Leaving??

I went through that about 8 months ago and did actually leave, because some guy made a negative comment about one of my posts. Obviously I came back and realized that everybody has a right to their opinion. I also decided that I had a right to post what I believe in and if anybody wants to take my advice...great, if not, that's fine too. You will find that when somebody with an entirely different opinion than you is going to try and beat you down and make you feel like you know nothing. This is a place to help others become aware of the options that are out there. You can choose which route you want to take. My rule is don't try to tell someone what to do, just give suggestions.
I stayed away from the forums for quite a while, but post from time to time. Don't let others steer you from an awesome tool that can help you.

Just DUMP the Meanies!!!! There are some amazing warm POSITIVE people "here!"

You get what you make out of it.

I agree! I don't like the negativity, so I stay away from it, as I'm sure, do most people. The success stories section is a great antidote to some of the other stuff!

however people sometimes complain about their school, their neighborhood, their state, etc. but in our disgust, and many times it's justified, we fail to see that we are part of the forest.

In some cases, this may be the only chance people have to voice their opinion/frustration/despair etc. In other cases, people are just bloody-minded and think it's acceptable or fun to be nasty to others. It happens on fora - it happens in the pub - it happens in the office. It's human nature. There are nice people and there are nasty ones. I firmly believe that the former are in the majority!

Remember this quote "be the change you wish to see in the world".

Also...."If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem", which is the same thing, really. I find that while some people moan about an awful lot of things, they never consider that they can effect change. And let's be honest here, some people just like whingeing!

To the OP - I'm truly sorry that you have depression and that you feel that some people here make life difficult for you but in all honesty, if you can't cope with it on a largely anonymous internet forum, how on earth do you expect to deal with it in real life? None of us can hide away from the world, so we have to learn to live in it, no matter how painful it might be at times.

You have a choice - you can choose to run away and not resolve anything, or you can choose to take control and make this the day you say that the actions and words of other people are *not* going to stop you living your life and doing what *you* want to do. Aren't you worth making a stand for? I believe you are. I believe we all are! :flowerforyou:

Besides, the 'good guys' here far outweigh the 'baddies'! :bigsmile:

In a sense, I understand, but I still don't think it's a great decision.

Yes, there can be a hell of a lot of negativity around here. It was bugging me as well, and since I'm on a serious down swing with my depression at the moment, it was REALLY getting to me.

I stopped reading the boards for a bit and for a couple of days I couldn't even read my newsthread and there aren't negative people on there, but I just could not do it.

But this place has been too good to me, and the problem isn't harshness of other people. It was my choice to read and take in what they were saying. So, like with my food choices, I'm working on making better choices.

See the thing is in my "real life" I am really trying to fight my depression and I thought that it was getting better but a lot of peoples' negative comments have got me down. You know what you may think I'm weak and yeah I am sensitive and care too much but thats what makes me into the person I am today and I'm not going to be ashamed of that.

I'm not going to just leave... I'm going to have a good, hard think about it first.

I can relate to the depression and have also seen many negative or bashing comments posted on here. Sadly, I suppose there has to be sour pusses in every bunch, right?

I generally respond to posts in the chit chat to be silly or sometimes on the fitness ones, not too much on the nutrition ones, because that is where I have witnessed the most negativity and I respond to the NSV's.

A friend of mine was actually attacked off a forum by way of message to tell her how stupid her post and her doctor were. Rather than let it get her down, she went round for round with the opinionated lady (to be nice) and laughed it off.

Because I read the comments and decide where to post, I have never been verbally attacked and I hope that has not happened to you, personally, either.

I have been here almost a year and I am only now seeing the negativity you are speaking of. Maybe before I didn't read as many posts. I read the ones that seemed helpful to me or answered questions I needed help with. I wonder that as MFP becomes more known we are getting more negativity and I have been thinking about it too. Not leaving but how to keep this site I love and need a positive in my life and how to avoid the negative. I think the Motivation and support section may have been a good place for this but I am impressed that you are getting positive support here. I am sorry you have had this experience because I think you are getting some support here you do need. I think there is the issue of different people being on here for different reasons. You need to find those that have similar goals for being on here and similar approaches to getting there. If you see a post that seems supportive and relates to the road you are going then see if that person is willing to be a friend and let them know why you are adding them. However the boards are a place to find the right type of friends. Some of the challenges and groups now get filled up quickly and there is no time to see if they are going to be a safe place for you to join. I typically keep to the open ones. The thing to remember is that MFP is a tool for you to improve yourself and not for others to tell you what to do. I have a food diary so I can track my food and see what is working for me. I get on the scale daily because it works for me and I am on here to get information to lose weight. I do not think that if others do it differently than I do that they are wrong. They are right for them. However some will tell you what they think is right here. It may be just right for you or not. It is your responsibility to figure it out. It is easier for me to see that since I am over 50 it isn't always that easy when you are younger. I wish the best for you. When my son was a bit younger than you he did alot of running and I always felt that the runner's high got him through some of those hard years.