10 ways to get rid of apathy

How to get rid of apathy and regain interest in life? Each of us has moments when the soul, body and spirit seem to be completely empty. Nothing makes you happy, what you once loved becomes disgusting, everything irritates you and you want to hide from everyone. This state is called apathetic or pre-depressive.

Apathy is a kind of defense mechanism of our psyche. The nervous system of a person in constant stressful situations includes a certain blocker that slows down nervous processes. In turn, preventing a person from burning out from excessive nervous shock.

The body and spirit seem to be in a sleeping or apathetic state. And of course you can’t allow yourself to linger in this state for a long time. After all, the body may mistake it for normal, and then serious health problems cannot be avoided. You need to force yourself to move a lot and urgently start working on yourself.

Depression apathy

Apathy often breeds depression. Whether to treat it or not is of interest to many people. If the condition has persisted and you do not know how to get rid of it, then do not hesitate and seek help from a doctor.

Signs that should alert you first of all are emotional disorders, slow thinking, low mood, decreased motor activity. It is important that these signs are observed for a long time. Often the concepts of depression and apathy are confused with chronic fatigue syndrome. In the second case, the cause of the disease is physical fatigue, and not external causes.

Depression - apathy has a variety of clinical manifestations. This is a loss of interest in the outside world, somatic manifestations of physical discomfort, intestinal disorders, headaches. A feature of depression and apathy is that patients can spend a very long time being examined by various specialists, but only psychiatrists can prescribe effective treatment.

Depression - apathy occurs due to stressful situations and psychological trauma. However, it happens that these signs appear for endogenous reasons: disorders occur due to a lack of serotonin production in the brain. Treatment includes antidepressants and psychotherapy.

The correct reaction to the world is the prevention of many problems

Without observing this point, depression will return again and again. It is necessary to respond appropriately to the world around each of us. It's not just about optimism, but also about realizing your true nature. It is necessary to “look to the very root”, to see the essence of the problems: psychological, career. This will help you cope with them and soberly assess your chances.

I would like to note that many people take antidepressants. This does relieve depression for a while, but then it comes back again, because such remedies only treat the symptoms, and not the depression itself. In this regard, taking antidepressants is extremely undesirable.

On the subject: 3 medicinal plants that will help with depression

Apathy reasons

Causes of apathy: heredity, endocrine dysfunction, stress (conflict, job loss, retirement, natural disasters, death of a loved one, problems with the law), taking medications, mild depression.

Apathy and its other possible causes: chronic diseases (heart attack, paralysis, diabetes, cancer), premenstrual syndrome in women, failure to realize creative abilities, alcoholism, drug addiction, old age.

A lethargic state can be caused by birth control pills, heart medications and blood pressure medications, as well as sleeping pills, antibiotics, and steroids.

The reasons for apathy may be professional activity that provoked emotional burnout.

Apathy in young people is often caused by low energy, serious illness, vitamin deficiency, lack of sunlight, emotional and physical stress.

Treatment

Apathy is not always a condition that needs to be treated. If a person has become less emotional and proactive after a period of high stress or a traumatic situation, you need to give the body time to recover - ensure proper sleep, healthy nutrition, and protect from worries and mental stress. If the apathy is severe, lasts more than a week, and significantly worsens the patient’s quality of life, special treatment is necessary, including psychotherapy, medication, and changes in rest and work patterns.

Adequate rest helps overcome apathy

Psychological help

Psychotherapy and psychological counseling are necessary for patients with severe apathy. To improve the condition, methods of cognitive behavioral therapy and psychoanalysis are used. The specialist conducts individual sessions where the probable causes of apathy and ways to overcome apathy are discussed. With the help of a psychologist, the patient again learns to feel his emotions, set goals, and resist stress. At the second stage of therapy, it is possible to attend group trainings - interaction with other people increases a person’s interest and motivation.

