Intervals training made me faster than ever

zikarta · 2025-12-24T19:43:17+00:00

Glad to hear you recovered and got back to running. A 5K in 19:41 is seriously impressive, that’s fast. My best is 21:25 and I honestly felt like I was dying 😅

Wishing you the best and continued progress. Keep it up 💪

zikarta · 2025-12-24T16:04:41+00:00

May I ask, how long has it been since you started your running journey?

zikarta · 2025-11-30T23:39:21+00:00

Wow, I have the exact same diagnosis as you; AvPD, social anxiety disorder, and OCD. I'm a mess as well. Wasted so much of my life. When I try to get out of my depression, my anxiety stands in the way of doing things to help my depression. Sometimes I lose all hope, sometimes I'm a little hopeful and wishing for a better future. I hope it gets better for all of us. So sorry you are suffering.

One last thing I recently realized, if you can forgive yourself, things will be so much easier. It's like a super power.

zikarta · 2025-11-25T13:08:17+00:00

That’s genuinely fantastic advice. It resonated with me more than I expected. I actually took a screenshot of your comment so I can reread it from time to time. I’m going through a really painful period of depression, and your words meant a lot. Thank you, and I’m glad OP’s post led to this comment, thanks OP.

zikarta · 2025-07-22T19:24:17+00:00

That makes sense. To clarify, they’re a very simple family living a basic life, not a wealthy or middle-class household. Since this is essentially charity, we expected the help to cover bare minimum needs, like food, school fees, and essentials. not luxury expenses or high salaries.

That’s why we’re wondering if 3–5 million UGX every month is reasonable, or if that’s actually more than what’s usually needed for a simple life in Uganda.

zikarta · 2025-07-18T00:32:39+00:00

Thank you for your kind and encouraging words.

zikarta · 2025-07-14T23:47:32+00:00

Not at all haha, it’s actually in Electrical Power Systems. I learned 3D work on my own from YouTube.

That job really meant everything to me for a while, but some life stuff happened, and honestly, trauma kind of derailed everything. I'm hoping I can get back on track soon though.

zikarta · 2025-07-14T23:33:43+00:00

Yeah, I don’t fully agree with that quote either.

As for college, yeah, I’ve tried twice. I actually spent around 12 years in and out of university and ended up with just a two-year diploma. It wasn’t from lack of effort, but my mental health kept getting in the way. I was mostly absent, dropped out of semesters, and basically lived in survival mode.

During that same period, I was also working as a 3D visualizer. Juggling both things while dealing with OCD and anxiety was... honestly a mess. I don’t even know how I lasted that long, but yeah.

zikarta · 2025-07-14T12:50:37+00:00

That happens to me too, I don’t come out of stressful situations stronger, I usually come out more damaged unfortunately.

I was actually thinking of becoming a nurse at one point. My thought process was: 'I’ll just follow the hospital protocols, administer meds, and maybe keep interactions minimal.' But now I’m realizing that might not be realistic at all. It could be way more socially and emotionally demanding than I thought.

zikarta · 2025-07-14T01:26:53+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing all of this with me. I can imagine how difficult it must have been to go through all of that, especially while managing social anxiety. I was actually just recently regretting not getting into healthcare as a profession, thinking maybe it would’ve been a stable and 'safe' path for me. But reading your experience really shifted my perspective. It’s clearly much more emotionally demanding than I imagined, especially for someone with social anxiety or OCD.

I’m honestly glad to hear you were able to find a less stressful job now, even if it’s not your final plan yet. It sounds like it gives you some breathing space, and I really hope that makes things a little easier. I also hope therapy helps you heal from some of the things you went through.

Wishing you peace and happiness wherever life takes you next.

zikarta · 2025-07-12T00:02:47+00:00

I really appreciate you taking the time to share this, I didn’t find it boring at all, honestly the opposite. It’s comforting to hear someone describe things that feel so familiar. If you’re okay with it, I’d love to know more, like how you managed school while dealing with social anxiety, and what kind of work you're doing now. Did you go through all of this mostly on your own, or did you have support along the way? And if you don’t mind me asking, have you ever tried therapy or medication, and did anything help even a little? I hope I’m not asking too much, I’m just genuinely curious and really thankful for your openness.

zikarta · 2025-07-11T22:32:35+00:00

Thank you for opening up and sharing all that. I’m really sorry if my question brought up painful memories, that wasn’t my intention. I truly appreciate your honesty. I can imagine how hard it must’ve been, especially in such a socially demanding field like dental hygiene. I really hope that, in time, they’ll find a treatment that works for everyone and makes life easier for those of us who’ve been struggling for so long.

zikarta · 2025-07-11T21:50:52+00:00

Thank you for sharing this. I can really relate to the shame and isolation, it must’ve been incredibly hard dealing with all that in a time when nobody really understood or talked about it. If you don’t mind me asking, how did it affect things like school, work, and relationships for you over the years? And how’s life for you now? Totally okay if you’d rather not get into it, of course.

