Opened up to someone last night

[ADW]

My partner convinced me to go out for a meal with my friends last night. I have social and generalised anxiety and depression so this is very difficult for me. I did it. I had ha a couple of glasses of wine (it was the only way i could relax and get through it) and when one of my friends and i were sat together later i opened up about the awful summer i had had and that i had had to have time of work as i had a breakdown but i was improving and going out and doing activities with them was really helping. She didn't take it very well when i said i had had a breakdown she just looked at me and said ohh riiiiiighhhhttttt. She really didn't know what to say and the look on her face was an awkward one. Now i feel like i've made a big mistake telling her. She's a good friend but she just didn't know how to react or what to think i don't think. I had to change the subject and now i keep running it over and over in my head and i don't know what to think.

[Steph_]

It's so disheartening when someone reacts badly and is exactly the reason why I find it so hard to talk about. But on the other hand while she maybe did feel a little bit awkward it was probably more from not knowing how to react in a way that would be helpful to you. For all you know she might be going over the conversation in her head afterwards and berating herself for not saying something else or doing something differently. Your anxiety will be turning the experience into a monster in your mind of course and be convincing you it was worse than it actually was. I do it all the time in social situations.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yes, I agree with Steph.

It's something very unexpected. We have experience dealing with it and talking to others about it so very little shocks us but to someone without any of these issues or knowledge of them it's new territory. I know before I went through it I would have struggled to know what to say.

[jimsmrs]

Yes I agree, but try not to feed the monster, do you think she would've reacted differently if you told her you had been diagnosed with a heart condition or cancer?? Depression and anxiety are hidden illnesses and we get very good at 'putting a brave face on things' She's probably having a similar conversation feeling awful that she didn't say more

[apm]

Some people find it hard to deal with people that have problems like this thing of ours, it's harder than physical illnesses I think. As has been pointed out, she probably just didn't quite know what to say! Funny, when I had my last bout of anxiety about this time last year, I didn't really tell my best friend much about it. He was cross, and told me off- when people do understand, it's amazing how supportive they can be!