Staying Optimistic
My school counselor took me to the GP last Thursday to get me a referral to a psychologist, which I got and I'll be seeing the psychologist very soon for the depression and anxiety I'm 98% sure I have. Does anyone have any tips on what to do or say in my first appointment? And can people share their experiences with a psychologist? I'm not feeling too optimistic about it and I'm not sure if it will actually help my depression and anxiety. What should I be expecting after my first few appointments like will I see improvement right away or what.
I've been feeling so super lonely recently. Seeing people with their friends on Instagram is the worst because it just makes me feel sick to my stomach with loneliness. I try stay away from Instagram and keep myself busy but for some reason I just always go back and can't stop myself, even though I know it's going to ruin my day. I spend most lunch times at school alone and, although nobody really hates me and I talk to everyone, I just don't have that friend group to fall back on in times of loneliness. These feelings of sadness are what I think tipped into depression and anxiety. I just want year 12 to be over. I'm counting down the days whilst dreading all the social activities my school forces on us like year 12 celebration day where everyone will have matching outfits with their friend groups. I hate this feeling and I want nothing but to feel normal and happy.
Comments
Hey @Cinnamon_Bear 
I just wanted to jump in and let you know that we have a really great article about what psychologists do and what it's like to see a psychologist which I thought you may find helpful. I know that you were also wanting to hear more about other people's experiences, and I wanted to share this article with you where a young person shares their personal experience of seeing a psychologist for depression and anxiety.
I'm sorry to hear that you've been feeling lonely recently. Feelings of loneliness can be really tough to experience and navigate through but it is something that we all experience and there are things to do to take care of ourselves when we are feeling this way. I wanted to share this post with you which you may find helpful. It has some information about loneliness and includes some really great resources, articles and a snapshot of a previous Ask Me Almost Anything event where we spoke with our guest psychologist Rashida about loneliness.
Hey @Cinnamon_Bear 
That is amazing that you're going to see a psychologist soon. As Pho-RO mentioned, the psychologist will just mostly get to know you, and ask some questions about yourself, what you hope to get out of the sessions, your family, etc. You may not notice changes right away, it definitely takes time but it really depends on whether you connect with your psychologist or not and if you don't feel that connection it's totally okay to find another psychologist.
As for school, that is really hard and I'm sorry you feel like that but it will get better from here onwards, maybe the psychologist can give you some tips to make it a little easier. Good luck with your first appointment 🙂
Hey @Cinnamon_Bear so stoked to hear that you've got a therapist you'll be able to start seeing soon! Can definitely be a bit scary your first time, but it does get easier. It can be really hard to say how it will go, because it depends entirely on whether or not the therapist is a good match - someone you feel you can open up to, who is supportive and non-judgemental, and who can challenge you in just the right way to help you make progress. The first appointment will probably be mostly about getting to know you and what has brought you into therapy. The therapist should hopefully lead the way, asking you some questions and stuff. You can always let them know that you're not really sure what to say - or you could even write down some stuff and take it with you. Stuff you're struggling with, things you wish were different, stuff like that. As for improvement, well that is hard to say, but it may feel very slow at first. Making big changes to your life, your way of thinking, your inner monologue, this stuff does take time. But hopefully in time you will start to notice a shift. It does take some work, but it is so worth it, in my experience.
Sounds like you're feeling really alienated at school, which is so, so hard. Especially feeling like you don't really have a group of friends that you feel at home with. I know you may have heard this before, but things do tend to get better after high school. Again, it may take some time, but you will find your people, especially if you make progress in therapy to help you understand yourself better. And if you need to skip out on some of those social activities in order to protect yourself from feeling that anxiety, I think that is okay to do.
