Lying problem?

Question

I am 23 and have depression and anxiety ... I have low self esteem and I am starting to worry that I lie A LOT...I don't know why I do it, I lie about stupid things for no reason at all and after I do it I feel awful. I try to stop and always promise that I will tell the truth, but the next day I will go ahead and lie again. I am having tremendous amounts of guilt because of this and have been praying recently that I can stop. Anyone have any similiar experiences or can point me in the right direction as to stopping?

Please dont tell me that just because i am 23 i cant have depression. i have a best friend who is a drug addict and a mother who i have not talked to for 10 years. i support my 2 younger sisters while my mom lives across the country and wants nothing to do with the rest of my family. people at ANY age can be depressed. Dont be so ignorant.

Answer 1

talk to a counselor

Answer 2

I too have depression and anxiety which go hand-in-hand. Also I've caught myself lying or exaggerating things in the past as well. My theory is that the low self esteem issue has something to do with it. I would have bad anxiety in mainly social situations and that's when I would exaggerate and get abnoxious.

Also, the guilt after the lie, is another form of anxiety. This is my theory. I would have the same issue - tell a white lie and stay up torturing myself for it to the point where I'd get the shakes and vomit (those were the really bad anxiety attacks). The worse they got, the more I would lie and panic, become depressed, and then paranoia developed. It became a vicious cycle. They all seem to feed off each other, just getting worse and worse. I tried to subdue it with alcohol, but that only lead to nasty hangovers and wasted days, which fed the depression, and well, you know.

I don't know what to do to stop. Recenlty I was put on a medication to help treat anxiety, and it's working. I have hardly any attacks and the depression has leveled off. I don't feel like I had a lobotomy like prozac made me feel - I feel like I have just been evened out and can finally think straight.

I would suggest talking to a doctor. I didn't have insurance at the time but it had gotten so bad that I had to give in, if not for me, but for others around me.

If that answer didn't help, I hope it helps to know you're not alone.

Answer 3

I feel you may have underlying issues causing this problem. You feel guilty because you know it's wrong. It probably hinges on your low self esteem and feeling like you have to make things better. So if they are not you just lie little white lies or big ones to make it seem better. It's almost as if you're creating your own fantasy world because you feel you have no control over what happens to you. Thus by lying you are trying to take some of that control back. Things may not be ok in your life but you can say they are and the person you are telling probably won't know the difference. But you really should seek counseling about this. There probably isn't anything you can do to just stop, It will just escalate and you don't want that to happen. Good luck.

Answer 4

Of course! I became a chronic liar after I broke up w/ my ex who was a chronic liar. He made me think that lying about little things were okay, until I got into other relationships and they thought that it was really wrong to lie even about little things.

Okay you shouldnt lie a lot, people should accept you for who you are. If they dont like the truth, then they can go screw themselves.
Why do you care, right?

**** my cigarette fell on the floor

Answer 5

I think you should probably seek some professional advice. 23 and depressed? Why do you have low self-esteem? Do you take drugs? I am know professional but nor are the "professionals". You could also join the military. They will sort your *** out.

Answer 6

You're going through depression. That's ok if you lie a bit. Stop worrying about it. Once you recover from your depression your self esteem will increase and you will not lie as much. don't be harsh on yourself.

Answer 7

I think the first step in stopping this behavior would be to seek out a therapist. Depression and anxiety needs to be dealt with. The lying could be an underlying symptom of your depression/anxiety getting worse. Please see a professional.

Answer 8

i had a friend who was a chronic liar...that's the "clinical" term, "chronic-liar"....she lied about everything. she had a really bad self-esteem issue. one time she lied to me about this boyfriend she claimed to have. she said he was so perfect and everything. however, one day, she decided to show me a picture....it was a picture of her cousin! she had shown me that picture about 2 weeks before, claiming the boy in the picture to be her cousin...now she said it was her boyfriend! she totally forgot she had shown that to me already. sooo, try to stop doing this because it can get u into some shady situations like that....

i don't think anyone else on the net has a real answer..try counseling...maybe there's a deep underlying issue, that's lurking in your psyche. if u want to stop this, see a counselor.... good luck :)

Answer 9

right it incredibly is a theory-what in case you have been the single on the different end of the stick-being lied to no remember how massive or small-a lie is a lie.Lies injury believe-loose faith/believe and beleif-so what's going to you do to restoration it if she would have the ability to even seem at you while she discovers the lies-they injury-they sting-they dont circulate away-believe me after being lied to for the final 5 years the memories the video games-I dont ever want that individual around me returned-broken provides you're in basic terms that

Answer 10

I used to lie a lot too so I went to the doctor and told him I hae this terrible problem in that I am always telling lies-The doctor said "I don't believe you"

Answer 11

You can change but you'll need the Lords help, I was in your situation also and there is a way out through the Lord....hope you can find the way.....God bless you