At times, many of us are subject to apathy and depressive moods, which, of course, does not affect the quality of our life in the best way. Some are immersed in this state for a long period, while others manage to cope with the problem in a short time. How to be in the second category, and not let apathy take over us? First you need to define what apathy is.
Apathy, what is it
The concept of the term Apathy
So, apathy is a state in which a person is indifferent to what is happening around, and the level of his interests and aspirations is critically reduced. It is difficult for him to show concentration and he literally has to force himself to do something. A person prone to apathy does not want to delve into other people's conversations, he is unfamiliar with a festive mood and he does not strive for any activity. Often such people say phrases: “I don’t want anything”, “I don’t care”, and so on.What is apathy
So, what kind of person can be called apathetic, what characteristics does this quality have? We are talking about a tendency to experience a state of indifference, lethargy, impassivity to any events occurring around. An apathetic person often demonstrates a complete lack of interest, even if it was not inherent in her before. In general, there can be many reasons for apathy: a tragedy in your personal life, the collapse of a business, deceiving a loved one, the death of a relative, and so on. As a result, a person feels emotional burnout, and this is understandable even with a cursory glance at him. Also, apathy can occur due to emotional or physical overload. Sometimes, the cause of this condition can even be vitamin deficiency.Apathy in psychology
Psychologists can easily "calculate a person" who is in an apathetic state - such people have significant differences from others. As we have already noted, the essence of apathy is in absolute indifference to the outside world, which cannot but be evident. Signs of apathy:- A person loses interest in past hobbies, he significantly reduces contacts with loved ones, the “patient” not only does not take part in joyful events, but is also indifferent to phenomena that used to anger or upset him. Also, an apathetic person is betrayed by indifferent behavior and speech without emotions - he is completely alienated from society and completely tries to ignore the questions addressed to him or answer as superficially as possible. Such a person ceases to empathize with loved ones, not being interested in their problems and grief. Also, an apathetic person is not able to rejoice at other people's successes. This often results in resentment within the family. By the way, the more attention a relative tries to pay to a person in apathy, the more noticeable he tries to move away. Prone to inaction, aimless pastime. He can, as before, go to work or classes, but he does everything by inertia, without showing much initiative. There are no vegetative reactions to situations - the person's face is indifferent, does not blush, does not turn pale. Gestures are scarce, there are no spontaneous movements. Often there are signs of uncleanliness, which can reach the absolute disregard for personal hygiene. Apathy can be characterized by the performance of meaningless and very obsessive actions: shaking the leg, rubbing the hands, tapping the fingers on the surface of the table.
How to get rid of apathy and indifference to everything
If you notice that you are prone to frequent dull moods and are practically indifferent to everything that surrounds you, you should take some necessary measures to get rid of apathy. If you want to cure total indifference, then you need to not forget about such aspects as rest, a good night's sleep, avoiding stressful situations. It is difficult to achieve any positive result in eliminating apathy if a person has to feel stressful factors and does not satisfy natural physiological needs: quality sleep and good nutrition. That is why it is important to make your daily schedule so that it has a place for sound sleep, daytime rest. Do not forget about the weekends that should be spent with benefit - walk in the parks, meet friends, visit relatives. Make up your diet so that every day there is a place for foods that are high in vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, minerals. There is no need to switch to a fasting diet with apathy - poor food will simply leave your body without the elements that are necessary for energy production.
