Isolation

I'll keep the background brief and to the point. I'm 19 years old and have been almost completely isolated from social experiences for the past 3 years due to a mixture of SA, depression and traumatic experiences. I'm currently in therapy, and I am beginning to be able to picture myself going back into society. But the big question is how do I account for 3+ years with minimal social contact?

There are only 3 situations that could leave somebody my age in this predicament--prison, medical problems or mental illness. Depressing, isn't it? Everybody else has been on the outside living their lives while I've been in agony. It's not fair, and it's incredibly painful to think about.

I know that I don't have to share this with anybody, or explain anything. What bothers me is that I haven't experienced a lot of basic social experiences especially regarding dating/romantic relationships. And most of my previous social experiences have been negative, so I don't have much to go upon.

Not a lot of people understand what it's like to be truly lonely and alienated from society. Or what would keep a perfectly able-bodied young person from interacting with the outside world. I feel like it's going to be a really difficult transition into the outside.

i know how you feel because i am in a similar situation. i've been pretty isolated aside from school and the internet for 6 years. when i moved to another town and didn't know anyone, it was very hard on me. i was never good at making friends in the first place and having to "start all over" was difficult for me so i think i just withdrew. i wouldn't even get out of bed for school at first. my mom would yell at me for that. i still feel like a kid even though i'm technically an adult because of the lack of life experience and isolation.

coincidently at the time i moved my sleep went downhill very fast. i haven't slept well in 6 years.

I'm pretty isolated as well. Its like a slow, drawn-out mind death.

That goes along with the territory. I've had difficulty sleeping for years.

That's a good way of putting it. Depressing, but accurate.