Seeking Support with personal struggles

[fassth]

Male 28
Hello everyone,

I'd like to open up about some personal struggles I've been experiencing lately and seek your advice and support. I've been feeling down and overwhelmed, grappling with a sense of being unwanted and unattractive. I've never had a girlfriend, and it has started to take a toll on my self-esteem.

I'm currently taking 100mg of Zoloft daily as prescribed, but I haven't noticed any significant changes in my emotional state. It feels like I'm just going through the motions, and this lack of progress is disheartening. It's almost as if I'm taking a placebo instead of a medication that should help.

In an attempt to improve my overall well-being, I've been going to the gym consistently for the past three years. Unfortunately, I haven't seen much progress due to poor sleep and an inconsistent diet. I find myself growing frustrated and demotivated, especially when I see seemingly confident and attractive individuals around me.

Now, I'm left wondering if changing my approach and incorporating gear (supplements or performance-enhancing substances) could potentially help me gain confidence, reduce anxiety, sleep better, and become more motivated to maintain a healthier diet. I'm eager to hear your insights and experiences in this regard.

However, I also recognize the importance of addressing the underlying issues at hand. Simply relying on external factors may not lead to long-lasting solutions. Therefore, I'm open to any suggestions or advice on building self-confidence, improving mental well-being, and cultivating healthier habits.

I genuinely appreciate your time and support, and I look forward to hearing your perspectives on this matter. Thank you all.

 

[narta]

I would start by fixing your sleep and diet. Make a routine and stick to it. Precook meals and set a time for bedtime. I find reading a book helps easing into sleep. This will allow your efforts in the gym to bear fruit and that will help both with self-esteem and your image.

PEDs are not going to help you at this point in time.

 

[Fattyone]

I would start by fixing your sleep and diet. Make a routine and stick to it. Precook meals and set a time for bedtime. I find reading a book helps easing into sleep. This will allow your efforts in the gym to bear fruit and that will help both with self-esteem and your image.

PEDs are not going to help you at this point in time.

Came here to say this.

 

[fassth]

I would start by fixing your sleep and diet. Make a routine and stick to it. Precook meals and set a time for bedtime. I find reading a book helps easing into sleep. This will allow your efforts in the gym to bear fruit and that will help both with self-esteem and your image.

PEDs are not going to help you at this point in time.

Thanks im already working on my sleep and diet thats why i decided to start taking zoloft but still i feel like AAS route is inevitable for me as i am obsessed with the way people look on them people like david laid etc do you have any recommendations for me with PEDs
Im cutting rn started 22may 84kg now i am 74kg but still looking skinny fat i barely have lean mass

 

[narta]

Thanks im already working on my sleep and diet thats why i decided to start taking zoloft but still i feel like AAS route is inevitable for me as i am obsessed with the way people look on them people like david laid etc do you have any recommendations for me with PEDs
Im cutting rn started 22may 84kg now i am 74kg but still looking skinny fat i barely have lean mass

Compound movements, progressive overload, plenty off food and rest. When those hit a plateau (1-3 years) come back and we can talk PEDs

 

[RiceNKimchi]

SSRIs take time. Some may not be for you. I went through struggles as well but be open and maybe see a psychologist instead of a family practitioner so they can assess your situation and prescribe accordingly since it's more in their field.

Great you chose to be physical. If anything it is a positive outlet. There is much to learn and it takes time. Don't rush or you'll get frustrated. Focus on sleep. Once you get a routine, focus on diet, then training. Personally if I overwhelm myself ill never stick to it. Best wishes.

 

[roofer22]

Good nutrition, sleep, therapy, regular exercise. This gets said alot but mushrooms. They brought me back from the brink of suicide. They work. I have so many personal stories.

 

[DECLAN]

Male 28
Hello everyone,

I'd like to open up about some personal struggles I've been experiencing lately and seek your advice and support. I've been feeling down and overwhelmed, grappling with a sense of being unwanted and unattractive. I've never had a girlfriend, and it has started to take a toll on my self-esteem.

I'm currently taking 100mg of Zoloft daily as prescribed, but I haven't noticed any significant changes in my emotional state. It feels like I'm just going through the motions, and this lack of progress is disheartening. It's almost as if I'm taking a placebo instead of a medication that should help.

