created by Own_Egg7122 on 26/01/2025 at 17:04 UTC
35 upvotes, 16 top-level comments (showing 16)
Yes, I know life is what I make it to be. I try to encourage myself for my pets, my boyfriend, friends, family. I try to help others. I love for the small moments, big moments, seeing the people I love smile, live happily, the things I love myself e.g. nature, little moments with others etc. You get it. I practice stoicism, meditate and live a zen and simple lives. You get it... I've done it. I understand it.
And yet everything seems pointless. To the point that I actually don't want to live. I don't even care about death, let alone fear it. I don't care enough to live.
What the hell am I doing wrong? I can't seem to convince myself that there is something to care about. But I can't bring myself to care enough.
It's a very weird feeling. It actually makes me restless, irritable because I can't live the present because nothing really matters to me. I'm just meh. It hurts my brain.
Comment by AutoModerator at 26/01/2025 at 17:04 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
This post has been flaired as “Serious Conversation”. Use this opportunity to open a venue of polite and serious discussion, instead of seeking help or venting.
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Comment by goddessofwitches at 26/01/2025 at 18:36 UTC
9 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Timeout. What medically have you had checked out? What's you B12 and vit D status? Your hormones?
Ppl knock the above but stg the basics help so much. Water, vitamins, balance.
Comment by FoxxeeFree at 26/01/2025 at 17:14 UTC
3 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Are you sure you don't have depression? Maybe you aren't getting dopamine or feel the chemicals of satisfaction when a chore is done, or you overcome a challenge. There's lots of purposes to many things in life. Your pets need someone who will feed them, for example.
Like that therapist from Rick and Morty said, we don't wipe our asses because we like it, we do it to maintain ourselves so we can function.
Comment by StrongCulture9494 at 26/01/2025 at 17:32 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Try to find solace in the small things that you enjoy. Like if you drink coffee, no matter how pivotal it is in your daily preparation of the days bullshit, you appreciate the smell of a fresh pot.
Start in perspective of things you can control. And start to see the contingent lynchpins life is constructed upon that.
I hate traffic. But it's a necessary construct to persevere through when I go to the pot shop and buy my weed. That makes me happy enough to tolerate the rest of the days bullshit.
Comment by ItsColdUpHere71 at 26/01/2025 at 17:42 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I feel this a lot of the time and have for many years, even though there are aspects of life that are meaningful. If you haven’t already, consider meeting with a mental health professional about depression and possibly anxiety. They can help illuminate what you might be experiencing. Some offices have a prescriber on staff, or you can see your doctor. Medication is not a cure-all, but it can help.
Comment by Physical_Sea5455 at 26/01/2025 at 18:03 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
This is where I been since the start of the year. Last year I started practicing shadow work/stoicism and it helped, but then I started diving into nihilism. Funny enough, just this morning I started journaling about it and felt a weight off my shoulders as I processed and let it all out on paper. Nihilism is to accept that life has no meaning, we the individual give it meaning and that gives us the freedom to embrace and find our individuality. It's not an easy path and it takes a lot of questioning, but here's some comfort I found when I first had this existential crisis that I hope can help you. If you're having an existential crisis, then you're asking the right questions.
"To live is to suffer, to survive is to find the meaning in suffering."
Friedrich Nietzsche.
Comment by AsliSonafr at 26/01/2025 at 18:18 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I've realised that people who initially relate to stoicism and start practising it often part ways with the philosophy due to its impracticality. As humans we're meant to feel our emotions and they don't just shape our experiences, but also of those around us. Having a healthy channel between events, emotions, and behaviour is a necessary part of engaging with the world in a fulfilling way. You could try foregoing the principles of stoicism for a while and check if it helps you.
Comment by RealCryterion at 26/01/2025 at 18:39 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Go to therapy. I've got it too. It goes away over time but only with help. Still struggling myself. Send a DM if you ever need to talk about it with someone who truly gets it.
