Philosophers and scientists have been searching for global meaning, that is, the purpose of human existence, for centuries. Moreover, each individual has his own meaning, the loss of which causes the worst thing that can happen to a person. In this situation, the question arises of what to do if you have lost the meaning of life and don’t know how to live on.
According to Freud
Freud wrote that the question of the meaning of life was raised by people more than once, but an exact answer was never given.
Religion imposes its understanding and path to happiness on a person; it distorts the picture of the world and intimidates.
But in this way it can save some people from the development of neurosis.
According to Freud, people strive to be happy. Desire has two sides - negative and positive . On the one hand, there is the experience of pain, on the other, pleasure. Happiness is achieved when needs are suddenly met, and that is a short moment.
Another desire is love , including sexual love, as one of the needs. Satisfaction of primary needs gives a person happiness, but it also becomes the cause of suffering.
From quotes from historical figures
Great personalities, writers, inventors, philosophers and so on have tried and continue to try to find the keys to life's meaning, adding to the collection of phrases about the meaning of life. Chekhov wrote that he (the meaning) is in the struggle. Jack London believed that the real purpose of a person is not to exist, but to live. “The meaning of life does not exist, I will have to create it myself,” said Jean-Paul Sartre. Other versions of what the meaning of life is:
- Knowing yourself.
- Knowledge of the surrounding world.
- Self-development, knowledge, go through the path of spiritual development.
- Self-expression, creativity.
- Understand your purpose.
- Work and having goals.
- Movement. Contribution to the movement and improvement of the world.
- Goodness, prosperity, improvement of all humanity.
- Enjoying every step, love and joy.
- Beauty.
In addition, many are sure that leaving life (children) behind is the meaning of life. Equally, believers find it in unity with the Creator. By the way, about children. Of course, they are our future and happiness, but we should not make children the meaning of life. And to live only for the sake of another person, even if he is the best, dearest and beloved, harms both yourself and the child.
Reading books
Books, an eternal source of wisdom and good times, tell you how to find the meaning of life. Millions of stories from many writers from different parts of the world can become a consolation, a companion and an assistant even for those who are completely desperate. Any book, even not the best one, can be useful and influence your worldview. And for some, it may be time to join the authors and take on their own story or novel.
Global meaning of life
People who endlessly delve into themselves and those around them in search of an answer to the eternal question can safely be called the most unhappy. For them, personal happiness is not the point. They turn to religion, science, philosophy, but even there they do not find the answers they need.
This situation brings nothing but disappointment. The seeker of meaning has everything to experience joy, but for him earthly goods mean nothing, because he knows that all this is perishable. Lack of interest leads to depression, as a result of which a person goes online, forgets himself through drugs, or commits suicide.
Now you know what to do if you have lost the meaning of life and don’t know why you live. Do not try to give answers to the questions of eternity, because even great thinkers and scientists could not do this. Find what will make you personally happy, develop a plan to get what you want and move towards your goals. Your meaning is to be a happy person!
What to do if you have lost the meaning of life. Psychologist's advice
First of all, you should understand that something needs to be done and force yourself to act. We all want something. Remember what you have always dreamed of. If this is a trip to a sunny country, pack your suitcase and go there. Ignore the fact that now you feel like you don't want it. Make yourself want it again. It’s not for nothing that they say, once you start eating, your appetite will come.
Analyze the situation and identify the reasons why you found yourself in this state. The main thing is not to judge yourself for anything. Understand where you made the mistake so you don’t repeat it in the future. Look at any circumstances positively. If you think that you are at the very bottom, tell yourself: since there is nowhere else to fall, it’s time to start rising. Don't feel sorry for yourself. Instead, overcome the suffering and begin the path to the top. Remember that the perception of the environment is subjective. It’s enough to tune your brain correctly, and everything will start to work out.
Keep a diary. Spit out your emotions on paper and over time you will see how the chaos in your head gives way to order. Don't try to express your thoughts in a structured way. You are not writing an essay, but simply throwing out what has accumulated. These notes will help you analyze changes in yourself. You can also sketch out a plan for the future.
What to do if you have lost the meaning of life? Think about what you like to do, because a hobby will bring interest and joy into your life. Perhaps you should connect your hobby with animals. The love of a cat or dog can give strength to fight any difficulties.
Make yourself a priority. Stop forcing yourself to continue existing for the sake of someone. Live for yourself and for yourself. If this is selfishness, then it is quite healthy and productive. Forget about the generally accepted, about the expectations of others, about duty. Do what you really want and don't think about time. There is enough time for your desires!