How to deal with apathy for life
1) Change the melody on the alarm clock. If your day starts with a standard alarm clock tune, replace it with the rhythms of your favorite song. Try to change the melody as often as possible. 2) Eat a varied diet, include foods that you love in your daily menu. By the way, according to scientists, foods such as bananas, ice cream and chocolate significantly improve mood - periodically add these foods to your diet. 3) Do not deny yourself pleasant shopping. It can be just a new T-shirt, a jumper, a set of screwdrivers, headphones. 4) Try to please yourself more often. Surely, until recently, you had an occupation that brought you joy - try to bring it back into your life. It can be about reading, going bowling, meeting friends, attending football matches and much more. 5) Go in for sports. Every day you should do at least elementary exercises - just do exercises. So you will not only keep yourself in shape, but also be able to cheer up and get rid of drowsiness. 6) Let there be more room for diversity in your life. Change the arrangement of furniture in the room, put a photo of a loved one on the table, hang a picture on the wall that you enjoy looking at. 7) Listen to positive music more often. Even if it seems to you that you are not tuned in to listen - just turn on the album of your favorite band. Also set aside time to watch feature films, giving more preference to the comedy genre. 8) Record results daily You can keep a diary. Write down what tasks you completed during the day and put a red plus sign in front of them.How to get rid of apathy and laziness at home
Laziness always becomes a consequence of apathy, but there are situations when this is completely inappropriate - we all have at least minimal responsibilities. How can you motivate yourself to implement them?- First of all, you need to accustom yourself to make a daily routine. When you know what you should do at a certain moment, you will be able to do more and mentally set yourself up. You can make a plan of action for the week in order to determine the goals and learn how to properly allocate time. In your case, motivation is very important, because only a motivated person is able to reach a given goal without great emotional losses. If you have motivation, then it will be easier for you to complete this or that task. If you need to cook dinner, choose dishes that you yourself love very much, imagine their taste. Promise to reward yourself for doing your job - it can be some kind of purchase or an interesting pastime. There is another method of dealing with laziness, which at first glance may seem somewhat absurd. However, this does not negate its high efficiency! The essence of the method boils down to the fact that you need to be as lazy as possible. Sit in a chair and sit without doing anything. At first, you are unlikely to feel discomfort, but pretty soon, time will begin to flow too slowly - so much so that you yourself will be happy to take up any activity.
How to overcome apathy against the background of depression
In this case, it is worth being consistent and observing gradualness. There is no need to wait for a person who is in a deep depression to immediately get out of it by applying any simple method. The cure will have to move gradually, and often it requires the help of experienced professionals. Practice shows that most people who are faced with apathy need the participation of a psychologist or psychotherapist. A professional will help determine the true reasons why a person is in this state - only a few people who are in apathy are able to do this on their own.And the only thing that you do with pleasure is sit in front of the TV all day long in an embrace with some high-calorie "yummy". Extra folds appear on the stomach, but you will not find extra clean socks in the house.
If you don’t pull yourself together in time, it will be oh so difficult to get out of this state without outside help.
What do we have to do? Identify the symptoms of the disease in time and try to prevent the spread of infection throughout the body.
While browsing the news, I came across an article from Lifehacker.com about what to do when you feel like doing nothing. That is, when the motivation is gone, and even in order to, you need a kick. I can’t say that I am in such a situation, but sad thoughts began to visit me more and more often. And it doesn't have to be about work. This can apply to home life, and sports, and once a favorite hobby.
And if you can survive the cooled feelings for your favorite hobby and this will not have any particularly unpleasant consequences, then things are much more serious with work and personal life. This is where action really needs to be taken.
So, there can be several reasons for the loss of motivation. And decisions, respectively, too.
Social exclusion
An experiment was conducted at one of the universities: students were asked to write on pieces of paper the names of those people from the group with whom they would like to work. And then, ignoring what was written, one part was told that they were chosen, and the second - that no one wants to deal with them.
As a result, the "outcasts" stopped monitoring their behavior and.
If you restrain yourself and behave according to the rules, then you should receive some kind of reward for this. Social, of course. And if you adapt to others, but they still do not want to do business with you, then why then take care of yourself and change your behavior?
The conclusion is clear and logical. In addition, the hands of the students, whom no one allegedly chose, were more likely than others to reach for a jar of sweets. In this way they tried to eat a bitter pill.
Other studies have shown:
When you feel like the world is rejecting you, you can't solve puzzles, you become difficult to work with, and your motivation level drops to zero.
All you can do is engage in self-destruction: drink, smoke or binge on sweets. You lose control of yourself and literally lose yourself.
Ignoring physical needs
According to another study, a feeling of lack of motivation may arise due to. Usually, people who are deeply immersed in work rarely eat right. Fast food lunches or snacks on dry sandwiches and office cookies, a hearty late dinner, and breakfast is skipped by default.
The scientists carried out their experiments in court for 10 months. As a result, before lunch, the judges gave suspended sentences to only 20% of the accused, while at meetings immediately after the lunch break, the percentage of the lucky ones increased to 60%. Before lunch, the judges' blood sugar levels were low, which had an impact on their thought processes and emotional state.
That is, the problem in this case is not in mental suffering, but in a banal lack of sugar in the blood. They get better from the muffin. Are you upset by mustard? ;)
The weight of decision-making responsibility
Motivation problems can also arise from the burden of decision-making responsibility. Moreover, these can be both vital decisions and the most banal “what to buy for dinner”.
Sometimes these small everyday decisions accumulate a lot, and as a result, you lose your nerves and you start making irrational decisions.
For example, you start buying things without special need.