Drug treatment

If the cause of apathy is excessive stress and fatigue, minimal drug support is indicated to help the body recover faster. Vitamin and mineral complexes and herbal adaptogens, for example, tincture of ginseng or eleutherococcus, are prescribed. In case of severe apathy due to mental and neurological diseases, pharmacological drugs are used: psychostimulants, antidepressants, analeptics. Their combination, dosage and duration of administration are determined by the doctor individually.

Lifestyle correction

Along with the main treatment aimed at eliminating the cause of apathy, it is recommended to introduce new activities into the daily plan, even if at first they seem uninteresting. It is necessary to remember what hobby was fascinating before - sports, art, self-education. You should avoid stressful situations, alternate periods of work and rest, adhere to a healthy diet, and a regimen of moderate physical activity. It is important to involve loved ones in the rehabilitation process; in the first stages, their will is the main organizing and stimulating factor.

Signs of apathy

This is a painful condition characterized by indifference and absence of external manifestations. You can even apply such a concept as paralysis of emotions. Often, an apathetic state is accompanied by abulia, which manifests itself in a general decrease in mental activity. Signs of apathy in such patients are manifested in inactivity, taciturnity, and lack of initiative. The movement and speech of the sick person are often inhibited, with memory loss and disruptions in thinking.

Signs of apathy appear in two forms. In the first case, apathy can be conspicuous, revealing itself as indifference to everything around it. In the second case, apathy does not interfere with a person’s activity, but unexpectedly for everyone, the person may die by committing suicide. In the second case, a person destroys himself endogenously. A gloomy, depressed mood is familiar to everyone, however, if depression, hopelessness, desperation, deep sadness, and loss of interest in active life are constantly present, then this is a reason to consult a specialist for medical help.

Folk remedies

Treatment with medications is recommended in serious cases. If the disease has just begun to manifest itself, it is worth turning to the use of traditional recipes.

Increased drowsiness and lethargy take away all the strength a person has.

You can overcome it by these means:

Fruits . Grapes have performed well – they saturate the body with minerals. Before meals, consume 1 sprig of fruit to restore strength.
Nuts and honey . Prepare a mixture of these ingredients and get a boost of energy for the whole day.
Milk and chamomile . Boil milk, add a teaspoon of herbs. Turn off the stove and let the broth brew. Use after meals every day 40 minutes before bedtime.
Pine needle decoction . For 300 grams of water you will need 2 tbsp. pine needles Fill it with liquid and send it to the fire. Boil for 20 minutes after boiling and let it brew. Take 1 teaspoon three times a day.

Folk remedies to combat fatigue will help you stock up on energy and vigor. It is recommended to take the formulations for no more than a month.

Don’t forget to be outside more , think about the positive - then the apathy will disappear, and life will take on new colors.

Apathy symptoms

Sometimes apathy manifests itself in a decrease in volitional activity. Many diseases have apathy among their symptoms, particularly schizophrenia. Often this condition is also observed with organic lesions in the brain. Apathy is also present in various depressions.

Apathy and its symptoms: lack of joy from ordinary things and the attraction of suffering. External symptoms of apathy include detachment from people, from the entire world around us, the presence of indifference, passivity, lack of the need to love, and also to be loved. This does not mean that an apathetic person is irrevocably deprived of all emotions and feelings. In most cases, emotions are hidden in the depths of the unconscious, and remain as unconscious until better times. But in general it looks like this: a person is unemotional, lifeless, emotionless; without desires or attractions.

This condition does not manifest itself in tension and irritability. On the contrary, complete indifference covers the individual. An apathetic person not only loses the meaning of any activity, he does not even have desires for anything, much less the desire to satisfy them. Pleasure or displeasure is incomprehensible to an apathetic person, and therefore does not evoke emotions (positive or negative) in him. An apathetic state devalues everything and a person’s personal emotional experiences atrophy.

Some researchers believe that the ability to fall into an apathetic state is characteristic from the early stages of an infant’s life. Apathy acts as a defense mechanism that causes the presence of unfulfilled needs. In a state of apathy, all unfulfilled needs are preserved and reduced. Other authors believe that apathy is becoming a characteristic feature of modern man. The opposite of love is apathy, and the opposite of will is indifference and detachment.

