> The effort required to try and explain aspects of what I'm going through, usually with little success, is often far more detrimental than any benefit they could hope to provide. Being distracted from the problems, even if only for a short while, can be blissful and hugely appreciated.

> On the other hand, I'm usually happy to be treated differently by people that have had similar experiences to me. I can often communicate to them in a sentence things which would take hours of conversation with somebody who'd not been there before.

I very much agree with both parts of what you've said here. I'm curious if & how you tend to balance between the two?

Generally when I'm having a bad time just having some casual distraction works fine, especially from someone who doesn't know what's wrong.

When I'm stuck in a rut, just having a few friends who can stop me bullshitting and keep me talking works wonders.