This condition is different from physical fatigue. You may experience a lack of mental energy, while everything is in order with your physical condition. And the more decisions (important or simple) you have to make during the day, the more tired you will feel.
How to deal with it?
If you feel that you are being ignored and do not want to do business with you, the best way out is to talk to this person (group of people) and find out what exactly is stopping you. Perhaps there was a misunderstanding, which is resolved in a matter of seconds. Sometimes the problem is much deeper and needs to be worked on. And sometimes you just come across people with whom you are incompatible, and nothing can be done about it.
The only way out is change environment. Either way, we need to talk. If you don't ask a question, you will never know the answer. It is better to know that you are really not liked than to be in the dark and constantly guessing.
In the second case, the exit is banal - just start take care of yourself and eat well. Once you stop skipping breakfast, your mood will improve.
And in the third option, you need to try at least once draw up your "schedule for making decisions for the day" and leave at least two windows for relaxation in it. When you know what and when you will need to decide, it becomes less burdensome.
In any case, you need to look for a way out of the situation. And of course, everyone has their own.
If it’s hard for me to determine if I want to do something or if I’m satisfied with the work in the form in which it is now, I try to clear my head, at least on weekends. Sometimes this is quite enough for a surge of energy and optimism.
Sometimes it happens that just starting to tell someone about your work, you suddenly realize that it's really interesting and you really like it. I don’t know if reverse causality works here, but it’s impossible to talk with fire in your eyes about what is boring. So you're just tired and all you need is just get a little rest.
And finally, the last one. All people are selfish by nature and, accordingly, I do not know a single person who would not be flattered by praise. Of course, praising yourself is not so great. But if I hear sincere praise addressed to me from a stranger, I understand that I am doing what I like, and at the same time helping others. Therefore, if you see that a person is trying and he succeeds, do not skimp on praise. Maybe you are just saving someone from losing motivation.
The state of complete apathy and laziness, when a person does not want to do anything and decide - strong negative emotions, which, although they are not clearly manifested and not realized, but at the same time suppress a person, deprive him of the desire to live and are strong poisonous emotions. Such a person loses interest in life, he does not want anything, a kind of emotional collapse occurs.
Complete apathy, loss of interest in life, do not want to do anything, go anywhere and decide anything in principle. Probably, many experienced something similar in their lives, not understanding where such unbearable laziness came from. In a state of such self-sabotage, there is only one desire - to hide away from people, not to see or hear anyone, and in general, for everyone to fall behind.
Of course, such states of complete apathy and laziness are not some static personality traits given to a person from birth. Like all negative emotions, apathy, laziness and self-sabotage come to a person as a result of certain life situations, as a response to past grievances, rude remarks, violence and ignoring his desires, first of all, by the closest people.
Apathy and laziness come from the past
The psychological reasons for the emergence of laziness, loss of interest in life and apathy can be a variety of situations in a person's life. First of all, the most charged period of life, which "gifted" many of us with a whole bunch of complexes, fears and neuroses, is our childhood.
If a child from an early age is forced to do what he does not like:
- forced to engage in activities (music or sports, for example),
- forced to do some chores around the house,
- act and speak as parents want him to,
- to get involved in what parents and relatives like, fulfilling their plans and unfulfilled dreams,
- generally deprived of initiative and the right to make their own choices.
In general, various manifestations of "parental care" and education, realized through the suppression of the will and violence. Such actions can generate a natural defensive reaction of apathy and laziness in a child who feels that he "must" perform certain actions in order to be loved. Through "I can't" and "I don't want to". On the contrary, many encourage such breaking themselves through the knee and is considered a natural form of growing up. In fact, this only testifies to the deep delusion of our society and the existence inside each person of his inner offended child.
If a person from an early age is accustomed to doing what he does not like, then he will transfer it into adulthood. He will get used to smiling at those who are disgusting to him, going to an unloved job, because “it’s necessary”, endure nit-picking, will try to prove something and please someone, and generally change a lot of masks in life, covering them with their true desires and feelings.
Public dogmas
Also, the accompanying causes of the state of apathy and laziness can be various social ideals that a person thinks to realize at all costs. For example, to finish school, college, find a prestigious (albeit not to your liking) job and be "like everyone else." The desire to do this may be absent, but the fear of going in a way different from dogmas and rules forces one to do what is disgusting.
If a person is accompanied by negative remarks at the same time (for example, “you are a lazy person”, “a bungler”, “the Ivanovs have a good and obedient son, not like you!”), although, perhaps, he tries to realize himself somehow in his own way, but does not receive even a fraction of understanding and support, then all such mental material gradually accumulates inside it. It also includes all conclusions about oneself, other people, rules and laws that a person receives in this case.