Apathy leads to the elimination of will, love and leads to violence. This condition becomes part of mental illness. If we consider apathy from the point of view of psychoanalysis, we can note that this state is the result of the defense mechanisms of the Self, which help to neutralize various painful experiences and resolve intrapsychic conflicts.

Severe apathy is marked by a person’s lack of plans for the future. The patient withdraws into himself, does not make friends, does not dream. From the outside, the life of an apathetic person appears dull and gray. If you have the following symptoms, then you can safely classify yourself as an apathetic person - indifference, inexpressive speech, laziness, isolation, lack of initiative, desire for loneliness, sadness for no reason.

What is despondency?

Orthodoxy calls depression a sad state. In fact, despondency is a mood in which all motivation is absent. The person becomes grumpy and feels completely dissatisfied with life. You can feel despondent for weeks or months, but this situation is still considered less serious than depression or increased anxiety. There are two types:

despondency with a depressed spirit in the absence of anger;
despondency with bitterness and irritation.

To combat despondency, physical and mental changes in a person are needed, a change of environment, social circle, etc. If you do not get rid of despondency in time, it threatens with prolonged depression. And it can’t be overcome without the help of specialists.

Apathy and laziness

The way out of apathy depends on the patient himself. If a person is ambitious, demanding of himself, and active, then he can independently fight laziness and apathy. To do this, you need to make a strong-willed effort and everything will work out. If you don’t make a strong-willed effort, you risk falling into the clutches of depression.

Apathy and laziness can keep a person fixated on these sensations for a long time. Therefore, you should not let them into your life for a long time. Having accepted them as a respite for a short time, get out of the state, do not drag it out. Determine the time frame for your vacation. Let it be a vacation of up to seven days, change the environment, relax, but do not take antidepressants without a doctor’s prescription and do not get carried away with alcohol. The best thing you can do is get enough sleep, which will restore your strength and energy.

Apathy and laziness are a natural state that signals that you need rest because you are leading an unhealthy lifestyle. Analyze the situation, what exactly led you to it. If necessary, consult a doctor if the condition persists.

Get enough sleep

It is during sleep that hormones are produced that we need for good health and vitality. Therefore, our well-being largely depends on the quality and duration of sleep.

If you sleep less than 7 hours, have difficulty falling asleep, often wake up at night, and get up in the morning unrested, then you shouldn’t be surprised that you feel tired and tired during the day. What are the causes of poor sleep quality ?

poor nutrition;
stress;
lack of regime;
passive lifestyle;
abuse of coffee or tea;
alcohol;
hormonal disorders.

Recommendations for improving sleep quality:

Avoid sleeping pills, especially if they were not prescribed by your doctor. This is a dead-end path that only makes the situation worse in the long run.
At least an hour before bed, engage in quiet activities;
Use natural essential oils of mint or lavender;
Take a warm bath with magnesium sulfate to relax your body;
Try to follow a routine;
Get at least 7 hours of sleep every night. The best option is 8 or more hours.
For dinner, avoid sweet and spicy foods, as well as caffeine in any form;
Ensure complete silence and darkness in your bedroom.
Be sure to ventilate the room before going to bed;
Clean your room and change your bed linen more often.

For more information on how to improve your sleep, read this article.

State of apathy

Let's understand the mechanism of occurrence of this condition in order to successfully eliminate its manifestations in the future. An indifferent state occurs due to an excess of emotions or a lack of them. A person cannot endlessly express joyful emotions; over time, his emotions become dull, he runs out of strength, and vice versa, living without positive emotions ends in a breakdown. When emotions spill, the body forms an energy deficit, and a pause is required to replenish it. At these moments, a state of apathy, lethargy, weakness, and drowsiness appears.

A state of apathy with temporary signs of lethargy, weakness and drowsiness does not pose a danger to humans. Often, an apathetic state occurs even in those whose lives are prosperous. In these cases, it begins with ordinary boredom and ends with complete indifference to everything. No one is immune from this disease.

