Is this it? Is there anything more to life, am I missing something?

Currently I am a uni student, working 4 days a week during the summer, moving to about 3 during term time.

Every day I’m not working I feel tired constantly, regardless of amount of sleep. I push through anyways to get the work that needs done finished, then sit down and just collapse basically. I wouldn’t even call it relax, just sit and switch off.

I don’t have any energy or motivation to play games anymore, even though I used to play avidly. I play guitar but it’s been feeling like I’m not getting as much out of it now…

Once I’m out of uni, I’ll be in full-time and, if I get into the industry I want, more mentally taxing work.

In short, is there something I’m missing here, or is work-eat-sleep-repeat all there is until I retire? Cause frankly I’m more sure I can be arsed if not…

EDIT

Thanks for the responses, I kinda posted this in a moment of hopelessness for life and I don’t really know what I wanted as a response.

Asking for the meaning of life? Lemmy’s great and all, but I don’t think I’ll find it here lmao

Regardless, there’s a few things here for me to look into and take further, so thank you again!

If this is to close for comfort for rule 3, feel free to delete mods

ConditionOverload,
@ConditionOverload@lemmy.world avatar

There’s no meaning to life. It’s a scam of an idea that we all fall prey to. Instead, think of it as just creating new meaning to it every single day depending on what you think and do. It’s a liberating feeling, to be honest. Because now you don’t have to stress yourself out to figure out some grand meaning [that doesn’t exist] and inevitably failing and being depressed over that.

LanternEverywhere, (edited )

Absolutely correct. There is no inherent meaning to life. You get to decide what the meaning of your life is. For me, this is the purpose of my life:

  • Be happy, and make other people happy too.

This is the objective. Then I try to figure out what steps will best accomplish that goal. Sometimes choosing to do something unpleasant now will lead to overall more happiness in your life, like going to the dentist so you don't lose a tooth. But don't just do a constant stream of unpleasant things just because society or family pressure you to do them. Do what you want to do with your own life.

Bizarroland,
Bizarroland avatar

I disagree a bit.

There is a meaning to life, but too many people are taught that the meaning of life will be foisted upon them by the invisible hand of fate and fail to realize that the meaning of life is kind of like the meaning of lego. You are given all of the pieces, what you make out of it is what is valuable.

So I agree with you that you do have to make something out of life to have a meaningful life but I disagree that it's a void and nebulous thing that you somehow have to wrest a shape from the nothingness for it to matter, that it has no inherent meaning.

The meaning of life is that we have the opportunity to create something out of the pieces we are given, not that we have to make a meaning out of something that is meaningless.

EndOfLine,
@EndOfLine@lemmy.world avatar

It sounds like you are describing depression. Here are some things that help me when I get to feeling like this. It’s not easy to do when battling with low energy and a lack of motivation, but they help.

  • Do more outdoor activities. Normally in the form of walks, or biking to nearby locations instead of driving.
  • Drink more water. Basically, I just have a glass of water before drinking anything else.
  • Eat better. Nothing too extreme, I make an effort to prepare more foods at home and include more vegetables.
  • Change things. I’m not talking about a life change. Rearrange furniture, put up some different wall art, change your lighting, swap out the background images on your computers and / or mobile devices, etc.
  • Spend time with your thoughts. I would try to spend about 15 minutes to an hour each day sitting in silence, with no distractions. I don’t force any thoughts. I just wait to see what bubbles to the surface. It usually helps me identify problem areas that I need to focus on.

It is also possible that you have started down a life path that you feel you are “supposed” to pursue and not necessarily a path that you want to pursue.

It could also be that you are burned out between school, work, and social obligations. Making more time for yourself or taking some time off, if that is an option, might help.

Eideen,
@Eideen@lemmy.world avatar

Sounds like you are burnout.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_exhaustion

Resistentialism,

Quick question. Is there a possibility it’s depression? I relate to you quite a bit.

I have it, so if you want to ask Amy questions, ask as much as you want

grayman,

Your metabolic health is trash, your gut bacteria is probably shot, and good chance you have sleep apnea. They’re all related. Low metabolic health causes sleep apnea. Crap diet causes you to be fat which causes sleep apnea. Poor gut health means low nutrient absorption so you’re more tired. Sleep apnea means you’re even more tired. Tired people eat like crap.

Go find a good dietician. Fix your gut. Eat strictly only non processed foods. Exercise 30+ min a few times per week.

It’s hard as hell to start doing all those things, but once you have the routine you’ll feel amazing. Diet fix first though. Without nutrients you can’t do anything.

scarabic,

Take internet diagnoses with a grain of salt but honestly this is a good list of things to at least investigate. Sleep health, diet, and exercise would put 90% of doctors out of business if people just took care of them (source on that: my doctor).

I would add depression to the list. Depression is not what most people think it is, and it can manifest with some of the symptoms listed here. Talk to a general doctor about it as a starting point.

Also it should go without saying that any addictions that may be involved should be addressed as well.

CaptainEffort,

I might get downvoted for this, and fair enough, but you should try shrooms.

