by atina » Mon Dec 12, 2016 6:34 pm
Dear markness:
You wrote:" I am honestly surprised the depression hasn't killed me yet." - I am surprised my anxiety and distress didn't kill me yet! It is amazing to me how much pain people experience and still live. Which is a good thing to remember when you do feel great distress, anxiety: it will not kill you!
"But can I have a second chance as an adult to live a better life now?"- yes, you can have a second chance and live a better life now, absolutely. Only expect a better life to happen slowly and gradually, not an instant thing. The more attention you pay, the more you practice a new behavior, the faster. There will be significant progress in months and more so, in a few years of paying attention, learning, practicing, learning more etc.
"If I could find a loving woman, it would make up for all the years of suffering I had to go through."- I don't think a person can make up for past suffering. You can though, make a better present and future, one hour, one day at a time. No progress is too small to be made, and tomorrow progress is built on today's small progress.
atina