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lost interest in all hobbies and entertainment

brianmanahan

brianmanahan

Lifer
in the past year i've pretty much given up on everything except sitting around reading the internet.

it's not that i can't do anything with my free time... i just don't feel like it. my body and mind don't seem to have the will to do any more than exist.

have a bike, hiking boots and golf clubs and used to do scores of rides, hikes and rounds in the summer, but did maybe 1 ride, a couple hikes and 9 holes this year.

got plenty of computer games and used to play them all the time, but haven't started any up in months.

last year i went on a couple big vacations and was psyched about going on a couple more this year, but instead i just spent vacation sleeping in and sitting around for a couple weeks.

dear ATOT, what should i do to kickstart my life? thanks.
 
I've had similar happen, but my reasoning (or rather what I tell myself to feel better) is that I simply have a lot less free time.

Since having a kid I have much smaller intervals of free time... there is no way in hell I'm about to get a game of DOTA in, so I just say screw it and open a delicious beer. Can't say it's helped much, and if anything has made me question if I have turned to alcoholism.
 
s0me0nesmind1 said:
I've had similar happen, but my reasoning (or rather what I tell myself to feel better) is that I simply have a lot less free time.

Since having a kid I have much smaller intervals of free time... there is no way in hell I'm about to get a game of DOTA in, so I just say screw it and open a delicious beer. Can't say it's helped much, and if anything has made me question if I have turned to alcoholism.
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Try cutting back on the alcohol, if you can't do it then you know you are on the way to becoming an alcoholic.
 
I'm in the same boat, kind of. I'm disabled. AT is, for better or for worse, most of my life, and most of my human contact.

Don't get me wrong, I have friends, a few close ones, no currently-active girlfriends, and some clinical supports for my illness.

But I (have, past-tense) been spending nearly all of my money, even food budget, on computer parts, which I buy, post about, build, post about, use for a short while, and then put them away.

I used to be a "hardcore gamer", back in the 8- and 16-bit days. I had all of the major pre-PS2 CD-based game systems, including the JagCD, affectionately called "the toilet" by Jeff Minter, due to the design shape.

But most of my systems and CDs got stolen. Like $5000 worth. Yeah, I had folders and folders of game CDs.

Now, I just kind of languish. I'm gaining weight, which is what happens when you: 1) get older, and also 2) get more sedentary. It doesn't help that I probably drink 1000+ kcals/day in energy drinks and soda.

That reminds me, I think that I'm going to go and get Mt. Dew and Ice Cream at the local store. Need to get "fueled up" for a little overnight AT forum browsing.
 
whm1974 said:
Try cutting back on the alcohol, if you can't do it then you know you are on the way to becoming an alcoholic.
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If I really want to (doesn't take much overall struggle) I can easily go a full week without alcohol at the snap of a finger.

It's just so delicious though. If I have bud-light in a refrigerator it will sit there for years. If I have a Trappist Belgian Ale that fucker won't last a week.

Speaking of, I'm going to Germany and Belgium in a couple weeks for this specific reason, so yeah, not exactly the best time to schedule abstinence from alcohol.
 
s0me0nesmind1 said:
If I really want to (doesn't take much overall struggle) I can easily go a full week without alcohol at the snap of a finger.

It's just so delicious though. If I have bud-light in a refrigerator it will sit there for years. If I have a Trappist Belgian Ale that fucker won't last a week.

Speaking of, I'm going to Germany and Belgium in a couple weeks for this specific reason, so yeah, not exactly the best time to schedule abstinence from alcohol.
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I only mentioned this due to living around a few alcoholics.
 
VirtualLarry said:
That reminds me, I think that I'm going to go and get Mt. Dew and Ice Cream at the local store. Need to get "fueled up" for a little overnight AT forum browsing.
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Christ man. You better watch that shit. I used to drink my fair share of soda and Yoo-Hoo. But I gave that all up in favor of sparkling flavored seltzer and Bai. I don't care or trust those energy drinks. Never needed anything like that.
 
s0me0nesmind1 said:
I've had similar happen, but my reasoning (or rather what I tell myself to feel better) is that I simply have a lot less free time.

Since having a kid I have much smaller intervals of free time... there is no way in hell I'm about to get a game of DOTA in, so I just say screw it and open a delicious beer. Can't say it's helped much, and if anything has made me question if I have turned to alcoholism.
Click to expand...


 
It's funny I've been feeling the same in past few years, so many projects and stuff I want to do, hobbies I want to get into etc but often just don't feel like it. Get up, make coffee, sit on computer all day. It's terrible really. I have a really cushy job too with cushy hours, so I think I've become complacent with the situation. I've been wanting to get more into electronics for example, but I also have a forum I ran that I shut down due to security issues and I STILL have not fixed it. Been years now. Lots of misc coding projects too that I'd like to take on, and overall just more things I want to learn. I really need to get my act together and be more productive with my time off.