A state of apathy can overtake both a successful and happy person and one who constantly suffers failures.

Apathy is a very common condition and not every person knows how to help themselves. The situation of the sick person is often aggravated by the fact that indifference to the whole world is also accompanied by indifference to one’s own personality.

Experts will tell you how to get out of the state of apathy after understanding your problem.

The problem of women. Why does it arise, how does it manifest? What to do in this situation?

If we talk about girls, apathy is often found after childbirth. This is due to the fact that they have been waiting for this event for a long time. In addition, they are prone to emotional outbursts.

Plus, hormonal surges are added to everything. Also, a woman’s body gets tired during pregnancy and childbirth, and it wants to rest. But in fact, it turns out that a small child requires increased attention, and the girl does not manage to get enough sleep and gain strength. She experiences fatigue, drowsiness, and apathy. During this period of time, the support of relatives is very important. They can help a woman, give her time to sleep, sit or walk with the baby, prepare lunch or dinner. At first glance, these things seem ordinary and do not require any special attention, but for a woman in the postpartum period they will be very useful.

The support of your husband is also important. If possible, he can take a vacation. In this way he will support his wife morally and help her with household chores.

Apathy during pregnancy

Apathy during pregnancy is common. It is noted by the pregnant woman’s lack of interest in anything new, boredom. The cause of the apathetic state in this case is hormonal imbalances. For expectant mothers, staying in the fresh air, walking, and light exercises will be useful as a preventive measure. Treatment begins, first of all, with awareness of the problem. For this purpose, self-analysis is involved, and the person independently tries to understand his problem. In the treatment of apathy during pregnancy, changes in work, social circle, place of residence, physical activity, healthy eating, travel, special massage, and the use of vitamins are effectively used.

How to get rid of stress? Choose your relaxation technique

The reaction to stress determines the relaxation method that is most suitable for the person.

Do you tend to get angry, worried or excited? Try relaxation techniques that allow the mind to cool down, such as meditation, deep breathing, or guided visualization - imagining yourself in a pleasant, relaxing place, reproducing sounds, smells, tactile sensations.
Do you tend to become tired, withdrawn and sleepy? The body will respond to relaxation that stimulates and energizes the nervous system, such as rhythmic exercises - dancing, running, walking. You can simply use a rubber expander for your hand, rotate your head, or toss a tennis ball.
Do you tend to feel anxious on the inside and become sluggish on the outside? You need to identify relaxation techniques that reset the nervous system, such as walking and power yoga.

How to deal with apathy

How to overcome apathy is of interest to all those suffering from this condition. First of all, you must want to overcome apathy with all your heart and connect all your thoughts with this. It is important to understand what causes indifference to everything that is happening. Understand within yourself what exactly led you to apathy. Your subconscious will tell you what you need to return to your original state, when you were happy, harmonious and everything that happened pushed you to action, and to an indifferent contemplation of life from the outside, as an outside observer who did not want anything for himself. The paws of an apathetic state are insidious and they drag you deeper and deeper. Initially, this is an uncomfortable state, but over time a person gets used to it and it seems to him that it’s not bad at all to be apathetic and go with the flow. You don’t want anything, but you just want one thing, to be left alone. Days pass lying on the couch, living them from morning to evening and not changing anything in my life.

Apathetic people believe that there is no need to change anything, nothing will change anyway. It is important to realize that being content with little and not wanting a better life for yourself is the lot of weak, disillusioned people in life, who have suffered fiasco and have forgotten the simple truth that failure is an experience for which you need to thank fate and move on without looking back. It all depends only on you and on your desire to get rid of apathy once and for all. First, get some sleep and start thinking in a new way, remove negativity, laziness, lethargy, and indifference from your life.

How to deal with apathy? You need to find out the reason and admit to yourself that your apathy is caused, for example, by failure, stress, failure to realize your desires and aspirations, or, on the contrary, you are very devoted to your work and are “burning out” there. By understanding your problem at the root and changing your attitude towards it, only then will changes occur and you will be able to overcome apathy.

