YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

got myself into a situation where i am pursuing a career i really don't care about. i started it for the wrong reasons and have little in common with my peers who now annoy me, but inertia means getting stuck in something you'd rather not!

this sounds arrogant but i should lay things out as i can't talk to anyone about it really. i am doing something that i am too educated/intelligent for really (due to depressive illness leaving me at the starting gate when i should have been developing a career) and i have difficulty talking and relating to peers - it seems often i say something and it flies over their heads and they think i am a weirdo! i try to throw myself into work and try improve things and give my all to stuff but often there is a prevailing attitude of 'ahhh, relax, it's not that important' - which drives me crazy.

anywho, today i realised and admitted to myself that i don't give a fuck for this career, it's not me and i need to move on to something new. and, you know what, i felt better.

it's quite difficult to address this as it is the kind of career where you have to be careful about what you say. but i will keep trying.

That's good--I'm genuinely happy for you. One of my fears right now, since I'm only 22 and have been in and out of community college due to my mental illness issues, is getting into a career I'm not suited for but only pursue because I feel like it's my only option, that I can't pursue anything bigger that I would WANT to pursue due to my anxieties and mental weirdness that comes from having gone through a psychotic breakdown. So I'm kind of grateful to see this post; I feel bad that you went down that path but it's a good reminder for me to stick to what I love and not settle when it comes to what I want to do. It's also good to see that if I do end up down that path as you have, there's still a way out and time for change. At least I hope that for you; I hope you have in mind what you actually want to do and you know what you can do until then.

I hope the best for you and that you have found/will find what calls to you and what suits you. Love is important but feeling worthwhile and like you're contributing to society is really important as well. Best of luck.