lost interest in all hobbies and entertainment

[madoka]

improve your diet.

You can start by eating this:

It does away with the bland oat pieces and consists of pure marshmallows.

 

[Kaido]

dear ATOT, what should i do to kickstart my life? thanks.

Go to bed at 8:00pm for a week & report back.

 

[renz20003]

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.

Get a hooker and some blow, that ought to do it.

 

[purbeast0]

Start hitting the gym. You'll be amazed at how much better it makes you feel overall.

 

[Exterous]

There is a lot of stuff out there that supports the idea that motivation and happiness are self fulfilling cycles. You get motivated and do things and you get happier - which leads to more motivation which leads to more happiness. An example would be when your friends are going out and you don't really feel like going out but you do and have a great time and are glad you went out. This leads to an easier decision to go out the next time. The reverse is also true. If you don't have motivation and don't do a thing it is more likely to reduce your motivation the next time around - making you more unhappy.

So if there are things like hiking you like doing - force yourself to go out and do them. If you like going on vacations then go and force yourself to get out and about when you do it. If you do actually like these things eventually you won't often have to force yourself to go out and do them - you'll just want to. You have to spend the effort to break the cycle

There is a lot of gray area to this. Not everything you need motivation for will result in a positive emotion. But even doing unpleasant things can be a net positive if its something you can be glad is 'over and done with' instead of hanging over your head. There is also the idea that you build up reservoirs of positive or negative emotion. The positive reservoirs will sustain you through certain periods of time of tough times and the negative reservoirs will keep your outlook glum through positive times. The importance of this idea is how it plays into expecting benefits from behavioral changes. Basically - don't expect things to change right away from a few small decisions.

 

[John Connor]

You can start by eating this:

It does away with the bland oat pieces and consists of pure marshmallows.

HAHAHA "I see demons, I see demons."

 

[whm1974]

Yeah I had to force myself to just go out and do something even though I don't feel like doing anyway at all before.

 

[Zanovar]

Yeah I had to force myself to just go out and do something even though I don't feel like doing anyway at all before.

well wallow and stew in your own shit then.Because America doesnt care for you,the uk is even worse.

 

[John Connor]

well wallow and stew in your own shit then.Because America doesnt care for you,the uk is even worse.

NSFW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-cd3cNsuyE

 

[Zanovar]

shit that came across as uncaring.wasnt my intention

 

[whm1974]

well wallow and stew in your own shit then.Because America doesnt care for you,the uk is even worse.

I suppose it is only a matter of time befor some jackass comes along and begins shitting on a thread where everyone else is trying to help the OP.

 

[whm1974]

shit that came across as uncaring.wasnt my intention

Then what was your intention?

 

[Zanovar]

I suppose it is only a matter of time befor some jackass comes along and begins shitting on a thread where everyone else is trying to help the OP.

Yeah for sure,you Obviosly didnt.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Try some N-Acetyl-Cysteine (N-A-C) or TriMethylGlycine (TMG). Maybe some DMAE. (Small doses initially.)
TMG's a stimulant a.k.a. anhydrous betaine
DMAE is cholinergic
There you go.

 

[Thebobo]

lol all these supplements just get out do something, get some sunlight.

 

[whm1974]

lol all these supplements just get out do something, get some sunlight.

Yes sunlight will help.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Get a blood test. Test that blood. YOU MAY HAVE LOW T!! God forbid. Or some other deficiency.

You know, there was a time when low testosterone was an accepted fact of life. But now, it's a moneymaker.

 

[OverVolt]

Me personally I'm getting into:

Potentially motorcycles. Going to take an MSF class. I might buy a Kawasaki Ninja 650 ABS next riding season. I need gear, etc. Its the exhilaration of driving a motorcycle and I'm only going to be young enough to enjoy it for not much longer. Its only for me to enjoy, not for looks or anything.

Redoing my gun collection... Always had a glock and never really liked them. I'm getting something in .380 that can be CCW'd and I'm getting a Ruger Mini-30 so I can go out to a long-range target range and plink with cheap ammo. Something I've always wanted to do.

Collecting Movies.... I order like 3-4 Blue-rays a week.

I'm joining the GYM probably tomorrow. Getting Gym Clothes... free weights at home, etc. I have a sedentary job and I'm sick of getting soft/doughy. I used to have a more physical labor job that kept me in shape. I'm not overweight or anything... I've just gotten soft. I've been doing situps/pushupson a regular basis and its fun to log/keep track of your progress.

