Hey everyone, it's been a while.
Almost three years ago I made a post here saying I was struggling with depression. Since then, life has mostly been unkind to me and the symptoms persist. I experience extreme loneliness and a lack of belonging. My social circle has been in steady decline to the point where there were really only a handful of people I could hang out with without it costing the better part of my available energy.
Two of such people were my best friend and my ex, let's call them P and S.
P and I have known eachother for almost 16 years now. We were introduced to eachother at a point in our lives where we both drifted just above rock bottom. We immediately latched onto eachother through a shared sense of humour and common hobbies. For the better part of those 16 years, we were thick as thieves. The one exception was when he fell in love with one of my exes right after we broke up, and we didn't speak for a year or two after that. It left a deep wound in me.
S and I broke up four years ago. It was rough at first but I still loved her very much, just in a different way than in our relationship. We've been close, platonic friends ever since. We still spent a lot of time together, watching series and playing videogames. My house was adorned with plenty of artworks she made for me.
A few years ago, P, S and me started hanging out together a lot, almost weekly. P's life took a few turns for the worse and S and I were his sole support system. It was a tough situation but I'm glad the three of us could come together the way we did.
Yesterday, we were hanging out again and P said they'd have something to announce. He had developed romantic feelings for S and they talked about it, saying they wanted to explore where they'd lead. After what was just said sunk in, my body went into full panic. I was shaking, felt hot and cold at the same time, held back tears. I told them I couldn't support that and that it would hurt me immensely if they did. I said that if they decided to go through with this, I'd be afraid they'd lose me. This was labeled as an ultimatum. They didn't seem to understand.
I don't know why this hit me as hard as it did. Had I any choice in the matter, I'd much rather have been happy for them and supportive. But I couldn't, I can't. Maybe it's the old wound from my other ex opening up again, this being the second time P would pursue something romantic with one of my exes, regardless of how I'd feel about it. Perhaps I still have latent feelings for S, hoping we'd get back together sometime. I can't tell for sure. Perhaps it's my depression symptoms that hit so hard, being confronted with my own loneliness.
In any case, I completely broke down crying after they left. Regardless of how this story progresses, I feel like I've lost something of great importance yesterday. I am terrified of what's to come and I'm bracing for the worst. I've already put away the artworks S gave me.
I feel betrayed, passed over, treated as an afterthought and incredibly lonely. Most of my real-life support system seemed to have vanished yesterday and I'm not sure my relationship with them can ever be mended.
I could really use some love and, while I'm allergic to platitudes, any kind of sage advice or support is welcome. And if there's anything you want to do for me, do a good deed in the world today.
Thanks for reading.
Edit: I appreciate the kind words, everyone, really, but I'd much prefer if we can refrain from badmouthing P and S. Though their actions have hurt me immensely, and while there's a very reasonable chance I can't remain in their lives this way, I still very much appreciate what they've done and meant for me. I still love both of them very much and seeing people insult them feels like a great disservice to the roles they've played in my life. Thank you.