So apathy and laziness live inside a person along with everything that caused these negative emotions, although outwardly a person tries not to show this and seem strong and strong-willed. But the emotions suppressed inside still break out: a state of complete apathy may suddenly roll in, interest in life will disappear. All because hidden emotions from misunderstanding and experienced breakdown poison a person from the inside. When I broke myself for a long time and got used to the “need” more than the “want”.
Emotional collapse
These emotions simply exist inside, not letting out the poisonous negative energy. Therefore, a person in a state of apathy wants to become a frozen fish, do nothing and feel nothing. At the same time, he is overwhelmed by a storm of feelings, powerlessness to cope with them is expressed by a defensive reaction in the form of an emotional collapse so that the pain is not so strong.
For a long time to accumulate these paralyzing emotions in oneself is not only difficult, but also extremely harmful to a person. Despite the external absence of emotions, there are a huge number of them inside.
Suppressed emotions, along with all the emotional material that accompanied their accumulation (conclusions and attitudes of parents, rules and dogmas of society, saved events of the past, as well as personal conclusions and offensive words-labels fixed in the subconscious) and much more - all this feeds the state of apathy and laziness in man. To fight apathy and get rid of laziness, you need to work with such episodes of the past and all the mental material that accompanied them. This is the only way to overcome laziness, get rid of negative emotions (apathy and loss of interest in life as well). Description Turbo Gopher Techniques, which can be useful to everyone who wants to deal with the causes of their problems and negative emotions, you will find on this site. You can also download a book with a complete description of the system.
The information in this article is the result of the personal experience of its author, all articles are written based on their own results of using the system and are not intended to convince anyone of something.
This site is a personal initiative of its author and has nothing to do with the author of the Turbo-Gopher technique Dmitry Leushkin.
Apathy is a signal of the human body about exhaustion, not only psychological, but also physical. Also, apathy can manifest itself in autumn depression and other types of depression. When the first signs appear, you need to think about how to deal with apathy and defeat this quiet but insidious enemy. To do this, you need to make an effort on yourself and start acting.
In order to cope with this condition, which does not allow you to actively engage in daily activities, reduces productivity and takes away strength, you need to apply a few simple tricks.
Apathy is a state of dispassion and indifference to oneself and to everything around. Do not confuse with laziness. Since laziness is when you want, but there is no desire to strain, and apathy is when there is not even the desire itself.
As a rule, apathy, not cured in time, leads to depression, so do not delay the fight against this ailment. Of course, when your life schedule is filled with events so that there are not enough hours in the day, apathy is inevitable.
The body needs to cope with the load that has piled on, and in order to gain strength, it transfers us to “offline mode”. It is even useful to be detached for a while, but if you understand that your detachment is dragging on, pull yourself together and begin to bring the body out of this state.
How to deal with depression and apathy on your own
As mentioned above, the first time (a day or two) mope for your own pleasure, cry, take pity on yourself, do not think about problems. Try to feel everything that has accumulated so that it is exhausted without a trace. The stage of pity and tearfulness is followed by the mobilization of the body and the desire to act, to change something, to do something. This will be the next step.
If you are determined to fight apathy, then activate all your strengths and desires through "I don't want to." Remember everything that gives you pleasure and move on to action. Buy something that you have long dreamed of, go to some fun activities, eat delicious, treat yourself. In a word, go in search of good emotions.
Be outdoors more often, walk in parks, on the embankments or go out of town. Listen to pleasant music, watch your favorite funny movies, do something new. For example, you can sign up for art or dance classes, buy an aquarium with fish, or go in for sports. Physical activity combined with fresh air has a positive effect on both the nervous system and overall health.
In addition to amenities and pampering, move on to active actions at work and at home, remember how many important things were abandoned while you were moping. Labor, especially non-mechanical and monotonous, miraculously cures any apathy. You will join with new forces in solving everyday problems and life will be filled with colors again. To effectively combat apathy, eat foods that contain protein, as it contains dopamine and serotonin, hormones of joy that activate the nervous system.
In order not to fall into apathy later and enjoy life, try to rest on time, pay attention to your favorite activities and be distracted from the daily routine.
First of all, you should draw up a plan for daily activities that must be done without fail. It can be cooking, cleaning, laundry, childcare and more depending on lifestyle and marital status.
