OP...I grew up in Huntsville and can honestly relate to what you're saying. There are pretty much two things you can do there... 1. Cow. Tipping. and 2. Join the horse-mounted posse that forms whenever there's a prison break. Keep your head up...find a niche group of people that you are comfortable with and start hanging with those guys. Those people do exist...you just need to get enough confidence to find them. They won't find you...you'll need to make some effort. If you're a Rockets fan, find other SHSU Rocket fans and start watching games together. Their games are often enough that it will keep your schedule pretty busy. Attend some of Sam's basketball games. Do anything to pursue your interests. You have all the time in the world and are not attached to a wife and/or kids...so make sure to do as much as you can for yourself. One day, you'll be devoting a significant amount of time to someone else. Good luck!!!
I am also living alone at college and I find it to be refreshing more often than not. I lived with a roommate last year and I didn't like my roommate at all, most of the time I WISHED I was living alone. I actually spent most of my time in my friends room down the hall. I am an introverted guy so I enjoy my alone time. I do try to make an effort to socialize. If you've never lived in a dorm, you do miss out on some things like making friends. I do get lonely sometimes though.
I also went to Sam Houston. Granted I only lasted 3 semesters there, but for the most part I enjoyed it. Is the Jolly Fox still there? Try to meet some people and hit up some bars. Have you considered joining a fraternity? I'm not a big fan of them for the most part, but it is a great way to meet a ton of people. I was a music major so I was able to meet fellow band nerds pretty easily from the start. You have to get involved in something rather than just going to class/coming home. Where do you live at? I lived at Woodcreek my first two semesters, and then Papermoon my last.
I don't understand how anyone here can help you. You must help yourself. You are the only one who can. Figure it out. Most of us have been through periods of frustration being away at college, i.e. frustrated with school work, feeling isolated from family, feeling hopeless at times, and just feeling overwhelmed. If you have a depression problem, then that obviously is going to make it worse if you are not being treated for it. You really should be enjoying some of the college life at least. It's unusual if you are this miserable all of the time. Did you have friends in high school who went to college? If so, then did you ever think about going to a college where your friends were going? It makes college life a helluva lot easier when you have friends going through the process with you. It's a helluva lot easier for some people to stick with existing friends than to meet new friends and fit in with them. I probably would have been lost at college as well if I didn't go to college where I had friends going. Some people have no problem making new friends. Other people have a hard time making new friends and fitting in. I wish there was some magic solution to your issues. You just need to keep your head up and do the work while also trying to enjoy some experiences that have nothing to do with college work. If you are experiencing depression, then maybe you need help (if you are not getting it). A lot of days I wish I was back in college because this real world bs has its own pitfalls, i.e. same routine, same hours, less free time, cubicles (sigh), etc. . I don't think college is meant to be torture. There is supposed to be a balance of fun and work. But, each person experiences life their own way. You just need to motivate yourself to stick it out and get past all the crap you think are obstacles. That's part of what completing college is all about...to prove to yourself you can beat all the crap in your way and succeed. In many ways, it is a test of ultimate will. Don't give up, keep fighting through it, and good luck!
Hmm. I like the sound of nice and loose women! Perhaps I shall see if there if one of these courses. *fist pound*
Yup. The Jolly Fox is actually right by my place (University Place Apartments... within like 1/4 of a block from McDonalds and close to HEB). It looks like a **** hole, but maybe it's not so bad.
Hey bro, Felt the same way when I did my internship this past summer in a different part of the country - Houston to Albany - minus my best friend. Spent the first couple of nights wondering what the hell there was to do in town; it felt cold as the night not having anyone to talk to. Eventually I found a few good bars close to where I lived, talked to a lot of the regulars, chased some tail, drowned my sorrows and the whole nine yards. If you don't drink, I would highly recommend drinking. It's always good to discuss sports, local news and politics at the watering hole or to met someone special. Let me say this: You never know who you are going to meet. I met an ex-NY City cop, an ex-bookie, maximum security prison guard, retired oil driller, musicians, plenty of students, business men and women, bums, a hot psychiatrist, nurses (not all hot ), hot chicks that hit on me, 40 year old chicks that hit on me, and ton of other people. I don't recommend your Jersey Shore-themed fist pump scene but a nice sports bar, cafe, pub or such will work. Always people to talk to, some in a similar situation as yourself. This is just a guidline, use it as you wish.
Albany does suck, though. Had to go there a couple of times for the NY bar exam. Cold, ugly, boring was my impression.
Most of the best bars in the universe look like s**tholes, especially in college towns. Just so you know.
Oh to live alone and be in college. I wish I could go back to those days! Cheer up. Get a job if you dont have one. Even if its a crap job working 20 hrs a week. It will get you off the couch and you will meet new people. And you will have a little extra money in your pocket... Excercise. Drinking is great for being social but if your drinking for the wrong reasons thats not good!
Sigma Chi has a great chapter up there at Sam, if you are up for it look into it. Get engaged in school, that will change everything. DD
Consider transferring to a college in a big city other than Houston. Mundane stuff like being able to go to different restaurants, watching plays, going to comedy clubs or just watching a crapload of movies at odd hours of the day might be enough to occupy your mind while you're figuring out your function and purpose. Or start reading alot; maybe even get an English or History minor. Just saying that from the perspective of someone who never got laid or that heavily involved in college, but never really got depressed either.
Tons of great ideas thrown around here for you, ChosenOne. Check your email. I sent you a message. Hopefully things look up for you in the near future. Keep your head up.
Things tend to work their way out... If you see an opportunity to improve your life, don't brush it off, go for it. Honestly the guy that suggested WoW could be right. I've never played it, but it really can keep you busy, but then again you might even become more depressed if you lose your life to a video game. My alternate advice, get the hell out of there. Move back to Houston, go somewhere you friends went, just get away from the area that gives you the permanent depressing feeling. The look and even the smell of the place you're currently in might program your mind to have an automatic negative feeling.
Also, I'd seriously consider getting off the Cymbalta. That stuff makes you numb, zombie like. And if you are on it, you won't want to chase girls - you won't have a sex drive. I know from experience. I've never had depression, ever - but for my career I am required to give presentations to very large groups of people. I started getting anxiety and my doc gave me Cymbalta for the anxiety. Oh man, I was so numb after a few weeks of that stuff, it made nothing in life enjoyable. Now I embrace the anxiety when I get it and am thankful for it because it at least makes me feel alive, human.
Thanks man. I forgot my email was outdated when I first signed up with this account, can you re-send to updated email address? Yeah, I always hear this in regards to almost any anti-depressant. I've been on it for about a year and 1/2. I take it in combination with another anti-depressant at night. I might not have much sex (or any, lol) but I do have a slightly above average sex drive. That's interesting you mention a sort of poison environment. That's exactly how it feels sometimes. The look and smell of my current place (not that there's rotting garbage everywhere lol) is enough of a deterrent to just not do anything sometimes. I could play a little WOW sometimes, stranger things happen I suppose and it might actually do me a bit of good to just be focused on something.
