So i still have depression and im constantly bored, i feel like a loser who cant do anything right. I want to let my creativeness out, make something i can share with the world or family, but im probably dreaming too big. I cant stand being depressed and bored, it stinks, everyone tells me to work out but i lack the motivation to do so.
i usually just watch youtube all day while complaining to family members that have no idea what to do about me.
Plus when you have a particularly bad day, you can say, this shows I did something today worthwhile. Even if it's a small thing, sometimes you just need that little thing.
I’d recommend an in-person game of Pathfinder or DnD. The great thing about the game for me is getting rid of the electronics for a while and trying to be as creative as possible. If you can think it up, and convince the DM, you can do it be anything you want. Be as creative as you want. Come up with a character and their backstory and have fun.
Once you’ve played for a bit and have a good handle on things trying DMing. I was more afraid than I should have been and found that it is a ton of fun. Between getting to come up with and run the games I like to add my own twists and turns, bring things from previous sessions in as a surprise and most of all I love to see the creativity from the players and seeing how they fuck up all my carefully laid plans come up with amazing ideas and surprise me.
It can be an amazing outlet and a place to make some new friends. If you find a group that doesn’t work with you don’t be afraid to find a different one though, and remember that it’s meant to be fun.
@QuietStorm Facebook is your best friend (only in this situation). Just search for Dungeons and Dragons/RPG + the area or city you live in. You could also search for Local Game Stores or Magic the Gathering stores near you as both MTG and DnD are owned by the same company and usually supported together.
Full honesty though as someone who was going through something/depression/purposelessness back in 2012 and found the world of DnD, Magic the Gathering and Tabletop games it can be dangerous to get into a hobby like DnD because you may end up liking that life over your actual one. Took me 4 years to get out and do something because everyone within that community also had lives they didn't want to get back to and kept enabling each other.
Reading books. I enjoy it so much because it distracts me from depression, but depending on the book, it also can be enlightening in some ways and doesn‘t require me to really do much or go anywhere.
I'll second this. OP you don't even need to leave the house (altho I will advocate for a trip to library in that it will do your mental health wonders).
Reading has a low point of entry (find a book and open it), a close to zero failure rate (so long as you're base-level literate) endlessly scalable and has a tonne of bonuses. Education? Check. Escapism? Check. Free? Check (your library might even have an online service for eBooks, or you can hoist the black flag.
Also, if socialising is tough for you, being well-read will give you more to talk, make you more interesting, and my favourite? Join a book club! You can engage with people over a shared interest.
No you’re not. You underestimate yourself. There is not “too big” when it comes to having a hobby. You don’t need to prove anything, just do something you enjoy and that makes you feel good about yourself. The difficult part is getting out of the house, not the actual activity. I won’t recommend anything specific here because lots of people in this thread have already, and also the activity does not really matter, only that you do something that engages you.
My hobbies change with the seasons. Woodworking, tinkering with electronics, amd gaming in the colder months. Biking in the summer months. Anything that requires your undivided attention helps forget about depression.
Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy.
I say martial arts because it sounds like you’re having trouble being self-directed and finding motivation. I also have trouble being self-directed. I don’t go to the gym because I get there and I’m overwhelmed by the options and don’t know how to use the machines and get really self-conscious about everything. I don’t like outside sports because I live where it’s hot. Martial arts classes are set up to teach you in structured lessons, with instructors to plan what you’re gonna do and keep you motivated.
Just going to echo the downright critical importance of physical activity. I know you said you want to do something creative that you can share, @QuietStorm, but you’ll just be spinning your wheels if your mind and body (sorry for the woo talk) aren’t in a good place for being creative.
Even just one hour of creative work, where you’re firing on all cylinders, can be really rewarding. But it can take a lot of work beforehand to get that one good hour.
Good luck!
PS What kind of creative stuff are you interested in?
PPS please disregard this question if you’ve answered it elsewhere - I haven’t finished reading the rest of this thread.
Rollerskating. I started rollerskating last year. Not only is it fun… But it’s also great cardio. I was overweight and lost 50 pounds. I don’t snore anymore. I don’t have high blood pressure anymore. And it’s stimulating mentally every time you learn a new move. Not to mention you meet some great people with cool vibes.
Try writing anything. It doesn’t matter what. It doesn’t matter how much. Just try. Whenever you have the impulse, just write something. Don’t worry about what it is, just let it out. Do it for as long as you like: 30 seconds or 30 minutes.
You never have to show any of it to anyone… until you suddenly decide one day that you’d like to. Until then, it’s just for you.
Any kind of exercise, and social interaction. A combination is best, ie a team sports like basketball, soccer, etc. Check for local leagues, and so forth. It’s a really good way to meet new friends as well.
You have lots of good answers posted but here is the trick…You have to START.
You don’t need to sign up at the gym today and build a schedule to work out. That’s way too much commitment. Instead just go outside.
That’s it. Just put down the phone and go outside. Spend 5 or 10 mins out there. You didn’t run a marathon, but you’ve done something today. Maybe later today you can go outside again. Tomorrow so the same thing. Put the phone down and go outside for a short time.
You gotta start somewhere, so make it easy and start small. Eventually you’ll spend more time outside and less time doing nothing. Maybe you see cool plants and start getting into gardening. Maybe you find that walking isn’t so bad and you find a park with a nice trail and work into jogging? Maybe the kid down the street wrecks his minibike in front of your house while you’re outside and you stop to help and think the tiny motorcycle is cool and get inspired to start riding.
tldr- Don’t just pick someone else’s hobby. Put down the phone and go experience life outside your home. The hobby will likely find you when you start paying attention instead of distracting yourself.
When I felt severe depression, I struggled so much with feeling good about what I did. I thought it had to be significant to be worthy of enjoying.
It took me a very long time to start celebrating any tiny thing that I did. Sometimes it was doing something frivolous and feeling good about it for its own sake. Sometimes it was doing some productive and feeling good about achievement. They had one thing in common: I gave myself permission to feel satisfied with even tiny steps.
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