In an attempt to improve my overall well-being, I've been going to the gym consistently for the past three years. Unfortunately, I haven't seen much progress due to poor sleep and an inconsistent diet. I find myself growing frustrated and demotivated, especially when I see seemingly confident and attractive individuals around me.

Now, I'm left wondering if changing my approach and incorporating gear (supplements or performance-enhancing substances) could potentially help me gain confidence, reduce anxiety, sleep better, and become more motivated to maintain a healthier diet. I'm eager to hear your insights and experiences in this regard.

However, I also recognize the importance of addressing the underlying issues at hand. Simply relying on external factors may not lead to long-lasting solutions. Therefore, I'm open to any suggestions or advice on building self-confidence, improving mental well-being, and cultivating healthier habits.

I genuinely appreciate your time and support, and I look forward to hearing your perspectives on this matter. Thank you all.

Everyone is giving you the advice you need, all you have to do is stick to it.

I'm not gonna be a hypocrite and say PEDS won't help you get to your goals faster, however it will come with a price. You are already fragile in your state, you should not add something that will cause hormonal imbalance coupled with side effects which may further drive you into worse territory.

I'm guessing you are young, you have all the time to immerse yourself into the lifting culture. If you have resources, get a coach, there are lots of good, reliable online trainers or learn from all the free resources in youtube and the forums.

Concentrate on nutrition and having a routine first then work from there.

Good luck Sir.

 

[laclark89]

At least stay consistent in the gym sleep an diet if u can, stay disciplined. Without it I probably would need to be medicated 24/7. I go to my dark place for inspiration during lifting, We all have issues, What ever personal struggles depression anger channel that during your workout and use it to build a better version of yourself. You have to build confidence, and it will come in time with hard work. And as far as dating, that's 90 % mental there's alot of butt ugly people out there with attractive partners. All u have to do is grab ur balls and throw ur self out there and if u get knocked down get right back up an try again.
Hope you get it figured out, time is ticking.

 

[Demondosage]

No, performance enhancement isn’t going to help in your situation

 

[Inspired]

You should give more details about situation. Work? Goals? How are your parents? What you are experiencing is basically the common male experience that the majority of men go through at a certain point, and it can last along time, or not.

28 years old and no girlfriend is something that happens a lot more often than people admit. It's actually happening more often nowadays because of many reasons, but one big reason is there is a huge imbalance in the dating market.

You need to avoid developing learned helplessness. It's also difficult to avoid being demoralized, since this is probably the worst time in the history of the world to be alive and there are feelings of zero hope for most people who are clued into what's going on in the world. You need to be training your body and mind, and not for women, but in preparation for your own survival, as the world becomes more chaotic in the coming decade. The women will come eventually. It can get easier as you get older but you still have to keep on developing yourself and you will gain more confidence with time. But remember: women won't solve your problems and they bring a whole set of other problems. Don't try to latch onto a woman and expect her to fix your problems or give you fulfillment or perfect companionship, because most woman won't be able to do this for you. Probably none of them can. It's a lonely road as a man.

Steroids on their own will not motivate you or give you confidence, but you should try them anyway. They may give you something to be excited about, and the feeling of an advantage is an advantage to you. Just make sure you do them correctly. Research here. Make sure you have enough money to buy more than you need, for a year, atleast. Have all ancillaries. All needles. And please eat atleast 200g protein per day. If you gain some muscle and feel better about yourself, that will help you a lot, yes.

I would consider coming off of the SSRI. It doesn't appear to be helping you. It seems to be reinforcing learned helplessness. You would probably be better of with stimulants than an SSRI, so maybe read about Wellbutrin since it is easy to get.

 

[Trainedbytylerlofthouse19]

Speaking from personal experience I had battled for years with body image and self esteem issues, my farther died at 9 so I had no one to look upto or follow. I went down the route of anabolics at 19 and never had a break until I landed in a coma around this time last year. I now have all kinds of gastrointestinal issues. I am currently waiting for my assessment to see if I have bi polar as doctors started looking into this once id told them a it more about myself and issues I faced growing up. The little breaks I did have over the years I was plagued again with these feelings that I had as a kid so I didn't often take a break I'd just blast on rather than actually a dressing the issue, same as a heroine addict justifys it to themselves I simply felt a better person while on gear. My regret now is not seeking help at the time as my only "feel good" in life has caused me irreparable damage.

