first, let me congratulate that you are admitting to a problem that you have and looking to do something about it. A lot of us don't even get to that stage. So

first, let me congratulate that you are admitting to a problem that you have and looking to do something about it. A lot of us don't even get to that stage. So you have already taken the first step when you are asking for help. "I have no social support, no work support, and am generally feeling isolated and defeated" This is probably the biggest cause. We are born to be social even though the social'ness can vary a lot. Isolation is a huge problem which can cause things like depressions, negative attitude etc. I will say work on fixing this first. Forget about projects, ideas etc even though they are important but not your immediate concern at this time. Do something out of your comfort zone. This is the biggest challenge when trying to improve oneself. I personally struggle with this a lot but doing things that you normally don't do will change your perspective in many things. One small example: Force yourself to go meet random people at random places. Talk to them. See what it does. Don't expect any outcome though. just do it. Get involved in some social sports if you can. Go play tennis with a stranger or even squash or whatever you can. Don't worry if you suck at it. That's not the point. Call up a family member randomly whom you don't meet often and ask them to meet. Next time when you get upset at a stranger because they cut you off on the road, think that they may be in a hurry due to family emergency. Think Positive. Force yourself into it. It may seem silly to do this but it grows on you. Oh, and try to spend time with people who have positive outlook in life and can influence you. Who you hangout with matters a lot. We like to learn from our company. It is just how we are wired. All these may not be the magic wand but doing things differently than what you do currently will be a start. There is no binary answer to all this of course but just trying to give you some insights.