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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dire Bare" data-source="post: 5700529" data-attributes="member: 18182">First, don't listen to friends who mock counseling and trivialize your problems.  I, like others in the thread, suffer from similar issues and many of my friends simply don't understand.  I had trouble putting in the necessary hours at a very flexible part-time job . . . and a friend just looked at me funny and said, "Well, why don't you just do it?"  Mental issues like depression (which I suspect, in some form, is at the heart of your problem) are not well understood by most folks who haven't suffered from them.I've struggled with depression all my life, with terrible procrastination being a symptom that has killed more than a few good opportunities for me and ruined my finances.  Counseling isn't a magic bullet . . . there are good and bad counselors, using various forms of therapies that might or might not mesh well with your personality . . . but I highly recommend it.  If, after seeing a counselor and perhaps getting a diagnosis, you might consider medication . . . also not a magic bullet, but can be helpful under the right circumstances.Don't quite video games or RPGs unless you're exhibiting addictive behavior with them.  If that's the case, try and drop them stone cold . . . it'll be hard.  But do find something you enjoy to fill the gap, something that won't come to rule over your life, and best yet, something that has a tangible result . . . like photography or some other craft.  Something you can be proud of.  I'm an actor, and my work in plays (albeit ephemeral) has been one of the things in my life that has kept me sane (despite all the crazy theatre chicks I end up dating).I've almost completey dropped RPGS.  I sold ALL my books (and I had a LOT) except for the 3rd Ed Player's Handbook and the 4th Ed Rules Compendium.  I kept my dice and a few "props" (card decks, mostly) out of nostalgia.  I only play with existing, good friends, and rarely at that.  I've also dropped, or severely reduced, many other hobbies that were destructive in my life, such as Magic: The Gathering and a monstrous collection of books and other unnecessary material things.  It's helped, but not cured, my problem.  I now spend most of my creative energy in the theatre, and I model Warhammer 40K miniatures (without spending too much cash, and rarely play).  I go back and forth with counseling (haven't found a counselor I really like yet), but prefer CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy).  I've also started trying to work meditation and exercise into my life (ooh, and it's tough).And, here I am, on ENWorld, a roleplaying site.  I used to waste a lot of time on here too, but after dropping RPGS, I now just check in for the occasional interesting thread (truly interesting, or train-wreck threads I can't look away from).Not saying you should necessarily take the same steps I did, and I'm certainly not done turning around my own life, just an example of what's worked so far for me.</blockquote>

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