For the damage I have done to my body it was seriously not worth it, I now have to look at my kids thinking iv probably shaved a good 15-20 years off my life all for trying to feel good.

Mental health should be your top priority before building a body, you need a sound mind.

Keep a solid diet and train regularly, don't weight yourself all the time, go by your look in the mirror. I'm not saying they won't help because in my case they did at the time, but definitely think about the future first. Iv seen plenty start with a "feel good" dose and now there fat sacks with liver disease and a headful of regrets

Stay strong

 

[omgerdansk]

I first want to start off by complimenting you on seeking help and guidance, take it from someone suffering from depression, even when things are going well striving for something better is not a bad thing.

You seem to be aware and active in trying to improve sleep, diet and physical activity which is a big part of mental health.

The only thing I wanna touch on there is the majority of people seem to respond better to cardio in the depression aspect, especially in nature. I recommend hearing a podcast, that way your not letting the negative thoughts be the only thing talking, and focusing on learning something new can actually be a great way to relax.
As far as diet, there is a lot of new research showing general gut health and microbiome having a big effect on depression and other both physical and mental illnesses.

Medication.
Now to the big one

I'm currently taking 100mg of Zoloft daily as prescribed, but I haven't noticed any significant changes in my emotional state

I'm also on 100mg of Sertraline/Zoloft and I'm finding it helpful, it's important to remember SSRIs take time to work, an irritating amount of time. If 2 months have passed and you are still not noticing an effect, I would talk about switching to another medication. I would not advise you to stop looking for a medication that works, it's been studied extensively and shown to work, there are tons of options not just SSRIs, look at SNRIs, MAOs, and different drugs that work on the melatonin receptors. Just to name a few.
@Inspired Suggested you maybe try a stimulant, +1 to that, taking a stimulant (Doctor monitored and prescribed) can hugely increase motivation and that just makes life much better to be honest.

A worthy thing to add is if you are suffering from Suicidal ideation, Talk to a doctor immediately and ask about high-dose lithium therapy, as it has shown to be one of the only and by far the most effective drug against Suicide.

The social aspect can be hard, and I am certainly not the best person on here to ask about girls and dating, but again as @Inspired pointed out being 28 years old and not having had a girlfriend is a lot more common than people think. That doesn't mean you shouldn't want that, it is important to have social relations, that includes with girls, and dating is of course a part of that, but your not in a crazy uncommon situation or anything.
With all that being said there are tons of places online with info and people more than happy to help, we even have threads here on meso if you want to give those a read.

as you are probably well aware, Meso is a harm reduction board with a focus on steroids, so I will briefly offer you my thoughts.
Your 28 years old and more than old enough to make your own choices, I can see you've been a member since January so you're not jumping head-first into pinning +1 point.
But stick with Test, having mental health issues (like most of us TBH) sticking with bioidentical hormones is a much safer bet, Test, GH, and even some insulin when you have a little more experience.
Stay away from DHT derivatives, and 19-Nor's they can fuck you up mentally.
A lot of people say they have positive mental effects with no negative mental side effects from Dbol, But with its physical side effects it's most likely not worth it.

Sorry for the wall of text, I wanted to give some thoughts and advice that could maybe be of help. There are a lot of people on here willing to hear, try to understand, and help. So feel free to ask on here it's what we all come here for. That and the sources… Okay, mostly the sources.

 

[Trainedbytylerlofthouse19]

I sure wish I stayed away from women till I was 28!!!

 

[fassth]

I sure wish I stayed away from women till I was 28!!!

My hair is thinning i will be probably bald when im 35 so there is no way i will get girls in their 20s when im in my 30s so i kinda fear of missing out if you know what i mean
So far u guys gave excellent advice.Ironically best harm reduction is to take no gear lol

 

[Inspired]

My hair is thinning i will be probably bald when im 35 so there is no way i will get girls in their 20s when im in my 30s so i kinda fear of missing out if you know what i mean
So far u guys gave excellent advice.Ironically best harm reduction is to take no gear lol

You are completely wrong.

Hair doesn't matter. You think it does. Again, it does not matter. Take this advice now, or go suffer for the next decade until you eventually figure it out for yourself.

You'll be getting MORE women as you get older. That's the default position. Men's value only increases. I'm surrounded by 40 year old + guys and they are dating all of your zoomer women. Yes, you heard correctly.