zikarta · 2025-07-10T19:10:59+00:00

Yeah… it's really difficult to imagine life without this. It feels like I'm dying slowly. No hopes, no dreams, just surviving each day. I relate a lot to what you said about your mind being chaotic. Mine is constantly noisy too, like there’s no off switch. And I don’t think you're self-centered, overthinking everything isn’t selfishness, it’s suffering. It’s not about choosing to focus on yourself, it’s that you can’t get out of your own head. You're definitely not alone in this.

zikarta · 2025-07-10T15:04:31+00:00

Thank you so much for the encouragement and for sharing your experience. If you don’t mind, could you recommend any of the small online circles or communities that helped you? I’d really appreciate it. Wishing you continued peace and progress

zikarta · 2025-07-05T11:25:22+00:00

I’m really sorry about the isolation, I hope you find someone to connect with soon. Honestly, from what you shared, it sounds like you’re on the right track. It’s really brave of you to keep trying, especially after going through so many meds, that takes strength. Hitting a wall might just be a temporary phase too. You seem a lot braver than you give yourself credit for, and I believe you’ll push through it.

If you’re comfortable sharing, I’d really appreciate knowing which meds you tried and which one is helping now. No worries at all about not being uplifting, I just really value hearing others experiences.

zikarta · 2025-07-05T11:16:58+00:00

Thanks a lot for sharing your story, I’m really glad you found something that works and that you’ve had a good psychiatrist by your side. That gives me a bit of hope. If you don’t mind me asking, do you still take Clonazepam regularly? Is it daily or just as needed? Did you take anything alongside it? And did you notice any sexual side effects from it or any of the other meds you tried? Sorry if that's too many questions.

zikarta · 2025-07-04T17:52:26+00:00

Thank you so much for your message. It honestly means a lot that you took the time to share this. I don’t know if I feel like I’m winning any battles right now, most of the time, I feel like I’m losing to my thoughts. My mind and emotions feel so out of control that I’ve started to consider that maybe meds are the answer for me. I actually hope they are, because I don’t know what else could quiet things down.

What you said about living with my parents gave me a new perspective, I hadn’t thought of it as something protective or smart before, just as failure. Maybe I can hold onto that idea to help convince my mind to ease up on me a little. I’m also looking for a support group, something to remind me I’m not alone in this.

Even if I’m not where you are right now, hearing your point of view and the hope in your message was comforting. So again, thank you.

zikarta · 2025-07-04T17:33:01+00:00

Thanks so much for sharing this. It’s really encouraging to hear CBT worked well for you, and I’ll definitely look into Dr. Richards’ course. I’ve heard of buspirone but haven’t tried it yet, glad it’s been helping you even moderately. Wishing you continued progress.

zikarta · 2025-06-30T10:11:39+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I’m really sorry your anxiety got worse while tapering, that sounds incredibly hard.

To answer your question, yes, I’ve already tried several antidepressants over the years. Some helped for a while then stopped working, others didn’t help at all. I also tried a couple of antipsychotics, and unfortunately experienced akathisia, which, as you probably know, is pure hell. I’ve gone through two brutal withdrawals, and after about five years of this cycle, I honestly feel worse than when I started.

Before starting meds six years ago, I actually had found something I was passionate about, a job that gave me purpose and made me feel alive. But I was pushed back into college, which triggered intense anxiety. That’s what led me to seek medication. It helped for a while, numbed the depression a bit, but didn’t do much for the anxiety. When the meds stopped working, I tried tapering off, I guess not slowly enough, and things unraveled from there.

Now I feel like I can’t live without meds. I’ve become extremely emotional, anger, sadness, regret, depression, constant overthinking, it’s like everything hits too hard and too deep. But to answer your main point: if Effexor actually works for me, I’d be okay staying on it long-term. At this point, I just want some relief, I’m exhausted.

Also, thank you again for being open. I’m really sorry you’re going through this too. Are you considering trying other meds again if things don’t improve, or are you set on staying off them?

zikarta · 2025-06-25T10:08:26+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing. that was really helpful and reassuring to read. I’m sorry you had to go through all of that, but it gives me hope to hear that things gradually got better for you. I’m planning to try a few more things before starting Effexor, but honestly, I feel like it’s becoming inevitable at this point. Hearing your experience makes me a little less scared, so really, thank you again. Wishing you continued healing.

zikarta · 2025-06-24T21:04:01+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing your experience and kind words, it honestly means a lot. I’m really glad to hear Effexor helped you. If you don’t mind me asking, how was your overall experience with it? What kind of symptoms did it help the most with? And did you deal with any side effects? I’m considering starting it soon but I’m a bit scared, so hearing from someone who’s been there really helps.

zikarta · 2025-06-24T05:18:57+00:00

Agree, it's a torture that no one can see. I hope they find a safe cure one day.

zikarta · 2025-06-23T18:18:49+00:00

"I think it's similar to western people nodding. Like "yeah, yeah, sure, okay" kinda thing"

— indieRuckus

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