Just some ideas. I'm a recently single dude at 30. I also have some social circle agendas. Like a group of bar friends... road trip friends, etc.

 

[OverVolt]

There is a lot of stuff out there that supports the idea that motivation and happiness are self fulfilling cycles. You get motivated and do things and you get happier - which leads to more motivation which leads to more happiness. An example would be when your friends are going out and you don't really feel like going out but you do and have a great time and are glad you went out. This leads to an easier decision to go out the next time. The reverse is also true. If you don't have motivation and don't do a thing it is more likely to reduce your motivation the next time around - making you more unhappy.

So if there are things like hiking you like doing - force yourself to go out and do them. If you like going on vacations then go and force yourself to get out and about when you do it. If you do actually like these things eventually you won't often have to force yourself to go out and do them - you'll just want to. You have to spend the effort to break the cycle

There is a lot of gray area to this. Not everything you need motivation for will result in a positive emotion. But even doing unpleasant things can be a net positive if its something you can be glad is 'over and done with' instead of hanging over your head. There is also the idea that you build up reservoirs of positive or negative emotion. The positive reservoirs will sustain you through certain periods of time of tough times and the negative reservoirs will keep your outlook glum through positive times. The importance of this idea is how it plays into expecting benefits from behavioral changes. Basically - don't expect things to change right away from a few small decisions.

TLDR, has to do with Dendrites.

Part of a depression phase eliminates dendrites... neuron connections. New experiences will grow new dendrites. The initial fighting to find your way phase is the worst. Its awkward... its uncomfortable. You're going to have alot of fails. And thats totally normal and OK.

Legit advice? One thing that triggered me to realize I needed to get up and fight was watching Gladiator 2001. The dude in that movie lost everything he cared about and had to fight to survive. It was really eye opening. People with depression are really trying to avoid having to fight for themselves... when they know dauntingly... that they will have to if they want to get what they want. And the ending is really kind of beautiful if you think about it.

Find a type of music you like and listen to the lyrics like its the first time you ever heard any of your favorite songs. Get song ideas from the radio. Download them on Spotify or something. Life is out there waiting to be seized.

As someone who beat MDD over a decade ago without meds or therapy

Oh and meditation. I'm a huge fan of meditation. I'd sign up in a heartbeat for some kind of meditation/Buddhist monk type dealio. I've read a few meditation books and never regretted it. I skip over some of the excessively spiritual parts and get straight to the practice of meditation.

Dalai Lama meditates 4 hours every morning, and he is a kick ass dude.

Just some ideas man.

Community wise you can try and get involved with the community... you can volunteer to help at soup kitchens, animal shelters, hospitals ,etc. Check your local paper. Not something I ever did but I would imagine its fulfilling. Something I need to grow some new dendrites and go do .

 

[OverVolt]

That moment when you're heading into the unknown, and you're a little nervous, and kind of want to turn back to your comfortable old ways, means you're on the right path and just need to do something new.

Do if it ya bad man.

 

[Cappuccino]

Learn to play Piano. Also how old are you? You sound like an old geezer.

 

[OverVolt]

Learn to play Piano. Also how old are you? You sound like an old geezer.

From what I know about him on this forum he has more of a computer-centric job, is around his early 30's and has the brain of an old geezer because he doesn't have enough fun .

I don't blame him.... its an easy trap to fall into with modern society. Me personally I had a good life and had it ripped away from me (AGAIN!) and am fighting some rather crippling loneliness (I moved 300 miles from home)..... so I have to fight... again... to get a life... again...

Its something that does not come naturally for me like it does some others (I guess?) and its a personal weakness/flaw/personality trait that takes effort on my part.

Just how it goes.

 

[Zeze]

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 agree with the other response that this is an early symptom of depression.

I used to think depression was something only 'severe' in terms of misery - not sleeping or oversleeping all the time, high anxiety, feeling just awful, etc.

I had above case. But my latest bout was just.. apathy. I wasn't particularly sad. I just didnt' care about life. It was due to the job I hated and intense stress from adjusting to having kids. It's much better now. Look into it.

 

[IEC]

Prolonged anhedonia is a symptom of depression.

Make some lifestyle changes such as hitting the gym daily and waking up at the same time every day (even on weekends) and see if it helps you perk up. If it doesn't, you should probably talk to your GP about it.

 

[brianmanahan]

thanks for the ideas everyone!

i made it outside for hiking and biking both days this weekend and am going to try to keep that up every day and see if it helps. right now i just feel sore but not too bad