‘When you feel that life is meaningless’
WHAT if you cannot seem to sort things out, you begin to believe that life is meaningless?
You are feeling lost and lacking motivation, and nothing seems appealing. Trust me when I say that you are not alone.
It takes more than merely getting inspirational words to feel fulfilment, even when those words sound sensible, at times.
Although life can be beautiful, there may be moments when you feel like a zombie trapped in a monotonous loop.
I remember the time I personally experienced the realisation that my life might be in that monotonous loop when I first stepped into the working world as an intern last year.
Don’t get me wrong – though I did mostly enjoy stepping into the new life experience, after a few weeks I began to wonder: “Is life after college really just a monotonous 9-to-5?”
As I was beginning to taste the transition from my carefree college life into a robotic-like cycle, I grieved at the thought of losing my youthful freedom and carefreeness as a college kid and began to wonder what the point of life was beyond that.
Everyone has different reasons for feeling that life is pointless at times. For instance, someone may look for a deeper purpose in life if they are not satisfied at work, home, school or in their social life.
Or, mental health issues like depression or mood disorders make people less interested in things they used to like doing, which might make them feel extremely sad or hopeless.
It is important that you take responsibility for your own happiness and well-being. But the key question is, what can you do about it?
I obviously do not have the exact answers to that, but maybe you can find at least one idea from here useful for yourself.
I am not sure whether anyone truly gets their life together. Can anyone actually get their life together, or is it all an act? Knowing that the world is chaotic by nature, no, I don’t think so.
Things are always changing, whether for the better or worse.
It is easier to see whether you ‘actually have your life together’ though, if you are aware of your value system — like what drives, motivates and inspires you. For instance, some people believe that having their life together means having all of your desires and worries fulfilled.
Nevertheless, do not worry too much about instantly getting the hang of it. Since life is a process, humans are meant to be lifelong learners.
And those that do learn about life? I am sure they are not able to learn much.
The meaning of life is ‘THE Question’ that philosophy has been attempting to answer since the beginning.
The existential perspective, for example, emphasises personal responsibility and freedom of choice as we create our own meaning and purpose to the things we choose to do.
The utilitarian perspective, on the other hand, states maximising happiness and minimising suffering as much as possible.
Some religious traditions provide different answers in response to the question.
This shows that my claim that no matter how much a person tries to learn about life, we will not get a definite single answer.
To me, the true meaning of life is simply to learn.
Whenever I fail at something, I learn from it, get back up, and do better. The more we advance in life, the more we try new things, fail and learn from them, and I believe that is the way life is supposed to be lived.
Practise self-compassion on the days when you feel like life is meaningless.
Being kind to yourself takes a lot of effort, but it is definitely necessary.
Without compassion for yourself, all you will be doing is harm yourself.
When you come to think about it, there really is no point in doing anything, except to enjoy yourself as much as you can.
Life may be pointless, but you should choose to live it anyway. Because it is pointless, you have the freedom to choose your own path.
Although hopelessness and despair are usually overwhelming emotions that can make getting through the day seem impossible, there is always help available to improve one’s satisfaction.
It is normal to respond to bad events with dark, depressing thoughts and emotions.
What is important is how you choose to react to them. Insight from others and professional support might be beneficial, particularly if you believe you may be struggling with a mental health issue.
Seeking help is important and it helps to break the stigma attached to conditions like depression and anxiety. While doing this, you’re also making sure that you get the proper amount of care and social support.
Nobody should be forced to struggle alone.