is this normal?

Let me ask you a question.

During the day, when stress hits you upside the head, and thoughts start going in circles and life seems bleak, do you imagine yourself doing violent things?

Do you picture yourself stabbing the computer screen with your fork or repeatedly smashing your head on a wall hook until it pops open like a coconut filled with strawberry jam?

 

When I was a kid, and forced to sit in school, where I was bored and unhappy, I realized something: no matter what people force you to do, where you are forced to be during the day, what you have to get done, you always have the privacy of your own thoughts, and can nod and sweetly smile while thinking “fuck you”

Was I a morbid kid?  Maybe just not understood.

It used to be focused against teachers and parents and authoritative types. Imagining myself yelling at them, flipping them off, shoving them out of the way as I leave the room, dancing the can-can on the desks and kicking them, mostly just talking back and screaming.  I did a lot of mental screaming as a kid.

It carries over to today still, imagining hurling myself over balconies at museums, imagining the car accelerating into a telephone pole or off the edge of the road, imagining stabbing myself with scissors, or knives, imagining myself screaming.  Occasionally I’ll have to take a shower where I’ll open my mouth and silently scream as the water runs and I sob for a while.

 

Where is this sadness coming from?

My doctor says that everyone occasionally thinks the world would be better without them. 

So is this normal.

Am I ok?

 

It feels like I should have a specific reason- like being raped/molested as a kid, or seeing a parent die as a kid.

But as far as my memory serves me, I have not been through any such event.

(and it makes me more sad that I am sad for no reason)

one of those days

I started my day really not wanting to get up.

But I did.

And now I am crying and doubting I will ever be able to make it working on my own.
I don’t think I will ever be able to not work for someone else, or be happy at a job.

Hell, I’m not even happy working on my own, with my own clients.

There is a sinking sensation in my center, right where my yoga instructor had me concentrate.  Right where I felt confident and peaceful for a moment.  

Now it is sinking, and I just don’t want to be here.

 

Sometimes I just want to die. 

 

need?

So I heard back yesterday from “jo” at samaritans.org and it got me thinking (forgive me if I go WAY off on tangents…)

Definately was good to write all the stuff that was bothering me in an email and send it off to some stranger who is halfway across the world.  It was a bit releasing, like writing in this blog, but even more so.

The weird part was the response/questions I received back.  They seems a bit robotic at first.  Like the stereotypical  psychologist response: “and how does that make you feel”

Not having gone to therapy sessions, I guess I was just not used to this turn around and come back on me.  What did I expect?  I guess part of me expected the person to say that everything was going to be okay, that the best thing for me is to stick with what I am doing, go to my yoga classes, be thankful for what I have, yadda yadda yadda…

But I guess not.  So I wrote back, trying to answer the questions they came back with, and trying to be honest with myself.  One issue that came up:

My mother
(cue dramatic music here)

In writing to “Jo” I realized that I don’t have the support of my mom.  She loves me, yes. She wants me to succeed, but I think because she never took chances in life, (and I have, unsuccessfully at times) she doesn’t think that doing things outside the box will turn out ok.  Like my freelance work- HUGE for me to be out there like this- super insecure about myself and my work, and well, my last 2 clients hate me!  One won’t even return my emails.  This is not a good boost to my confidence, and makes that little mom voice in my head say, “you should settle down as a secretary at a large secure company and start a long career”

um… no. Even if the idea of being a secretary didn’t make me want to find sharp objects and hurl them in the air over my head, things don’t work like that, like the way they did in the 50’s, where you find a job, work hard, maybe become manager, work at that same company with yearly raises, bonuses until your 65, then retire with a fat pension and take the motorhome around the country for a few years until you end up on your recliner complaining about the nonsense Judge Wapner has to put up with.

Things just don’t work like that, and well, even if they did, I don’t think I would make it at a job like that til 65.  I would snap, and someone would get hurt.

So exposing myself and risking loosing my pride/sanity/hopes/whatlittleconfidanceididhave for doing some freelance work was so risky for me, and terrified me, and I haven’t gone forward with my self promotion stuff/business cards yet because these last two clients (who where undecided in what they wanted and big pains in the arse) are freaking me out.