Stop ruminating about your difficult past. Start living again. No chance to improve your relationship with your spouse? Get a divorce. Tired of your boss? Quit by expressing your dissatisfaction to his face. Annoyed by the city? Move to another one. If there is something you are not happy with in your appearance, correct it. As long as you do this, you will change. One day you will realize that you have become different and there can be no return to the same.
As soon as you catch yourself thinking that life has lost all meaning, take a vacation. Get close to nature and spend time thinking. Determine the root cause of your condition. Find new meaning for yourself, set long-term goals. List three achievable goals that you want to wake up for in the morning.
If you have lost the meaning of life, you should imagine that this day is your last. Once you believe that the world will disappear tomorrow, a rethinking will occur and many things will take on meaning. Live today as if there is no tomorrow. This can bring back your joy.
Doctrine of hedonism
What does hedonism see as the meaning of life? According to the teachings of hedonism, pleasure is the highest good and the meaning of existence. Good is that which gives pleasure .
Life is about present moments, and each of them should be filled with pleasure, as intense as possible.
The future does not exist, and any path is good for obtaining pleasure. Getting pleasure is the main motive for the existence of people and any of their actions.
Help others
Sometimes, when you lose the meaning of life, you can try to find it by helping others. Volunteering and charity are sources of inspiration and a sense of meaning. This is both an act of kindness and self-care. It is worth doing something good for animals, children or the sick. At a minimum (besides the fact of a good deed), this way you can diversify your life and get distracted for a while, and at the maximum, you can find salvation.
Causes of emptiness
Getting lost in the labyrinths of life is not shameful; looking for meaning is not a shame, just like losing it. It seems to you that the whole point is in your passivity and apathy, but it also has roots. External factors of feeling the meaninglessness of life in a broad sense include:
- globalization and technologization of society;
- abundance of information;
- identification of work calling and life calling (read more about this in the article “Is it possible to see the meaning of life in work”);
- the collapse of old values and traditions of society without offering a new alternative (reminiscent of the situation in the 90s).
All this causes a person to fear being replaced by robots and technologies; The abundance of information from different sources and of different quality sows uncertainty in one’s own stability; the collapse of values prevents one from building one’s worldview.
How to help a person who has lost the meaning of life
Family support plays a big role in finding new meaning. If a loved one says that he doesn’t want to live, drinks and nothing interests him, use several methods:
- Have a calm conversation, the purpose of which is to find out the causes of depression. Do you want to know what to do if you have lost the meaning of life? Do not blame or lecture your interlocutor under any circumstances. On the contrary, give him support. Try to talk less and listen more. It is important that a person independently finds the root of his illness.
- If your relative or friend likes to draw, ask him to depict on paper what is happening in his soul. This method is called art therapy. Types of art therapy:
- Drawing.
- Sand.
- Music.
- Dancing.
- Playing on stage.
- Modeling.
- Symbol-drama. The exercises were invented by the German psychiatrist K. Leiner and are addressed to the unconscious. In this case, there is no directive influence on the patient (as with hypnosis). Ask your loved one to imagine himself in a house, in a forest, in a room, or in any other place and tell in detail what he sees. In this way, a person suffering from depression gains skills in working with the subconscious.
There is no strength to live - what to do? Beyond material desires...
Depression can also cripple you during a period of complete prosperity, when there are no objective reasons for suffering. No one died, no loved one left, everything goes on as usual. And you want to howl into your pillow from a state of black, burning melancholy. You hate yourself, the world, God. You lie buried alive under a concrete slab and cannot get up. How to find the strength to live and where to look for meaning?
Only a person with the desires of the sound vector is capable of being in real severe depression, for which there seems to be no reason. It seems that no one can answer his question: why do I feel so bad?
The sound artist wanders around like a restless person, overcome by depression because he doesn’t know how to fill his “I want”, and, moreover, he doesn’t know “what I want,” because sound desires are immaterial.
He wants to understand the causes and consequences of everything that exists in the Universe, in nature, in himself. Without an understanding of how everything works, and most importantly - why, the sound engineer wanders like a lonely wanderer in his thoughts and on the Internet landscape. That’s why it hurts so desperately inside, that’s why it seems like life has no meaning. That’s why there is no strength to live, hopeless fatigue from everything pulls you to the bottom like a stone: because there are no answers to unasked questions.
Sound desire is greater than the desires of other vectors, it bursts out as a silent cry throughout the entire Universe and requires fulfillment. It's huge. Therefore, the pain of the lack of meaning feels like an unbearable burden. It seems that you can cope with everything, with any difficulties and problems, but not with the emptiness inside...
And somewhere nearby... there follows a trail of misunderstanding of others...
And the sound artist is drawn there, beyond the boundaries of the physical body, to God, as if into his cradle. And it seems to him that it is there that he will find peace and liberation from the grip of an unbearable life...
