Little bit of context before i start. I’ve been struggling with intense anxiety with leaving the house since the end of 2022. I missed Christmas with my family, birthdays, and pretty much every social occasion with friends and family. Luckily I still kept in good contact with friends because of gaming but didn’t see them outside for all of that time. I went through therapy which didn’t really stick with me and tried different things that didn’t work. I started going out more and more everyday but could only do short drives or 10 minute walks. I stuck with it and tried to get my mental health better. A family member mentioned Citalopram to me and I spoke to my doctor and started them. I’m on day 28 now (they take a month to 3 months to work). The first few weeks were alright but didn’t notice much. Yesterday night, I went out with my friends for the first time and felt good. We didn’t go far but we went for a little drive around the town and spoke, I was probably out for 45 minutes to an hour. Last night was different. My friends just got a car and now there’s 4 in the group with cars. We met up at a park and we stayed there for a couple of hours. It’s the longest I’ve been out of the house in 2023 and I had an amazing night. We sung songs in the car at the top of our voices and drove in a convey together through the lanes. We messed around all night and had a good time. I think the medication is working and for the first time in a year I was able to just enjoy a night with my friends and it was amazing. Stick with it guys, it is worth it!