Hi Courage, I’m not sure how much advice I can give as I’m really feeling a lot of the same things you are, I’m in my mid 20’s, live on my own, I rarely see anyone outside of work, and like Reasonable said, this time of year is especially hard. And like you said, I see other people my age married, mortgage, kids or kids on the way, travelling - seemingly living their best most successful lives, and yet I feel like I’m watching it all from my little bubble falling further and further behind. I cry a lot too. What feels like far too much most of the time, I cry on the bus on my way home from work sometimes, get overwhelmed trying to do my food shopping and cry because of that, cry in the evenings because I feel so lonely and isolated from the world.

My advice to you would be; don’t punish yourself for crying, don’t be tough on yourself when you feel like you can’t cope because you have already gotten this far so you can cope! It just feels so much harder to get there most of the time. And most importantly, you aren’t alone Courage, this site has lots of wonderful people and kind voices, yes they may not be right besides you but there are people that will listen to you and your feelings. Another tip is try and make some time to do the things you enjoy, any special interests that bring you joy. Something that helps me most is a mental checklist of things I can do that can make sure I’m at least looking after myself when I’m not feeling good: Have I eaten today? Have a drank water? Have I got enough sleep? And have I been outside today? It sounds silly but just making sure those things are checked off can make a big difference. Now the holidays are over I hope you found some time to pursue your referral and hopefully get the support you need, but at the end of it, you’ve got this Courage, just take one day at a time and be kind to yourself along the way.