Various problems

Hi, my screen name is Display.

I have a number of problems that are causing me great anxiety. One is that we have a rat problem in the garage of the house where I am living. I have had a visit from the exterminator and hopefully the rat or rats will eat the poison and die. Meanwhile I have a great fear of crossing paths with them or encountering them inside the house. I am aware that this is just a fear and not necessarily reality, but it's like an OCD problem in terms of my thinking and worrying.

I also seem to be doing a lot of isolation, which I know is not good, but that doesn't seem to stop me from doing it. My sister (who I live with) is going on vacation for a week and if I do not take some action, I will just wind up sitting around the house, being miserable and obsessing.

I am also unemployed and this week I have lost all interest in doing any job search activities. Hopefully next week that will change.

Would appreciate any feedback. Thanks for listening.

Hi Scaredy,

Thanks for your reply. I don't know what to say in terms of what is causing the isolation. It just seems to be what I do. Some days I can get myself up, dressed and eat breakfast and go out and do something. Other days I just don't feel up to it, and I just mope around the house, pretty miserable.

One thing I know that contributes to the feeling of isolation is that I am not working. I feel on the outside of life, looking in.

Anyway, I am glad to be using this message board again. It has helped me in the past to figure out what feelings I am having.

Right now my stomach is upset and I feel like crying. Wish I could go ahead and cry, but it always seem difficult for me.

thanks for your kind words.

i think maybe the stomach upset feeling was from not eating - i have now had breakfast and my stomach feels kind of OK.

i am just sitting here playing card games on the computer - probably not the best use of my time. just waiting to go to the periodontist this afternoon. somewhat anxious about that, and that my gums will be OK.

you are right about just focusing on one thing. i have already thought of a few things to do next week - go to the mall, go to the library, go to Starbucks. hopefully doing one thing per day will make me feel less isolated.

one thing that is hard for me is to reach out. there are various people i can call on the phone, but sometimes that feels like the hardest thing to do.

i did one good thing - asked my niece to call me in the next week a few times, and she said she would. that way i won't be AS isolated.