u/Adventurous-Win9856

26 and feeling like i have no future because of what this awful virus has done to my body. I’ve had long covid for four years. Four years and I’m so tired— tired of feeling like a ghost. Tired of never having someone to talk about it. Tired of feeling so alone because of it. Because the most frustrating thing about catching it was that while i was still wearing a mask, my family stopped wearing theirs. Still to this day it angers me how completely lax they were about it, because my life has never been the same since.

For context I also have adhd and autism as well as another chronic Illness (which i’d rather not disclose but I had it previously to covid) but long covid has made living with these disabilities unbearable.

My brain fog is awful, my adhd meds don’t work, everything is so so overstimulating (I have to sit in the dark constantly) I get terrible migraines, my limbs feel heavy and tight. I can barely manage much without sleeping half the day away. (I work part time, not even full hours and I struggle so much even with that.)

How am I supposed to be a functioning member of society?

The hardest part of this all has been watching friends and family move on and somehow have the energy to build a life while I sit exhausted and anxious in my room. The old me had energy. I don’t know what happened to her. I miss her and the person I used to be before this. Somehow I managed the disabilities I had. Now I just feel defeated, and I really don’t want to be defeated.

i feel so completely directionless and aimless. when I’m not working I don’t know what to do with myself and when I do work I just find myself so bored working in the same job (or exhausted because my body can only handle so much) I find myself craving trying something new but I’m so frightened of change that I’ve just become completely stuck— living the same day over and over again. not to mention the constant stream of bad news in the world makes me feel completely paralysed and unable to move forward.

not sure if I’m seeking advice or just wanted to vent but it’s so draining. I literally just don’t know what to do with myself every single day other than doom scrolling because it’s the easiest thing to do. hobbies feel like they need energy that I don’t have (and even when I do engage in hobbies my brain can’t even tell if I’m enjoying myself because of how under-stimulated I feel)

i feel like a sim who needs directions. I feel completely stuck. it just really sucks

hi so I recently started srri’s (fluxotine) to help manage my horrible experience during luteal but I’ve already noticed how much it has affected my libido (well reaching a peak) and how frustrating that is. I feel a bit embarrassed talking about this but I find self gratification has always helped when I’m stressed and to know that these meds can dampen your libido made me feel sad.

I wanted to ask if anyone else has a similar experience with SSRI’s and how do you cope with it? I know that it’s common but does this effect ever go away? is there a way to make it better? should I ask the doctor for a different med?

it’s just frustrating finding something that finally helps my terrible fluctuating mood only to find it then takes away something else I use to cope. Especially when I’m already on adhd meds and they make me feel like a bit of a zombie sometimes :( I don’t want to be a zombie to function. I’m tired.

(also to note: I’m not at all interested in sex, its more that I find stimulating my own body has always really helped me to cope)