Comment by kiwitubesock at 27/01/2025 at 01:16 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I went through this a lot in life but it was really bad about a year ago. It was literally all I could think about. I would drive an hour home from work and the whole time all i can think is what is the point of life? Why are we here? Constantly ruminating all of the what ifs in life and kinda hoping i would just die in my sleep because it was easier than going through any dreadful experiences. (I have OCD, and existential dread is one of my themes) i decided to go back on wellbutrin not expecting it to help. Started therapy and was working out 5 days a week and eating healthy. I havent had this thoughts barely at all for months, aside from a fleeting thought here and there. I hope things turn around for you 🩵
Comment by NZT-48Rules at 27/01/2025 at 01:36 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Get a medical. Get assessed for depression and/or seasonal affective disorder. Get medication (if needed for thyroid, anemia etc).. If everything medically is good, try an antidepressant like Celexa. And see a therapist because meds and therapy work best together.
Also, do cardio, an hour a day at least 5 times a week. Get out in the sun as much as you can. Buy clothing that let's you wall outside in winter. Clean up your diet. Get rid of sugar and processed foods. Increase nuts (especially walnuts), flax and omega oils for your brain. Eat lots of lean or veg based protein.
You can fix this. Good luck.
Comment by ProofBirthday5895 at 27/01/2025 at 01:39 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
OCD + anxiety here to - Prozac has eliminated all of my ruminating on existential thoughts/dread. Find something that works for you.
Comment by caniaxusomething at 27/01/2025 at 03:40 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
There’s a lot to dread and a lot to not dread and get some sort of fulfillment out of. The former is in our faces, especially recently. You gotta search out the latter. I get you about the pointlessness of things sometimes. As much as I hate hearing it, we gotta make our own meaning.
Comment by thatgirlnamedolivia at 27/01/2025 at 05:54 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I experienced this as a Follower of Christ. I always thought about the idea of reuniting with my Father in Heaven, to the point that life seemed pointless. I tried to get excited about life, events, friends, family, etc. Nothing could make me truly happy. I understood to a point that life was worth living, I never wanted to die, but I was content with the idea of leaving early by chance.
Nothing mattered. Why? Because there was definitely something better out there than all these material things. Objects break, get lost, become unusable. I will eventually die, all my possessions will no longer be of use to me, I can't take anything with me when I leave this earth. Nothing. So why did it matter?
God showed me what the point of being on this earth was for. Experiences. It's the laughter that I share with others, the smiles I exchange with strangers, the heartfelt conversations with my siblings, in the kitchen, that last for hours into the night. It's the extended hugs that I share with those who I love. It wasn't till I became a massage therapist that God was able to show me what life was all about. Working with people on a day to day bases, serving them, helping them, teaching them, it all showed me the beauty of life and individuals. I started looking at strangers as potential friendships.
God wants us to experience His finest creations. Earth, nature, people. Especially people. I think His goal for us was to learn Love. Real love. The sacrificial Love. I don't think anyone, not even I, could figure out Love. But I think the point of life is to really try to figure it out.
Yes, maybe none of this makes sense. But I enjoy sunsets and sunrises more, I enjoy the way the grass reflects the light,I enjoy the crisp morning air on a fall day, I enjoy the way peoples eyes twinkle while they talk about heir hobbies, I even find myself laughing with others more, getting excited about going on trips, and being with people. I am content with life. As I pursue God I find more contentment with life. I realize now that I didn't know love. I only knew the concept. After learning about God more seriously, i have accepted that life is to learn Love and to give glory to God.
Maybe this helps. Maybe it doesn't. That's my take. I still get those thoughts of existential dread but I easily get over it after looking at life.
Comment by Ausername714 at 27/01/2025 at 16:41 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Try researching “the daimon”. James Hillman wrote a really good book about it called souls code. Apathy is often a call that the path your on may not be the one the deep parts of you desire. Your zest is unique to you and often summoned and nourished by things contrary to what the ego mind thinks would most effectively invoke and feed it.
Comment by sharktiger1 at 27/01/2025 at 18:32 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
how is 'existential dread' different from dread?
Comment by 1369ic at 27/01/2025 at 22:01 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Look into Albert Camus, especially the Myth of Sisyphus. His basic belief is that life is absurd, and we should embrace that absurdity. We should roll our stone up the hill then watch it roll back down, but smile as we do it. It's a bit of a strange read because the part I'm talking about is at the end. But that helped me understand the universe, and stoicism helped me understand how to act in the universe. We may be stuck in an absurd existence, but being good humans while living our lives is better than being bad humans, or humans who can't come to terms with our own nature. He's obviously better at explaining it.