I’ve got severe depression and social anxiety, so I’m familiar with the whole “what’s the point of this?” mindset. Shrooms kind of gave me a different perspective on life, and why it’s so precious and worth experiencing.

And while it’s anecdotal, I know many people that’ve had similar experiences. Either way, I hope things get better for you!

scarabic,

The mystery of life is not a problem to solve, but a reality to experience, a process that cannot be understood by stopping it. We must move with the process. We must join it. We must flow with it.

chomskysfave5,

I hope you enjoy what you’re learning, because there’s a reason everyone tells you to do what you love. It can be an enormous source of fulfilment or a nightly headache.

A few years ago working at a convenience store right out of school, I used to park 15 minutes early just to sit and sulk about having to go in for 1st shift. I went through a period that kinda sounds like yours. All I wanted was to go back to college and stay there. I really enjoyed the learning, spending time with my peers, and the drugs.

Now, 5 years later, I might get a few hours per day where I’m not working on something and I couldn’t be happier. Right now you’re probably working a college gig. It’s probably not entirely fulfilling work. For now, just keep going and keep an eye out on new skills that you can learn. I’ve learned things from the dregs that has applied to every

You get new hobbies and pleasures as you go too. Long-term projects become more sexy. Things you can drop in on and leave whenever. I think that’s why “the dad with the train set in the basement” is such a trope.

Do you have a pet? I couldn’t live properly without a cat around.

The Home Depot thing is real. It’s quickly becoming one of my favorite places to go. Maybe head over there sometime, think of all the stuff you can build, and learn something new while building it. We have YouTube, we better take advantage of it.

The responsibility kinda becomes a point of pride. Idk if pride is the word for it. It certainly makes you stand up straighter, with more self-respect.

Donebrach,
@Donebrach@lemmy.world avatar

Do you know if you snore? You may have sleep apnea where basically you stop breathing multiple times a night. Makes for chronic exhaustion and is very under diagnosed . You should look to get a sleep study done. It’s easily treatable with a cpap or apap device.

scarabic,

I’ve been looking into this with my doctor and he showed me some example sleep study results. Some poor fuckers stop breathing, have an adrenaline response to overcome that, dip out of sleep for a second and then go back in, as often as every 30-40 seconds during the night You wouldn’t remember any of this later. It’s just like some Star Trek episode where you slowly lose your mind because some alien neutrino transmitter won’t let you sleep properly. Just without the techno mumbo jumbo.

The_Mixer_Dude,

This is great advice. To add to this, over sleeping in general will tank your energy and make you feel even more tired. To add to this I know personally that feeling as if I have slept through a big portion of my free time will make me feel very upset and definitely make my depression worse. It’s taken me a very very long time (probably 6-7 years) to actually realize this and force myself to not just slump around on days off but to actually get a proper amount of sleep and wake up early in the morning. Typically I will get up anywhere between 6-8am and I always feel much better as I know I have so much of my day ahead of me to work on projects or even just relax and watch TV, play video games, or spend time prepping for my week ahead just to do some simple things to minimize the amount of work I have ahead of me during the week.

Stinkywinks,

We were tricked into thinking being meat bots for the rich while they prance around the Disney land we create for them, is our purpose. And every miserable bastard will tell all the other miserable bastards to do the same shit because they are miserable bastards.

dumbcrumb,

As others have said. If you feel like shit all day no matter how much you sleep then its most likely a diet issue. It’s crazy how normalized completely shit diets are. Its not going to be easy to fix. You’re going to have to do a lot of experimentation and research to see what works for you. I never really had a terrible diet and I felt okay most days. Never thought much of it but once I started to exercise more and looked into sports science on diets I realized how bad my diet actually was. After changing it and getting proper nutrition I was pretty shocked at how much better I felt. I was awake and alert all day and got great sleep. Definitely get a blood test or something. I also recommend doing some research on getting quality sleep. If you’re getting a lot of sleep but its shit quality then it doesnt mean a whole lot. Consistent sleep schedule, eating at the right times, and managing the light you take in during the day can make a huge difference.

SoleInvictus,
@SoleInvictus@lemmy.world avatar

deleted_by_author

    •
    elscallr,
    @elscallr@lemmy.world avatar

    You might check out mealime. It’s got the same information, only you put in a meal plan and it creates a shopping list. So if 2 recipes call for a half a head of cabbage each it’ll have you buy a single cabbage.

    Croquette,

    Can it propose meal plans as well? If I don’t have to think about what to eat, I feel less anxious and usually eat better.

    elscallr,
    @elscallr@lemmy.world avatar

    It has a bunch of recipes to choose from for free and the subscription is worth it, though I’d prefer they billed actually instead of $3/month.

    Croquette,

    Great, thanks for the info. I will check it out.

    scarabic,

    We found these too expensive and wasteful, for what you get, to continue using them. But we did keep some of the recipes and we still make them on our own.

    If this helps someone get a jumpstart on home cooking, it’s well worth it. You can get the same from just trying more things from a cookbook but if the hassle of planning and shopping is a barrier to getting started, then by all means try one of these services and learn to cook.

    nuxetcrux,

    I was a chef for over a decade and worked in Michelin kitchens where I gave myself up for next to nothing. When I made it to two stars, I began vomiting repeatedly every shift, working at a loss of $100 dollars a day. Eventually, I broke down and tried to kill myself by the city river, but regrettably I failed.