 What if I can’t do this?

Am I going to burst out crying in frustration and be all pissed off everytime I work on a project?

Am I going to go to bed sobbing every night because I can’t do what people want me to do for their project?  Is this going to ruin my relationship with my BF?

AARGH

so, to get back onto the subject of samaritans.org, they did respond to my response, and are asking some provocative questions that are very useful in untangling the webs in my brain.  One question that has been rattling around in my head since I read it is ” do you really need your mom’s support for this”

wow.  I feel like I don’t have her support, and always felt like I wanted it, but do I really need it?
I need to think about that one for a bit.  (do I need it to succeed?  do I reaaaally need it?)

 

I suggest, even if you aren’t suicidal (which I don’t think I really am, but could picture myself being in the future…) if you just need some anonymous outsider comments that could help you figure things out, give them a try, email is so much easier than calling (at least for me)

Heck, you could even email me (or leave a comment) and we could share our woes and support each other…

 

(did that seem like a pathetic attempt to find friendship?)

 

 

 

crrraaaash

 

 

I was just thinking about the comment I made earlier regarding driving through the intersection and feeling ok with the idea of someone plowing into my car a high speeds.

 

I just realized I have a strange fascination with thoughts of deadly car collisions, and have so for years.  

 

As a kid, I would lay in bed at night imagining being in a crashed car, being rescued by the jaws of life, some strong fireman, and flashing lights of emergency vehicles…

 

One  time specifically I must have been quite distraught, driving to or from the house of a man I was dating (might I expose the fact I was 21 and he was 39).  I remember imagining what it would be like to drive into the concrete barrier at top speed, or off the freeway where it drops, unfenced, down a steep ravine.

Every time I go on a trip, especially with the BF in the car, I get a slight panic attack at the idea of a car coming into our lane and wiping us out.  In fact, last night driving to the store I was struck by that same panic when a car put his blinker in the lane next to me.  

I remember being in 4 car accidents. Two as a child in our minivan, both not mom’s fault, and two later in life…

The first one was a hit and run; some guy decided to go straight in an inside turn lane, and us turning in the outside turn lane proved to be in the way. slam! my mom had a sore neck and shoulder for a while, and I got to talk to the policeman, though I was only 4 or 5 and somewhat unaware of what really happened.

The second one was a full on rear ending, the guy was going at least 40, and we were dead stopped, waiting for cars to pass in order to turn down our street.  The guy said “i didn’t see you” (hello? minivan?  not so mini)  my mom’s glasses ended up in the trunk, she had neck pain for a while again, and I got to talk to a policeman once again (must have been 7 or 8 by then)  My mom still avoids turning at that part of the road.

#3 was less than a month after I got my drivers license.  boy was I sad after that.  I made a left hand turn in front of oncoming traffic, and was t-boned. It was technically my fault, though I have some great excuses. #1: the roads were slick from rain  #2: the t-boner was going at least 35 in a 25 zone  #4: some pedestrian jumped into the driveway I was aiming for, so I had to stop my car in order not to run him over (then look to my right and say “shit!” and brace for impact)

and the most recent, the fourth was quite a while ago, let’s see… I was 22 and ex-fiance (another story) was driving us down the freeway Southbound to a concert (one of our first dates).  Traffic was a little heavy, but not bad, good flow.  Northbound there was suddenly at least 50 motorcycles, loud, weaving, one guy was doing a wheelie (on the freeway!!!), of course this caught the attention of the easily amused ex-fiance (another story) and he failed to look ahead of him.  I was looking ahead and, in slow motion, mouthing/reaching for the steering wheel/trying to yell “loookooooooout!” brrrraaaaaaaake”
and we rear-ended some poor soccer mom with her two tots in the back. She and the tots were ok, but ex-fiance’s expensive eddie baur edition jeep cherokee (another story) was not.

 

 

Nothing since (looking around for wood to knock on) but it freaks me out to be on the freeways still-

though i suppress that fear….

like everything else….