Apathy: When You Have No Motivation And Are Exhausted
It is said that apathy is like a curse. Once you catch her, she won’t let you go. It will throw your life off course, extinguish any fire in you and eliminate your feelings. It is a state of mind where discouragement abounds, hope disappears, and even your body aches. You lack energy and desire as if you were a prisoner of perfect physical and mental indolence.
It reaches practically every part of your being. It’s lack of motivation, it’s fatigue, it’s disappointment, it’s sadness … Most people have experienced apathy at least once. But is it really a condition that simply has to be endured? Or is it rather a feeling? Is it possibly a way of life? Apathy is actually multifaceted. You probably know this yourself if you’ve seen it several times.
“Sometimes I have a terrible feeling that time goes by and I do nothing and nothing happens and nothing touches me inside.”
Mario Benedetti
This kaleidoscope of mental, emotional, and physical processes is often described as one of the most uncomfortable situations a person can experience. It is as if someone pressed the pause button of life and catapulted you into a strange dimension where initiative and hope are lacking.
Nobody should stay there longer than necessary. Therefore, the causes of this kind of indifference are listed below and clarify how you can deal with it.
What is apathy?
Apathy literally means “a lack of emotion”. While this may sound like an exaggeration, just remember the last time apathy took over your presence and the following thoughts were buzzing around in your head: “There is nothing that really interests me. Everything is meaningless. I don’t care what will happen next. Nothing is important … “
This unbearable lack of energy has a great influence on your perception. It distorts your focus. You can’t concentrate, you can’t keep information. However, the shadow of apathy affects your emotions even more. So much so that you may have wondered if you were experiencing symptoms of depression.
Two things need to be made clear here. While it is true that depression sometimes comes with apathy, it doesn’t always have to be. Apathy is not a compulsory characteristic of depression. Some people are diagnosed with depressive disorder without apathy – and vice versa. Not everyone who is apathetic is also depressed.
In other words, apathy itself is not a direct sign of depression. Therefore, whenever you notice the presence of this uncomfortable companion, you should take action and ask him to leave you as soon as possible. However, first you need to find out where this apathy came from and why.
What is the origin of apathy?
There is no single source of apathy. Many factors can trigger it, and you should definitely consider all of them. There are the following factors:
Organic factors
- lack of sleep
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Nutritional deficiency
- anemia
- A weak immune system and / or infections
- Thyroid problems
- Possible onset of dementia. In fact, keep in mind that apathy is one of the most common neuropsychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
- Traumatic brain injury
- Malfunction of the limbic system or the connection between the frontal cortex and the basal ganglia
Psychological factors
- Dysthymia
- depression
- Bipolar disorder
- Severe anxiety
- Substance addiction
Environmental factors
Sometimes you find yourself in certain environments where you cannot receive positive stimuli. You don’t notice anything except stressors or monotony. Living in such an environment can lead to depressive thoughts and a state of mind characterized by apathy.
Living or working in situations where nothing is attractive and where you feel trapped by stress or routine can lead to frustration and apathy.
How to deal with apathy
Once all organic problems have been ruled out, it is time to practice certain exercises and follow strategies to make the apathy disappear from your body and mind. Even so, there is one fact that you must keep in mind : no advice will help you if you don’t change the way you think first. Regardless of what caused this listlessness and loss of motivation, understand that it is your perspective that keeps you trapped in it.
Therefore, it makes sense that you try to realign your thoughts first. Remind yourself that the outside world is usually out of your control. The following tools can help:
- Psychotherapy that focuses on cognitive restructuring
- Breaking out of your routine, trying new activities, changing your surroundings, meeting new people, finding new interests
- Exercise and a balanced diet
- Live in connection with nature
- Practice yoga or mindfulness meditation
In conclusion, a good idea to get apathy out of your mind and heart is to make up your mind to devote yourself to your life in a more creative way. Getting to know yourself better and setting new goals will help you get a new perspective on the world. Be hopeful and blow away the stale air of apathy and indifference.
