I talked with my doctor about the possibility that I have depression. After going over my family history and recent personal experiences, he agreed that I probably was facing something more than just sadness. He also pointed out that because I haven't missed work due to this condition, it's still somewhat manageable. When we got to the subject of medication, he said that while we could start me off on something small, he recommended that I take some time to see what my other options are and then meet him again in a month to reassess the situation. I liked that idea, so I made the appointment and went home.
This is what I've come up with: I need some friends. Let me be more specific: I need friends that I can hang out with pretty regularly. I need to hang out. I have a few friends from church that I get along with really well, but they all have kids. That's not a bad thing but it means that they're always busy with their families, as they should be. And before anyone asks, Samuel's fine, but we have so little in common due to us coming from different cultures; he's a good guy but it's not super relaxing hanging out with him, you know? And while I do keep in touch with various friends and families via phone calls, I need some face-to-face interactions. I do get those at work and church, but I need some purely social exchanges.
Here's a problem, though: where do I meet people? Do I join a running enthusiast's club and is that even a thing? Do I try LARPing? Do I finally sign-up on the Facebook? I'm really not sure where a man in his early thirties goes to meet people to hang out with. I know that I tend to do better in structured environments, which is why I was thinking of activity-based groups. I also thought about crashing Single Adult activities that the Stake puts on but that kind of feels like cheating, me showing up wearing a wedding band.
Please, dear reader, leave a comment with your suggestions on where I should look to find people who are about my age with whom I may share similar interests.
2 comments:
When you first got to Maryland you gave service at every opportunity. You were happy and upbeat. Look for opportunities to serve others. In serving others you will find friends.
If you're looking for structured social situations, look for a service organization. I'm not sure what kind of service organization to suggest, but there are plenty: Lions Club, Optimists club, political campaigns, theater groups, habitat for humanity, civic literacy groups, and so forth. You get the idea. Decide how you want to serve, and then find a group in your area that does that sort of thing.
When I was a little bit younger than you, I realized that I needed to meet five different kinds of needs in my life every day: spiritual, physical, mental, social, and work. I think you're on the right track, but make sure that your activities are balanced and meet all of your needs.
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