Playing sports and walking in the fresh air in any weather is a prerequisite for combating apathy. At this time, the body produces a certain hormone responsible for well-being. In addition, a person gets used to actively moving, and not lying on the couch with a book in his hands. If there is absolutely no time for sports and physical exercises, you should walk several stops before work. Routes can be changed to change the situation.
Exhaustion of the body is also a signal of a lack of vitamins and other useful substances in the body. Therefore, it is necessary to draw up a diet and calculate how much and in what size you need to eat. The diet should contain fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, dairy products and fish. Steam cooking should be done. This will save more nutrients.
In no case should overwork be allowed. To combat apathy, you should allocate some time for relaxation and massage, do breathing exercises. If possible, you need to take a vacation or time off and change the situation.
An active lifestyle will help to cope with apathy. It is impossible because of the appearance of apathy to refuse to meet with friends and participate in any activities.
You should also make sure that your sleep is healthy. A person should definitely get enough sleep, especially in winter - the body needs more time to sleep than in summer. To effectively combat apathy, the room should be ventilated before going to bed. It is very beneficial for a person to sleep in a room with an open window. In the cold season, if there is heating, it is worth putting a vase with water in the room to humidify the air.
Apathy can lead to a nervous breakdown or depression, so it's important to know how to deal with it and win.
Complete indifference, detachment and indifference, lack of passion, will or energy. Weakening of motives, interests, indifference to events, emotional passivity - all this is a state of apathy.
What do you do if you don't feel like doing anything?
“All the food seemed insipid. There was no way to get dressed. What was enough for me was to browse the Internet and social networks. It seemed to me that these people are living, but for some reason I can’t live, ”this is how writer Kristina Kutsishvili describes the state of apathy of the heroine of the novel“ Triumph ”
A description of, say, a not very happy person who does not want to fix anything. And worst of all, apathy is one of the symptoms of incipient depression. And this is a more threatening and deeper state, with a complete detachment from reality, and sometimes thoughts of suicide.
Why does laziness and apathy arise? Why don't you want to do something?
The reasons may be different. Apathy can be a response to stress. Apathy occurs both after strong emotional upheavals and before them. Apathy as a self-defense of the psyche and the whole organism as a whole. Apathy as a defense against stress and excessive emotions
Also, apathy can be a signal of exhaustion of the body. In this case, apathy may be medical in nature. If your apathy is of this kind, then you will feel sleepy, weak, dizzy, there will be a loss of appetite.
What to do if you do not want anything and your apathy is of this nature? Turn on the power saving mode. This is a call to rest, to stop at least for a while.
Laziness and apathy. How else to recognize apathy?
What to do if you don’t want to do anything, you feel melancholy and despondency, depressed mood, you feel powerless in the morning and in the evening, fear or anxious thoughts, dizziness and weakness in the muscles. At the same time, you refuse to perform everyday activities against the background of general weakness, up to activities that bring pleasure.
"... The easiest way is to exist in the captivity of immobility, monotony and boredom and not make any effort to return to normal life" - an excerpt from the book "Eve Luna"
The impotence resulting from apathy is falsely mistaken for laziness.Apathy and laziness are different psychological problems and should not be confused.
Psychological features of laziness and apathy
When we talk about laziness, everyone means his own. Everyone has their own laziness and their own symptoms. Here are some of them:
- A low level of motivation for something is also a sign of laziness.
- Laziness as a lack of willpower
- For some people, laziness is a lifestyle.
- Sometimes laziness acts as a fear of responsibility
- There is constructive laziness.
- And as they say, feel the difference: with apathy, a person loses a sense of reality, there is no interest in what is happening, there is a desire for loneliness; lack of will and unwillingness to perform the most elementary actions; the external manifestation of apathy is the inhibition of all reactions. V. G. Belinsky said "Apathy and laziness are a true freezing of the soul and body." Apparently he's right
How to overcome laziness and apathy, and what to do if you don’t want to do anything?
- For starters, just try to START! Any inaction breeds inaction. Do whatever you want.
- When you need to do something very important, and you are overcome by apathy and laziness, this may mean that you really do not want to do it enough. How to overcome laziness? You will have to analyze the reasons for your unwillingness, and then change your plan of action.
- It happens that there is not enough willpower to make a decision and perform any tasks. Then it's not your laziness, but your indecision. And a sufficient level of self-education will help you develop this quality in yourself.
- Another popular excuse is the phrase: "Laziness is the engine of progress." Not just laziness, but constructive laziness is the engine of progress. It won't happen if you hang off the couch. Try not to postpone today's and urgent matters for tomorrow, and then laziness will not pave its path into your life.
