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No, I wouldn't suggest giving up. It sounds like you're not healthy or happy right now, and you might not have to live this way. There are probably still a lot of doctors, types of therapy, and medications that you haven't tried yet. If you feel worse on any medication, let the doctor know. If you ever want to see a different doctor, go for it.

You can even ask their advice when it comes to jobs. I'm not at all surprised that you didn't like the fast food job, there's a lot of people, noise, fast movement, bright lights, etc. That would make a lot of people uncomfortable. I'd suggest something where you can work mostly alone, possibly doing something like filing or cleaning. Or something where you can ride a bike, like a paper route.

As for the weakness and feeling faint, that sounds like it certainly could be due to your diet. Without proper nutrition, you can get headaches, feel light headed, get tunnel vision, be unable to think clearly, or pass out. So a proper diet is extremely important. It's ok to watch what you eat and even to count calories as long as you are smart about it and give your body everything that it needs in terms of hydration, calories, variety, and nutrients.

Not necessarily. Most seniors don't know what they're going to do in terms of a career. Most people even switch majors in college. I changed my mind about exactly what I wanted to do many times throughout college, and even now I'm sort of open about what I do.



Me too. Sleeping in and napping all day would be awesome. But you're right, it's not realistic. College and work can be fun, but they're not always. Sometimes they're just things we have to do, you know? I didn't want to go college at first, my father made me. I actually ended up liking it a lot though.




Yeah, you might be able to get a filing job or something similar. And yes, working might be a challenge if these problems persist, but it's not impossible.




Yeah, that's not healthy. Starving yourself in an effort to lose weight or keep weight off seems like it would make sense, but it's actually the opposite of how it works. See, when you don't get enough food your metabolism slows down. Your body basically says, "Whoa, there must be a food shortage. I'd better conserve." And that means you're more likely to gain weight. However, if you eat enough healthy food spread out in about six small meals a day, then your metabolism will pick up. Your body will say, "Ah, there's plenty of food, there's no need to conserve!"

Then that's when you might want to seek the help of a mental health professional, because that's not healthy. As long as you're still growing, your body needs calories and nutrition so it can grow and develop properly.

Re: knowing what to do in life, I didn't figure out what to do until I was 21. I've changed my area of study twice and my major once. I've never had a "real job", just menial jobs primarily. I actually janitored from age 18 - 21 on and off, and once you're a bit older you can probably get a similar job.

Yeah, it does sound like your mother might be contributing to your unhealthy behavior. It might even be wise to get family counseling if you haven't already because it sounds like your mother might not realize that she actually has an unhealthy way of thinking too.

If you have trouble explaining the situation, you could try writing a note to your psychologist or psychiatrist before you see them or you could even print out this page.

I agree that you should do what you want. You don't have to be rich. If you have an average income and if you end up with a partner with an average income, those two incomes together mean you can get a really nice house and live quite comfortably.

In terms of school and work, I got my two years degree in Criminal Justice. Then I switched majors and got my four year degree in Psychology. Then I ended up tutoring and working in a daycare. Now my partner pays all the bills, and I don't really work, but I occasionally clean my friend's house for a extra dollars when he's busy.

My partner works with computers. He works from home over the internet doing something too technical for me to understand. xp

He actually did not go to college. So he's extremely lucky to have a natural technical talent that is sought after. I just asked him his title and he said he is a "senior system/network administrator." He said he "works with UNIX, a remotely administrated/multi-user operating system." He said he recommends looking into UNIX if you're not familiar with it and are interested in getting into that line of work.

I like Cloony the Clown. xp

Ack, I'm sorry I missed your reply! redface My apologies.

I'm going in to social work, working on my bachelor's again after the last university I was at screwed me out of the second pre-requisite I needed before I could enter the BSW (bachelor of social work) program through distance-education.

It'll probably be another 2 - 2.5 years before I'm done. Including the years I've had off, it's been 5 years since I graduated high school, and I'll have been in post-secondary school on and off for something like 7 or 8 years by the time I'm done. sweatdrop But at least I'll be done, and I'll have the option of getting my Masters if I choose to go that route (another 1 - 2 years of study after my Bachelor's).

Regarding the issue of weight, I was fat from my early teens up until about grade 10 or 11, until I one day realized how overweight I was and how gross I felt, and I decided to lose weight on my own. Through sheer portion control, nothing else, I lost about 30 pounds over 1 - 2 years. Now I have a smaller stomach, which I love (though I still have a bit of a gut, which I will eventually get up the motivation to lose).

The tangent I'm trying to get to with weight is that I can remember quite clearly having dinner with my family around the kitchen table one night, and somehow the topic of my weight came up and my mom was asking about me losing weight, etc etc. I asked, choked, "So you're saying I'm fat?!" And she's like "No I'm not saying that..." but of course that's exactly what she was implying. Yet she and my dad were the ones that bought large amounts of fatty foods like Pizza Pops and other junk, and then when I gained weight it was my fault. rolleyes Yeah I know I was supposed to have portion control too, but I think parents also play an important role in their kids' eating habits.

As for art, there's nothing wrong with wanting to be an artist! It just depends on what kind of art you want to go to, because different types of art have different options available. You could do traditional art, game design, graphic design, etc etc. Actually my first-ever boyfriend went to a game design school in Vancouver, BC and did a 2 year program, and now he does contract work doing monster creature design or something like that, and I couldn't be prouder of him. 3nodding He's very talented.

If you decide you'd like to go into art, let me know and I'd be happy to try to help you find local options available for art schools, or abroad if you decide to pursue that option elsewhere.