I’m emotionally overstimulated to the point of numbness. I’m a newish father (my boy turns two in like 3 weeks), my own father passed away a month before I found out we’d be having our son, and I never felt like I was able to fully process either. Substance abuse (cannabis & the occasional week long alcohol binge) has not helped. I went back to school recently after having left to figure stuff out. It’s made me feel like I don’t belong, and every day I spend trying to force myself to do work that doesn’t speak to me anymore I feel like I’m descending into a poorly lit cave without a clear exit. All the while I’m estranged from my family (largely because they are emotionally abusive and hard to be around), and it makes me feel like aside from the family I’m accountable for I don’t have anything or anyone rooting me to reality in a positive way. Money is tighter than a Tony Hawk sponsored skater game. I guess what I’m asking is how on earth does a person compartmentalize when they have this many components to worry about? And how am I supposed to artificially manufacture energy and enthusiasm in the midst of this very confusing period?