I feel that everything does not matter to me: possible causes and what to do
When a person doesn't care about everything, they tend to see life go by without being able to enjoy it, living with apathy, anhedonia, reluctance or apathy. It is as if everything is unimportant and you find nothing in life that is exciting. This widespread disinterest requires urgent attention; above all, if it is maintained for a long time.
Some of the possible causes for which I feel that everything does not matter to me could be the following: depression or some other mood disorder, emotional suffering, vital crises, existential emptiness or an excess of materialism, among others.
In this article We will see each of those possible causes for which a person could feel that everything does not matter to him and we will also present some advice in this type of situation.
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Why do I feel like everything doesn't matter to me?
Feeling that we don't care about everything can appear at any time throughout life and in various situations, with a wide variety of causes, as we will see later. Those who experience a similar "emptiness" can express it in different ways, since there is no single reason and each person experiences it in a different way.
Thus, it is important that the person who experiences it do a job of introspection that allows you to find the root of your feeling of indifference towards what surrounds you.
Next, we are going to explain some of the most common reasons why a person can feel that everything does not matter to him.
1. Depression or mood problems
One of the main reasons why someone can feel that everything does not matter to them is the fact that they are suffering orn episode of depression or any mood disorder (p. bipolar disorder), since some of the most common symptoms of depression include:
- Abulia: lack of motivation, will or energy to do certain activities that you used to do before.
- Anhedonia: Inability to enjoy certain activities that you previously used to find pleasurable.
- Apathy: lack of enthusiasm, emotion or motivation at a general level towards things or towards the environment.
In the case of dysthymia (persistent depressive disorder), we find a form of depression that lasts over time (2 years or more), in which the person usually loses interest in certain activities of daily life that were previously pleasant and pleasant, a experience low self-esteem and to have a feeling of general inadequacy, so that they could also feel hopeless and, subjectively, they could have the feeling that everything does not matter to them.
- You may be interested: "Major depression: symptoms, causes and treatment"
2. Strong emotional pain
Another of the things by which a person could feel that everything does not matter it can be derived from having suffered a very painful or even traumatic situation that causes the person a strong discomfort, followed by feelings of apathy (p. example, the death of a loved one, the breakup of a relationship, or having lost your job and having difficulty finding a new one, among others), of way that the person can go through a grieving process and, in some cases, it is likely that they need time to assimilate the loss and to reorient their life from new.
In this type of case it is important that the person leans on his relatives and listens to his emotions, since if you try to suppress them to appear strong and "normal", it is likely that they will end up happening invoice and end up hatching in a more damaging way than if you let them flow as they go feeling.
4. life crisis
There are some vital crises that we can experience throughout our lives due to certain psychological, physical, social changes, family and/or work, among others of a different nature, which challenges people's own ability to adapt and which can be incidental or transitional (typical of the natural life cycle that all people experience), and may even trigger a process of grief, being a critical moment for the person to adapt to the new reality or, otherwise, it could lead to a worsening of the situation.
Faced with this type of crisis, it is possible that the person feels discouraged and perceives that everything does not matter to him; however, even if things are not going as expected, it may be a good time to listen to yourself and redirect your life or, certain areas of your life, in another direction, being a great moment of learning, self-knowledge and personal growth.
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5. existential emptiness
All people, or at least most of them, have asked themselves existential questions related to the meaning of life., regarding death, if there is something beyond or regarding the causes of everything that inhabits and can be found in the universe. Occasionally, all this can cause an existential emptiness in some people that could to cause you to have the feeling that nothing matters and that your life is in the hands of the random.
- You may be interested: "Existential Emptiness and the Search for Meaning: What Can Psychology Do?"
6. an excess of materialism
In the society in which we live today it is quite easy to fall into an excess of materialism, so that those who fall into it, they cannot "satiate" despite having all their needs covered and even though they have more than they necessary. In these types of cases, the person could feel an emptiness on an emotional level that it cannot fill with the acquisition of new material goods, since the abundance of comforts in this society it does not serve to achieve all kinds of shortcomings, such as affective or other nature.
Faced with this type of emptiness, people could experience feelings of apathy and that everything does not matter to them, because material abundance can cause that people do not value what they have or other aspects of their lives that should matter more to them than trying to have more and more stuff.
What can I do if I feel like everything doesn't matter to me?
Now that we have explained the reasons why a person could feel that everything does not matter to him, we are going to give some guidelines that can help to deal with this type of situation, dealing with the discomfort and trying to solve the possible Causes.
1. Listen to your own emotions
One of the tips we should start with when we find ourselves in a situation similar to the ones we have just mentioned is listening to our emotions, since this It will allow us to find the possible reasons for our discomfort so that we can discover what is causing us harm. and, based on that, we could start looking for solutions.
In turn, listening to emotions will help us to begin to manage them correctly so that they do not cause us a problem. greater discomfort than it should, since when they are not listened to, it will be difficult for us to know what we want and what we do not Really. On the other hand, it is important to see that the emotions that we consider negative (p. g., sadness, anguish or anger) play an important role in people's adaptation to certain circumstances; however, when they are not listened to or managed correctly, they can become maladaptive.
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2. Lean on trusted people
Another tip that can help is that when a person is in a situation similar to the ones we saw before, do not mask your discomfort and try to lean on trusted people, such as his partner, a family member or friend, in order to receive support from his relatives, since trying to silence our feelings is not going to allow us to get ahead, but just the opposite.
It is essential to have some support points such as a trusted person, a place where we feel at home or a hobby that we like and allow us to let off steam while we practice it, since this type of support points will allow us to draw strength and courage in difficult moments.
3. Find what fills us most in life and try to direct our lives towards it
Finding a purpose in life and, above all, staying active, is one of the most recommended options when a person feels apathetic, so that everything does not matter to him, since behavioral activation has proven to be effective in combating depressive symptoms such as apathy.
Therefore, we must start by looking for things that we like (p. g., meet friends, play sports, go for a walk, etc.) and start doing them routinely. It can also be a good option rescue old hobbies from the past that had been left behind (p. If you used to go hiking before and have stopped doing them years ago, it might be the perfect time to get back into it.)
Another highly recommended option could be to start a project that we are passionate about and keeps us with a purpose in life (p. g., whenever I wanted to help others, so maybe I could start by volunteering in some way association or try to get a job that allows me to carry out social work that helps other persons). First of all, this should be done progressively so as not to feel overwhelmed by so many challenges.
4. seek professional help
In this type of situation, look for the help of a psychologist perhaps it is one of the most successful options, since if that feeling that everything does not matter to us is maintained for a long time, it can be a sign of suffering from depression or some other mental health problem, so therapy can help us cope in a more adaptively this type of situation and thus prevent before they could worsen this type of feelings that generate discomfort to a greater or lesser extent extent.
Likewise, going to therapy can serve to reinforce self-esteem and develop a series of tools that could help us in future difficult situations. The psychologist can also help us discover the causes of our discomfort, even those that may be underlying.