    If you live in America, all I can say is that if you are a man and you don’t work, and you are alone and have no one to support you, you will eventually be killed. If you aren’t killed on the street, you’re killed in lock up because it’s illegal to exist here without employment. Mental facilities funnel into jails where the bodies pass daily. At my city’s coroner’s, there are 400+ deaths unaccounted for, 100+ murders per year. I was sent there as a warning in California’s HAM program. I was forced to watch people die and watch their autopsies as well as tour the whole facility, examining all the corpses. All the corpses whose genitals have catheters in them are people who died with no one to claim them, their organs are placed in hefty bags which are then sewed haphazardly back into their torso. The working class bodies are all Mexican, all under 60.

    When I was homeless, on two occasions people tried to murder me and they only stopped because they thought I was dead. My medical debt in my twenties reached over ten million from all the hospital stays. I’ve learned that there are fates WAY worse than death, and you should always have the materials for an exit bag or an LD of insulin. In our society, if you are an extremely poor man, your agency amounts to, “will I continue to suffer another day? Or will I do what everyone wants and liquidate myself.”

    The reason I say all this is, when you don’t want to work, remember it’s not just money you lose but also the good will of others, including family members. The people you respect most put clown makeup on every day and freak out when you don’t. I know this because I made a small fortune on the gamespot/and squeezes and my fortunes literally changed overnight. The money literally solved all my problems and I’m left disgusted. It also showed me how hard I was working for so little. I know now I’d rather die fighting breathlessly, as I always have, fighting for myself and my life. My life in the street was FAR more meaningful than the ones I’ve lived according to cowardice, constantly learning to cope with cowardice. The bottom line: make sure you know you’re ready to leave the beaten path before you do because I promise you, life outside the social contract is indeed nasty, brutal and short.

    madcaesar,

    God damn, this comment is a wild ride.

    roterkern70,

    God… I am sorry you gone through all that. And, it’s very brave of you to explain your life, difficulties, different situations and your perspective. Thank you. You really gave me an insight, I mean it.

    While reading this, I thought about my perspective to life. I am in my early twenties and try to do different stuff to earn my life, pursue some kind of satisfaction. This makes me get tired every day, and consider killing myself constantly. Now, I don’t.

    This summer I’ve gone through an emptiness, moneylessness. I agree, without money, I think about what to eat in the most economical way. That leads to more depression. Then every night I tried to find a purpose to not to kill myself and with this comment, it’s done. I accept a perspective to life now.

    Seeing all successful people, whether successful since born (nice family, good looking, no major illness…) or by later (breaking the chain of poverty, being the best at one stuff…) people damn kill themselves or be in a depression either thisbor that way. This fucking possibility stays there.

    Seeing this situation, I accept the life on it’s own. That’s it. Born, study, socialize, work, get lost. Again, with your comment, I rationalized my perspective. I am, really, now happy with who I am and know how to make it be that way. Do my business, and fuck it. There’ll be no miracles, there’s no one to help you be happier.

    Thank you. I wonder how can I prove it but you really helped me. I needed some rationalization.

    nuxetcrux,

    I’m so proud you’ve had a breakthrough. Your two greatest allies: patience and curiosity. With those you can become whatever you want.

    bigwag1,

    Seperate yourself from materials and you will find meaning

    brb,

    You are in uni, why are you working? Just take it easy and enjoy the experience

    Chickenstalker,

    Join the Foreign Legion then.

    danielfgom,
    @danielfgom@lemmy.world avatar

    Sorry to say but this is it. If you follow the uni then work path, this will be your life. Getting married and having children will add more stress and expenses.

    That’s why I hate money and the setup of the world, is plain satanic if you ask me.

    However you can change the course of your life now. If you’re able to find some land somewhere to live, build an initial home out of scraps and farm the land, you might be able to live free, but without money.

    Alternatively you could travel the world, doing odd jobs in each country to make money. Especially in Europe, once you’re here, there are no borders and plenty of trains so get a temp job and live in a hostel. See that country, meet people, have fun then move to the next country and repeat. This has worked out well for some people who say it have them a new perspective on life.

    It’s up to you.

    andyMFK,

    That’s why I hate money and the setup of the world, is plain satanic if you ask me.

    Don’t drag satan into this, the world is overwhelmingly more christian than satanic.

    danielfgom,
    @danielfgom@lemmy.world avatar

    Do you not know who owns this world? Satan. That’s why Jesus said, my kingdom of not of this world.

    Jesus will destroy this world when He returns and will make the earth anew. Those who belong to Him will live on it forever.

    To be one of those, believe in Jesus as your Saviour and love God. Repent of and turn from sin. Live a holy life and keep His commandments. You will know Him and He will know you and you will live with Him forever.

    The 2 most important commandments:

    1. love the Lord God with all your heart, soul and strength and
    2. Love your neighbor as yourself.

    Love is the essence of Christianity, but sometimes they involves reproving someone in the hope they’ll stop doing bad.

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