I'm a long-term lurker who just got an account. I'm also an American, so please excuse any US spelling variations.
I'm stuck in a place in my life and I don't know how to get out. I'm married with two young kids and I've never functioned as an independent adult. I went right from high school, to college, to graduate school, to getting married, to looking for a job and not finding one, to getting pregnant, to being a SAHM. I have never had a single paying job in my whole life, and I'm not sure if I can get one or should get one. I have depression, anxiety, and ADHD.
In college and grad school, I was dealing with intense mental health issues, on top of the academic workload, and didn't socialize with other people. I've never made friends as a post-school adult, and I'm in my mid-thirties. The career I'm trained for is very high-stress, and I don't really want to work in that field. I just want some type of somewhat interesting job so I can do things outside the house and feel as though I'm a "real adult."
But I don't know if I can have a job and keep everything in the house functioning. Right now, it's about all I can do to keep it from being actually filthy, and to remember everything my kids need. Interacting with other people for long periods of time makes me extremely tired. (So, probably not cut out for retail.) My ADHD means that I get obsessive on various interests, and they sort of consume my free time and a lot of space in my mind. They're not friend-conducive interests, like tennis or playing cards; I get really, really into various books or movies, and want to talk about them for hours. My main "social interaction" is talking about those things with other fans online.
Back in high school, my friends and I would get nerdy and obsessive over stuff like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, but people don't do that so much as adults - at least, not in whole friend groups. I'm also not sure if I can make friends, because the US is such a highly politicized climate right now, and I'm a political independent who doesn't have a standard set of "liberal" or "conservative" beliefs. (Back in college, I had people quit being friends with me because they found out we disagreed on something politically. Not because I confronted them with it - just because they found out we disagreed.)
So, I have no job, no friends, and don't know how to break out of this. My husband and I have a fantastic relationship, but of course I shouldn't be depending on him for all my emotional needs. I would really appreciate any advice anyone has to give me.