I'm 17 now and I know I'm still a child, but when I say childhood I mean up until I was about 12. When I was twelve I feel into depression and it gradually got worse until I was 15, and after that it came and went, and it still does. Because my emotional state is so unstable right now and because I'm overall just content and a little depressed, I feel like I'm stuck in the past. I spend a lot of time wishing I could go back to those earlier days where I truly felt I greatly enjoyed life. Things that standout for me in my childhood are good songs, my best friend who I was always with, sleepovers with friends, cap gun fights around the neighborhood, getting an Xbox 360. So many good memories. Now my old closest friend won't talk to me, most of those friends I had sleepovers with I don't hang out with anymore, cap gun fights just lost their fun with age, and I still enjoy my Xbox but not with the same group of friends that I bought it with. I know it's not healthy to glorify the past and want to go back there so much all the time, but I just can't help it.
I used to be the same way actually. I would never throw out my old toys because of the memories associated with them. It is true the first ten years of your life are the best, but eventually you will mature and want new experiences in life.
I'm extremely detached from my childhood. All though I held on to everything at one point. I was very depressed. I don't really know why. I honestly understand why parents just say it's hormones...
did anything in particular cause the depression? it seems odd, with out some context. You know I know people who'd enjoy a good gun cap fight, but I go to a weird college and my close friends are the ones people call crazy.
The depression was caused by several things which I'd rather not discuss. Even anonymously it makes me uncomfortable to talk about them. And well, those are the best kind of friends.
lol, little thing called "being a teenager" you are in the process of losing your childhood. yes, it sucks, and everyone goes through it. Why do you think every culture humanity has ever given birth to considers childhood so sacred?
I know it's part of growing up, but it still sucks dick, haha. I noticed last year that every year I think "Man, last year was so much better. Now things are really bad. I didn't appreciate what I had." Of course, I wasn't appreciating what I had at that time either, leading me to miss that a year later too. Now I force myself to appreciate what I have at the moment to avoid that.
You can't force appreciation, it just comes out false. Appreciation comes from wisdom, wisdom comes from experience, and experience usually only comes from age. What makes childhood so heartbreaking is the fact that we can truly appreciate it only when it is gone forever, never to return. This is just one aspect of the human condition, it's inherent in all of us, just learn to LOL and you'll be alright.
I think most people experience something like during their teenage years. Some worse than others of course, and everyone has their own circumstances effecting it. But saying many people go through it doesn't make it suck any less. But I have definitely felt the way you described. One thing I try to do more of is looking forward. Though I do not know exactly what I can do to improve my mood or happiness in the moment, thinking about what I can do now to give me happier times in the future sort of helps. And it keeps me busy. Which is helpful.
Well, I'm 38 and I too had an awesome childhood. The kind of things the OP is expressing, not only do I think they are normal, I think the vast majority of people feel that way, just a lot arent ready to admit it out loud. To admit it out loud means that the 4 years of college and busting your gut working your way up the corporate ladder, whatever you get from that isnt going to beat that first christmas you can remember, when you got your first shiny new bike, got your own Playstation for the first time, or talking Elmo And that whoever you meet from now on, your never going to be quite as nervous as you were around your first crush, or whoever gave you your first kiss And the first time you had sex, might have been clumsy and awkward, maybe even regrettable, but you're never going to quite get that knot in your chest like you did the first time With everyone there is always one thing they like above everything else, you just have to find what that is, thats the hard part. With some it has nothing to do with normal, nothing to do with a job, marriage, kids or even money
If you think it's painful now, wait until you take a bunch of acid, realize you are still a child, yet you have to pretend your an adult to interact with society. That's when it gets really fogged up
My childhood was not happy, it went from extremes, very happy to very sad. The friends I had in high school I have grown apart from, thought at the time we were only close until I changed. Then I started to find that the old things didn't cut it for me. I hope you will go on to new communities (for example college) their you can find all sorts of people. The most important one being yourself. What is nice is now I know nothing can hurt me like my childhood. Like they say the first time you cry yourself to sleep and you wonder how to make it stop, the first time you can't talk to anyone about what's happening to the point were you're just angry all the time. Never again will I be so exposed. hmm, that is really comforting sorry I'm off topic it just feels great to know it won't it can't hurt like that again I never will be so weak and exposed because I know now, I have the tools to defend myself. But back to you, at 17 I was as near to death as I ever was. I was out of place and thought that life would only be getting worse. I got into college and I thought I might as well give it a shot before I die. It changed everything, or gave me a chance to change everything. best four years of your life has yet to happy; maybe because you're young you're wise and going to be surrounded by people in the same position mature enough to admit it. And even if you're not going to college those communities are out there. I hope you find them
I think its alright to be nostalgic about past specially childhood, which is truly a magical period of one's life.It seems you are taking a lot of that peer pressure,trying hard to 'fit in' and ending up getting frustrated. If that is the case then i would suggest that you should stop comparing yourself with others.remember god created you unique and you are truly a special person. instead of trying to fit in do what you are really passionate about , cultivate new hobbies, take genuine interest in other people, join social groups that truly interest you. Sky is the limit for you my friend.