I think one thing that would help is to make a todo list, like of long term and short term goals, when you have a list of stuff to do, and start to plan when you'll work on it, you're more likely to actually get stuff done. There is some gratification when you can check off an item. When I get like a week of time off I tend to do that, I make a list of things I ant to accomplish and put a few for each day, I'm fairly generous with the time I allocate, so that I can try to do more in one day. It often tends to work out and I get more done.

My biggest weakness is when there is one major thing I want to get done (right now it's that forum/website), but I feel like doing something else, but I say "no I have to work on that". I end up not working on either of them. lol.
 
VirtualLarry said:
I'm in the same boat, kind of. I'm disabled. AT is, for better or for worse, most of my life, and most of my human contact. Me too...but, I get plenty of human contact...some days much more than I want...but, dammit, I'm married...for better or worse. 😛

Don't get me wrong, I have friends, a few close ones, no currently-active girlfriends, and some clinical supports for my illness. Being the gypsy I've been most of my life, I only have a few "friends," but quite a few acquaintances. I don't have a girlfriend either. My wife won't allow it. 😀

But I (have, past-tense) been spending nearly all of my money, even food budget, on computer parts, which I buy, post about, build, post about, use for a short while, and then put them away. I quit buying computer parts years ago...unless I'm doing a new build. I think my last one was 2010...and can't get excited about building a new one since this one still does everything I need.

I used to be a "hardcore gamer", back in the 8- and 16-bit days. I had all of the major pre-PS2 CD-based game systems, including the JagCD, affectionately called "the toilet" by Jeff Minter, due to the design shape. I did a bit of DOS gaming back in the day, Wolfenstein among others...then Windows came along and IMO, computer gaming got VERY good.

But most of my systems and CDs got stolen. Like $5000 worth. Yeah, I had folders and folders of game CDs. Sorry about your loss...I didn't realize that was your stuff... 🙂

Now, I just kind of languish. I'm gaining weight, which is what happens when you: 1) get older, and also 2) get more sedentary. It doesn't help that I probably drink 1000+ kcals/day in energy drinks and soda. With my knee and back injuries, I can't get much exercise at all...I walk my little rat dogs a couple of times each day...but that's about all I can do...and I still LOVE to eat...and have gotten Jabba the Hutt fat. I don't like any of the "energy drinks." IMO, they all taste like shit...

That reminds me, I think that I'm going to go and get Mt. Dew and Ice Cream at the local store. Need to get "fueled up" for a little overnight AT forum browsing.
Mt. Dew lost its appeal for me 20 years ago. I switched to Coca-Cola's "Zero" products about 4 years ago. I've "learned to like" the taste...much better than their "diet" brands.
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Try supplementing vitamins (D3+A) and minerals. Munch on spinach. 40 minutes of physical activity per day. Avoid ambient music that induces lethargy. Go pc-free for a week and spend extended time outdoors.
 
Being online all the time provides instant gratification and rewires your brain to constantly expect it. Why spend time getting ready to go on a bike ride, exerting all that energy, when you can just click a few links and get a similar dopamine response?

You've gotta either get help or force yourself out of the situation. I find myself spending too much time online as well, but whenever I force myself to go work in the garage or work on some projects, I almost immediately become absorbed in them and find it difficult to quit.
 
brianmanahan said:
in the past year i've pretty much given up on everything except sitting around reading the internet.

it's not that i can't do anything with my free time... i just don't feel like it. my body and mind don't seem to have the will to do any more than exist.

have a bike, hiking boots and golf clubs and used to do scores of rides, hikes and rounds in the summer, but did maybe 1 ride, a couple hikes and 9 holes this year.

got plenty of computer games and used to play them all the time, but haven't started any up in months.

last year i went on a couple big vacations and was psyched about going on a couple more this year, but instead i just spent vacation sleeping in and sitting around for a couple weeks.

dear ATOT, what should i do to kickstart my life? thanks.
Click to expand...
Hey, I sympathize. A lot of days it's a struggle for me just getting out of bed. I don't really have any solution, other that maybe to look into seeing a therapist. But I think I can relate to how you feel.
 
snoopy7548 said:
Being online all the time provides instant gratification and rewires your brain to constantly expect it. Why spend time getting ready to go on a bike ride, exerting all that energy, when you can just click a few links and get a similar dopamine response?

You've gotta either get help or force yourself out of the situation. I find myself spending too much time online as well, but whenever I force myself to go work in the garage or work on some projects, I almost immediately become absorbed in them and find it difficult to quit.
Click to expand...

That is so true.
 
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