Were YOU Depressed When You Were A Witness?

by minimus 61 Replies latest jw friends

  • eyes opened
    eyes opened

    How could you not be depressed? You watch everything around you fall apart, your family, your self esteem, guilt trips, you can never do enough. Your on overload, You can never feed the beast. You can't talk to anyone to express yourself because second thoughts start to lable you an apostate. So you internalize your feelings, and therefore depression surfaces.

    1. guilt trips : caused by never living up to the standards

    2. self esteemed: you lost your identity

    3. your family: they don't belive the same as you, and if your married to a JW you lose your family as well because you, never have enough time to cover all your bases so your family suffers and your on overload.

    Cant talk to Sister or Brother Wood, because they are already, a fossil in the organization, and fossil are stiff and old. No longer thought processes.

    eyes opened

  • katiekitten
    katiekitten
    you can never do enough. Your on overload, You can never feed the beast.

    Too true. I was at my most depressed when I pioneered. I said to my mum 'I feel like a dish rag being dragged around the streets'. I cant remember what that feeling was now, but it was very strong and depressing at the time.

    Im inclined to think lots of dubs have problems with M.E. too. I think their bodies just refuse to do anymore because their heads wont listen and give them a rest.

  • Mysterious
    Mysterious

    I always thought counselling and meds were looked down upon by the JWs and people would try to keep it on the quiet if there were going about that. I knew someone who was in counselling because of past abuse issues and she was treated as a leper for being spiritually weak. None of them even seemed to know what a psychology degree entailed from my home congregation. Nevertheless there seeme to be a lot who were depressed and not enjoying life..I thought it was just growing up.

  • katiekitten
    katiekitten
    I always thought counselling and meds were looked down upon by the JWs

    Yes they are. I remember being told from the platform that they would only give worldly counselling, and that if you followed all the advice in the bible you wouldnt have any problems!

    There was one sister in our cong when I was a teenager (she must have been in her 30's). Looking back she was suffering from a mental illness, but we HONESTLY thought she was demonised! I cant believe I swallowed that shit in the 20th century!

    As far as I am aware the only help she got was a house purge to help her get rid of whatever second hand item she had bought that was inviting the deemunz into her house.

    (shakes head in amazement that I could have been that primitive)

  • forsharry
    forsharry

    I was severely depressed. I tried to commit suicide twice while in...and once my father got dfed, my mom DAed, and they divorced and my little insular world fell apart, I decided to take a more nefarious route. I had no control in my life...I never did while in, yanno? Well, i started college and floundered around terribly which hurt me even more (i was a straight A student in high school.) I became aneorexic. It was a control issue for me...it was the only thing I could control. I lost 60lbs, developed heart problems and my hair started falling out. I wouldn't go 'get help' cause I thought that feeling this way was normal. I thought everyone had such a hard time living. I turned to alcohol, and at one point the only thing I did was drink...every night. At the bar, drink till I was stumbling drunk. Go home and crash, get up wash rinse repeat.

    Life was a mess, and it took me six years and not being able to qualify for a house (and subsequently trying to throw myself into traffic) to get me to get the help I needed. It's been a year and half now since I've started with therapy and medication. It's been a year since I've gotten on this board and others to discuss with like-minded and similar experience-minded people. It's helped. But what a mind job.

    I'm a go-to, leader, induvidual kind of thinker. I read everything, and love learning, and hate being told what to do. It was ki//ing me to be a witness. They talk about leading a double-life...well I was leading a double-life with my very soul. I repressed everything in order to be considered the perfect JW young lady...and I did an excellent job.

    They say depression ultimately is misplaced anger. I'd say a lot of us here have had a lot to be angry about in our lives pertaining to having to live life as a witness.

  • SixofNine
    SixofNine
    It was ki//ing me to be a witness.

    Those are the exact words I've used to sum up my leaving. Glad you're on a better, safer path.

  • minimus
    minimus

    WELCOME EYES OPENED!!!! You're right! How could you not be depressed being a Witness??

  • eyes opened
    eyes opened

    I remmber thinking getting ready for the meeting was another torture, make sure you prepare and feeling if you didn't prepare you didn't respect the food Jehovah provided, for some reason I got tired of eating the same food day after day. And preparing for the food, such as, meeting, service, schools bookstudies studies at home and your own bible students no wonder everyone is depressed, They are running on empty. They are what the watch tower wants them to be. Walking Dead. They are all depressed and sadly enough they don't even realize it.

    eyes opened

  • serendipity
    serendipity

    Welcome eyes opened!

  • minimus
    minimus

    When many JWs leave the Organization, they suddenly feel better. what a coincidence!

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