Tired of being interested in nothing

[babyinmyuniverse]

I don't feel passion or joy towards anything. I'm not working at the moment because of my mental health and all I'm doing is lying in bed and scrolling through my phone. I know that's not going to make me better. I've been trying to exercise a little but then that's done and I have nothing to do all day. I'm constantly bored but when I try to do something it's like my brain won't let me and I can't focus or see the point in anything. Does anyone have any advice on snapping out of it or ideas of things I could do to fill the day? For reference I am seeking help, see a therapist and have just started new medication. I just can't shake this lack of interest in everything. I used to be so passionate and now I barely feel like a person.

 

[stygal]

I guess you could "force" yourself into doing stuff you enjoyed at one point in your life...only for a few minutes/half an hour each day.
See how it goes, maybe new habits are formed/you get engaged and feel like you accomplished something.

I suffer from that too - so I can relate.
I force myself to read/watch stuff nowadays and sometimes it works - especially reading is a good distraction for me.

 

[timf]

You might try picking a volume of an encyclopedia and just start reading. You may be surprised how many entries can draw your curiosity.

You could search for videos on how photosynthesis works. If nothing else you could learn how to search through useless videos to find ones of value.

If nothing else, you could make yourself available to help people move. Over the years I have found that one of the most appreciated tasks one can do.

 

[ChobaniFlipSmores]

I frequently ask my therapist what I can do about disassociation, specifically regarding interests and hobbies. For about 6 months one therapist told me I lack passion or passions because I lack life goals and/or a life vision. I.e. I'm not moving forwards and just am stuck in the same place which leads to further disassociation. My argument was always "how do I know what my life vision is if I don't know what I'm passionate about." The only answer I got was to "just try new and random things to discover or rediscover what I am passionate about".

My answer was using "meetup.com" to go to as many random events in my city (hiking, volleyball, kayaking, board games, soccer, dungeons and dragons, random dinners with people with common interests, food festivals, etc) to just get out of the house and and encourage/force me to to expand my social network. I guess for me going out and meeting people and doing activities or going on adventures was putting less pressure on me ruminating about how I didn't have any passions or interests. And I didn't have time to think about how I packed passions/interests. It worked fairly well until I had a sports injury and have limited mobility for awhile. I think my record was 6 different events in one weekend.

My new therapist says my tendency to disassociate is generally speaking a coping response mechanism to trauma...which sort of makes sense in my specific case where I'm overwhelmed, and burnt out with work/life. In my specific case, the solution was along the lines of commiting to less and "being okay with what I am capable of doing". Also to learn to "love myself". *shrug*

 

[Anxieyote]

It reminds me of the term incels use called LDAR (Lie Down and Rot). I used to seek advice from them, and sometimes LDAR was liberating because it was like I was being given permission to do nothing, when everyone else would probably advise me to do something.

But LDAR'ing can only last for so long before you enter your own personal hell. It is a one-way ticket to developing psychosis; especially if you experience other mental issues already.

One method that I have found useful is just being in a public area. Not necessarily even talking to anyone, but just going to a public place and working on your computer, or drawing in a notebook. It makes you feel seen and acknowledged. You may as well not even exist if you are cooped up in your room all day, but when you are in these public spaces, your existence is being noted by everyone there.

You can even fill your social meter a little bit by ordering food from a restaurant or coffee shop. At Starbucks in particular, having conversations with customers is literally a part of their job description—and heavily-emphasized in training.

I remember getting in trouble for not talking to customers while I worked there, so it's highly likely they will engage with you if you throw any topic their way.

Their boss is breathing down their neck, whispering in their ear, "You'd better fucking engage with them, or you're getting demoted." So they will talk to you, and maybe even put on a convincing show of pretending to be your friend. A lot of them are very good at it.