complaint

I’m so tired of people continuing to trivialize my problems even after I’ve asked them to stop: “Everybody gets anxious in social situations. We all have our ups and downs. You shouldn’t worry so much.” I know I shouldn’t care so much about what other people think. It’s something I’m working on. But I can’t just flick a switch and turn off that part of me. If I could will my anxiety and depression away, I would have done so a long, long time ago. I know everybody gets anxious and has ups and downs sometimes, but some people need professional help–and I am one of them. This trivializing prevented me from asking for help for a long time. If you do not have the courage to ask for help, there’s no need to bring me down because I’m actually doing something about my problems. Let me have my feelings, and worry about your own problems. If I want to tell you about mine, just listen. Don’t patronize me by telling me that I’m overreacting or masking my feelings with your own issues. There’s time for you to tell me about your problems–it’s just not when I’m telling you about mine.