I’m almost 28 and I don’t know how to trust myself with adult life
Hi everyone,
I’m a woman, almost 28, and I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression since I was a teenager.
The strange thing is that I can function during a crisis, but I do it by punishing myself. I stop eating properly, barely sleep, isolate myself, smoke, obsess over the problem and refuse to rest. I survive on adrenaline.
From the outside, I’m coping. Inside, I’m suffering.
Recently, my cat became seriously ill. I handled the emergency, the medical decisions, thousands of dollars in vet bills and taking care of her afterward. But when things started getting better, I completely crashed.
I relapsed into smoking, struggled to eat and sleep, became obsessed with my finances, my health, my job and whether I’m actually capable of managing adult life.
I’m also terrified of the future. AI is changing the field I work in, climate change scares me, and the state of the world often feels overwhelming. Even when I try to do what I can at my own level, I feel powerless and unable to cope with everything.
The frustrating part is that I’ve done difficult things. I moved abroad twice, built a life in Quebec, finished my studies and found a job I like. Yet I still don’t trust myself.
I’ve restarted therapy and medication, and I want to learn how to live without constantly being in survival mode.
So I’m looking for advice from people who have experienced something similar:
How did you learn to manage your money, your health, your responsibilities and your fears about the future without constantly spiraling?
How did you learn to trust yourself, keep going, and actually build a stable life with anxiety?
I feel lost, and I’d really like to hear from people who have been there and found ways to cope.