
Volunteering can help you get out of your own head and see the world from another perspective, and helping others creates a feeling of self-worth and joy.
Relationships can be tricky but I'm learning more and more that if you want a friend, you have to be a friend first. Even romantically, if you want a girlfriend, you have to be a good boyfriend. It's an active thing, not passive.
Definitely try to stop comparing yourself to others. Even though they may appear to have more than you, they could be miserable too. However, it is good to choose role models and can even be helpful to try to follow the path they took to achieving whatever it is you want to achieve.
One thing to add, and though it may sound silly, I really think it helps me, is to consciously think happy thoughts. I find myself doing it often. Even simple things like remembering a scene from a movie that made me crack up. Actively searching out the happy moments in my past and keeping those memories bright and fresh by "visiting" them often. Doing this will remind you that you are capable of happiness and will find it again.
Let yourself fantasize and visualize yourself happy in the future. Where are you? What are you doing? Who are you with? This exercise can help you put together those 10 and 5 year plans mentioned earlier, which are crucial.
Also: Things are never as bad as you think they are!
I just read through this thread, and I really appreciated reading the responses regarding ideas for coping with anxiety. I have struggled with anxiety on and off for 15 years. Definitely meditation and exercise have been keys in helping me through the anxiety, and medication as well. The one thing that I haven't been able to pinpoint is that I'll have some mornings when I'm driving to work, and will just start crying in my car and I don't know why. Sometimes I'm thinking about things that I'm thankful that I have in my life and I get emotional (thinking about my wife, and my 3 year old son). Other times, I start breaking down and I don't know why. It could be stress-related anxiety, but sometimes I worry that there is something deeper going on inside me and I haven't been able to figure it out. I've never had these break downs before until the past few years--I don't know if it's because I'm getting older (36 years old now) and I'm getting more emotional or what. I cry a lot more than I used to--but generally privately but I sometimes get concerned about that. Does anyone else ever struggle with this? I wonder if it's related to anxiety or something else altogether.
If you're regularly pulling over to sob uncontrollably, that's another story.
Well, that's good to hear...honestly, I don't ask friends about it so I didn't know if it was considered normal or not to do so. Yeah, I would definitely be worried more about myself if I had to pull over from sobbing uncontrollably as well!