Maybe it’s mercury in retrograde not sure honestly but I’ve been so emotional lately. I’m starting to notice a trend in my life of people I care for not giving the same effort that I do. I love being sober but sometimes it’s all too much trying to sort through my emotions. I’ve done meditation, yoga, therapy, journaling, changed my diet added exercise and taken medication for anxiety and depression but some days it’s just so unbearable. It does come in waves and some days I just feel like I’m drowning. I know I shouldn’t have expectations as they often lead to disappointment but I try to live by the golden rule to treat people the way you want to be treated so it hurts me deeply when it’s not reciprocated. Thanks for letting me share. I needed a safe place to vent.
It’s perfectly normal to have expectations, what’s a life without them. We are wired differently and that’s why they get the best of us sometimes. For me, those emotions flood my mind when I’ve locked them up for too long. Keep in mind that no matter how long we’ve been at it and how amazing we feel on our good days, the bad days can feel unbeatable. An old guy told me that even after 36 years of sobriety he’s only 90% cured. It’s that 10% that requires going to meetings, talking and sharing your feelings and emotions. It’s one day at a time whether it’s day 1 or year 50. Keep going, you got this!!
Thank you 
The relationship disappointments you describe resonate w me. Not sure mine is related to my post-ethanol journey, but recently I’ve been through a major re-evaluation of my relationships based exactly on what you’re describing: lack of reciprocity and even when I consciously lower expectations, it seems I still haven’t lowered them enough. Best of luck w that. And you can be confident that drinking won’t improve anything in that arena.
Yesterday was 1 of those days for me. I can relate. I yr sober today and I still don't understand the why and where it comes from. Maybe it was the eclipse last night I don't know. Prayers for all of us
No drinking for sure. I know that won’t change a thing. But ya it s*cks when you lower your expectations and it still happens and sadly the hurt I feel from it doesn’t change either. I guess being an empath it kinda comes with the territory. 
Congratulations on 1 year charlie that’s really amazing! 
Thanks
Thanks Ty
"Golden Rules" are usually set by people who don't practice them anyway. Humans are, well, human. We are simply complex, and complex simpletons. Easily distracted, and with the advent of the smart phone we are constantly distracted. Pay attention the next time you go out for dinner. Almost every couple is tapping at their phones. Nobody is living in the moment, the moment that is right in front of them. Everyone is looking for something better, or what they perceive to be better. People need CONSTANT validation, through social media etc and if you aren't the person validating them constantly, you will "lose" to someone else with more free time than you.
You can practice the golden rule and that’s quite admirable. Everyone isn’t going to reciprocate. You can’t control others you can only control how how you respond to them.
BRILLIANT!! Thanks for sharing…articulated perfectly. O2-28-2OO2
Well said! lol O2-28-2OO2
The one thing I didn’t read you’ve done is prayed to a higher power, that one is God, may you find him now.
I pray for your healing.
People are people. I wise person once told me that I can’t control what others think or how they react, but I can control how I think and react. That said, people can suck some times, but most times they can be pretty good. I hear ya.
I recall very clearly never being able to feel all these overwhelming emotions welling up inside because I was to busy numbing myself. Being sober minded brings with it the ability to feel and sometimes doing all these activities to heal is not just enough to just allow ourselves to feel. To feel sad, depressed, unappreciated, only to just keep striving to continue to keeping pushing forward.
Maybe, we don't feel we are appreciating ourselves enough and we look for others to acknowledge this in us.
I believe you are exactly where you need to be. Sometimes our true teachers are those that don't reciprocate. We need to appreciate ourselves and give ourselves Love, and out of the blue when we are least expected an angel will smile on you.
Being depressed is anger turned inwards. Embrace all you are experiencing at this moment so the light may shine more brightly.
One day, you will look back and rejoice that you overcame this. I promise you this is all apart of the process of healing from within.
Your god might not be her "higher power". My higher power is my sponsor Chuck. He is doing better than me, and he's helping me, so he's my higher power.
Okay, whatever works for you my friend. Be careful with putting Chuck on a pedestal. Could be setting yourself for disappointment if Chuck relapses. My first sponsor relapsed after 8-1/2 years of sobriety. Scared the urge to drink right out of me!
It doesn’t matter what you higher power is. Just believe and pray and find that inner peace.
Putting "god" on a pedestal has set me up for failure more times than I can count, and that was by the time I was 14. Chuck's life experience and how far he has come is what speaks to me. Not just him, but all the people in the room, ya know?
My experience was that I didn’t believe in a higher power, God, at all. I pray, meditate and seek spiritual growth through a lot of different ways. Just keep your head up and believe in something. Believe that I believe in a power greater then myself.
How long have you been sober? I’m glad your here. Keep experiencing life. Lean in as you may have heard this saying around here. That definitely has helped me through emotions that I never felt before..