Still don't know how to deal with apathy? You need to remember yourself in childhood, adolescence, when the state of apathy was not familiar to you, when you did not know disappointments, did not get offended, but knew how to enjoy little things and your aspirations for life were not so high. To be able to enjoy little things is an art and the most important thing is to carry this throughout your life. It is very important not to expect anything, because when expectations are not met, a person falls into despair. Leave expectations, don’t expect anything from what is happening, and it will only please you in the future. Remember that failure is replaced by success, this is natural and there is nothing wrong with it if the opposite happens. Accept your apathetic state, be sad, and then perk up and move on through life with a smile. There is such a thing as an inner smile. Smile with your soul, and you will feel joyful, and those around you will read your smile on your face. Treat your failure as just another stage in life and believe in yourself. Tell yourself: I can do everything, I will do everything, I am already fighting laziness and doing what is expected of me. By doing this, first of all, you prove to yourself that you have the will and inner strength.

Set goals for yourself, small ones at first, then big ones. As you accomplish small goals, you will move forward and feel confident. Confidence will give you strength, activity and you will understand that you are on the right path. There will be no place for laziness in your life, since activity will push you to action. You will want to win and double all your achievements. You will be proud of yourself and others will notice your changes. The most important thing is not to stop and keep moving towards your goals. You may need to adjust your action plan as you move towards your goals.

Look for sources of additional energy

Or eliminate the factors of its waste. For example, bad habits can be considered factors of energy waste, since the body is constantly struggling with their consequences. It's like carrying a backpack full of rocks on your back and complaining about how quickly you get tired. It is enough to take off your backpack, your energy will no longer be spent on meaningless work, and you will be able to gain energy for life.

Among the sources of energy, it is worth especially noting sports and nutrition. Lack of physical activity leads to stagnation in the blood supply, and this threatens oxygen starvation and nutrient deficiency in individual organs. The consequence is loss of strength. Nutrition can help cleanse and restore the body, or it can clog it. This is a broad topic that deserves a separate article, but its main principle fits into several recommendations:

Eat as much fresh, whole plant foods as possible - vegetables, fruits, greens.
Avoid highly processed or chemically processed foods.
Avoid fatty foods of animal origin, or at least do not abuse them.

If you try to discover or learn something new every day, sooner or later you will find yourself passionate about something, and the bad mood will disappear as if it never existed. Write this rule in your diary: not a day without an event. Events can be considered:

any concerts, performances, lectures, exhibitions, events;
any meetings with any people for any reason;
any change of environment to a new one.

Try to avoid privacy

It’s easy to say, you thought, but what to do if your whole life is an endless “home-work-home” and barbecues on weekends? Psychologists advise changing action algorithms to overcome the blues. Even the usual can be done in a new way, for example, you can get to work by a new route, and spend the weekend in a new company.

This means acting contrary to apathy, because your whole nature will strive for solitude. Resist, strive to get to a place where you will definitely not be left alone. Yes, it's annoying and infuriating. Yes, you have a high chance of quarreling and ruining relationships with everyone at once, but complete apathy or depression does not go away on its own, you can only kick it out. When you retire, you indulge her. It's like drinking cold water when you have a bad cold.

Spend more time outdoors

If you like to sit too long in front of the computer or TV, then you should start fighting apathy by giving up this particular bad habit. It contains 4 harmful factors at once:

A static sitting position, which affects the joints and spine and causes blood to stagnate.
Radiation from a monitor or screen, which greatly blurs vision and suppresses the production of the sleep hormone.
Lack of fresh air, fraught with oxygen deficiency.
The gradual displacement of real life processes by virtual surrogates, for example, communication with people is gradually moving to chat rooms and social networks.

If all this is not about you, nevertheless, apathy forces a person to sit within four walls almost forever, and this should be actively resisted. It is possible to fight depression and apathy on your own, and very effectively. Find reasons to get out the door. If you don't want to communicate with anyone, walk in remote areas or parks. The main thing is to do this daily, at least 1 hour a day.