You guys are too mind fucked to date them. It's no really your fault that you are demoralized because society is trying to demoralize men, but you need to also listen carefully to this advice because it's exactly what you need to hear.

 

[grey]

You'll be getting MORE women as you get older. That's the default position. Men's value only increases. I'm surrounded by 40 year old + guys and they are dating all of your zoomer women. Yes, you heard correctly.

You guys are too mind fucked to date them. It's no really your fault that you are demoralized because society is trying to demoralize men, but you need to also listen carefully to this advice because it's exactly what you need to hear.

^Concur.

Married twice dated dozens of vastly younger women in between and started dating my current gf when she was 22 and I was 47.

 

[Nilatac]

Guys gave you good advice/views on how things are. I will put my thoughts on this matter as well.
I have been clinical diagnosed with depression and now I believe that schizophrenia it's start to appear as I see things that aren't there. Haven't tell to the doctor yet and probably I won't either.

If you self medicated and don't have a prescription from a doctor I suggest to go and see one to put you on drugs that might work for you as there are bunch of drugs that work for some and for others don't.
I have tried a bunch but none worked for me. I still take a pill not because I see it's working but because it might work and without I might be worse. Plus I'm addicted to this med.

Steroids it will make you feel better until it won't.
After some time you realize that nothing have changed and you are in the same place but now you pin yourself every week and you might do this for the rest of your life because maybe you will not recover and having low T with depression is something worse that what you have now.
I'm bigger than most guys and stronger (you can find a picture of myself around here because you might think that I lie) but for nothing.
Didn't helped me in any aspect of my life,didn't helped me with my depression on long term because everything is fuck up and can't do anything about it but at least I'm 300 lbs roided guy.(yuhu)
That's why I suggest stay away from steroids if you believe it will help you with your situation.

There are factors that we don't know about you. Like what do you do for living, what do you want generally in your life and what do you have now, can those things be accomplished in any realistically way.
Most of the times isn't a way out of this.
Depression is a illness and suicide is final stage of this illness.

I don't have anything positive to say because there isn't anything positive in this.
Only go to a doctor to tell your problems and if you have thought how to kill yourself go asap to one. It will put you on drugs and get numb and you will live your days with this numb feeling but at least you are alive.
I still don't know if it's a good thing that or not but at least you live to try another day to make things better for yourself and maybe you will succeed. But that's a maybe.

If you open a topic here you are in a bad situation and desperate somehow to look for a way out or a concrete solution. None will be able to give you this. Now you might feel excited and you read this topic with hope that it will give someone a answer to your problem but after few weeks you realize that this was a dead end road.

You can try therapy. Some people said that worked for them. Maybe it will work for you.
Anything else to add I have but my post is negative enough but truthful or at least for me.

Learn to live in pain,suffering and depression. Learn how to ignore everything and being careless about situation. If you try everything that it's in your power and didn't change anything then that's all you can do now. It's sucks but that's life. Not everyone life but to some that's it.

 

[Nilatac]

You are completely wrong.

Hair doesn't matter. You think it does. Again, it does not matter. Take this advice now, or go suffer for the next decade until you eventually figure it out for yourself.

You'll be getting MORE women as you get older. That's the default position. Men's value only increases. I'm surrounded by 40 year old + guys and they are dating all of your zoomer women. Yes, you heard correctly.

You guys are too mind fucked to date them. It's no really your fault that you are demoralized because society is trying to demoralize men, but you need to also listen carefully to this advice because it's exactly what you need to hear.

Or you will end being in your 40's and being in the same situation that you was 20 years ago but now you are a lot older
Being older don't guarantee you anything. If you didn't manage now being 45 it won't help you either.
Those that get girls being 45 I bet that wasn't almost 30 and haven't had a girlfriend until then and when they got older younger girls will jump on them.
Nothing magic will happens when you will turn 40 but you are just older and that's more sad than now.

 

[grey]

Or you will end being in your 40's and being in the same situation that you was 20 years ago but now you are a lot older

I do believe that was his point if men aren't changing their mindset.

Guys who pyll girls in their 20's still pull them in their 50's because they had the right mindset the whole time.

Guys who couldn't get laid in their 20's won't in their 40's either unless they fix their headspace and timing issues (or become a multi-millionaire).