How to handle severe depression and isolation at work
Returning to a job while managing depression often leads to severe isolation, loneliness during breaks like lunch and prep periods, and a profound sense of emptiness and exhaustion. This emotional depletion makes it difficult to connect with colleagues or find joy in the workday, leaving people feeling hidden and overwhelmed.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from September 2026.
- This comes up 10.9× more often in r/cats than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Getting professional help through health insurance counseling provisions
- 2Using an Employee Assistance Program
- 3finding a pet or animal to care for to stay grounded
- 4walking outside
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I’ve spent most of my life feeling empty, lost, misunderstood and exhausted in ways I never knew how to explain.”source ↗
“Not much is going smoothly in my life (and the cat is completely insane) but I too feel as though we saved each other.”source ↗
“I love frannie and you, from one chronically depressed person to another. I see you too.”source ↗
“I've entered into a state of depression these past few weeks.”source ↗
“Coming back to work makes me feel worse. I've isolated myself from my colleagues.”source ↗
“Then comes lunchtime and prep. I feel lonely. So isolated, even though I want it to be that way.”source ↗
“I no longer smile of have joy. I feel hidden in a sense?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 4How to avoid getting sick when everyone at work is sick
- 2How to go back to work after a coworker's suicide
- 9How to handle severe work burnout and zero motivation
- 2How to deal with extreme boredom and pretending to be busy at work
- 7How to tell if a cat is grieving or depressed
- 92How to stop letting accounting stress ruin my life?