How do you get over crushing apathy?

It does sound like depression. I’m not a psychologist though, maybe it is just apathy or indifference as you say.

My suggestion is put things in your calendar to look forward to. Do you have that already? A class you love to go to, a vacation coming up, or a night out with your friends.

Maybe volunteer doing something that makes you feel needed that you enjoy doing. I volunteer teaching zumba, because I like doing it anyway. I’ve thought about volunteering at the local elementary school.

You can also focus on happy times when they happen so they stretch out. Happiness comes in moments, and if you can notice the moments enough to truly recognize them and enjoy them, time moves slower in those moments. It’s much like the saying take time to smell the roses. A lot of times people gain this skill after they have been through a very difficult time, like a bad illness, but you don’t have to go through something awful to do it.

I’m so happy just being at home with my husband watching our favorite TV show in comfy pajamas and being warm. I spent years in pain, and being cold makes me feel unproductive and paralyzed.

Do you live in a place that is in winter now with grey skies for days on end? That could be adding to your apathy. Moving to Florida changed my life. Blue skies and sunshine. Last night I are al fresco for dinner and then danced a little (we have a live band and dancing here) in the fantastic weather. Even if it was cold outside, in my house the difference between 68 and 70 in my house is the difference between wanting to be buried under a blanket and having the energy to make things nice in my house and work on projects.

Also, if you are under 30, it’s been scientifically shown that young people feel more emotional pain. That as we age we are able to feel more happiness and ride out difficult times. So, most likely your future will be happier and have more meaning to you.

If you every feel like really being “done with it all” reach out to a therapist or suicide hotline or even a friend in that moment, don’t harm yourself. Most people don’t want to die, they just want to end their current situation. There’s a big difference. Things change, things get better.

Maybe see a therapist now. Maybe you are a candidate for therapy, or for an antidepressant.

I agree with @JLeslie that it sounds like you have depression. Depression doesn’t always manifest itself with feelings of sadness. I think the first thing you should do, is make an appointment to see your primary care physician, and tell him or her what you have described, and ask for a referral to see a psychiatrist or a therapist. There are different types of treatments for depression including medication, and talk therapy, but you need to be seen by a doctor first, so they can work with you to see what is your best course of action.

Here is some information about Treatments for Depression

You can also call the Depression Hotline and speak to someone about your feelings, before you even make an appointment to see your doctor. The calls are confidential.

Don’t beat yourself up, or feel guilty. Depression hits all kinds of people, some in bad financial situations and bad family dynamic situations, but it also hits people who don’t have those particular problems, so you should not feel bad, but you do need to seek some help. Depression tends not to solve itself, and it is a lot more common than you’d think.

I wish you the best of luck. Please check in with us, and let us know how you are doing.

Great advice above. Please see your doctor. There’s a huge difference between situational depression, what most people experience from time to time, and major depression that is chronic. I didn’t know I had major depression until I visited my doctor a few years ago after my mother passed away. I assumed my depression was due to her loss, but it wasn’t. I suffered for years not knowing what was wrong with me. Anti-depressants have helped me tremendously. I still take them daily. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Start with your family doctor. They will help guide you to the treatment you need. Good luck.

It could be what they said, or maybe you’re bored. Find something you really like, maybe animals, and go volunteer. Nothing cures boredom as well as helping others, plus it boosts your self love.

It could be that your situation does not afford a challenge and thus becomes boring.
Go to different venues,parks,art galleries,museums,events,neighborhoods,cafes,stores,etc
Perhaps your area does not excite you, so seek out a variety of different experiences.
Perhaps take up photography, one does not need a SLR camera which is expensive but just an ordinary digital camera and discover a whole new way at looking at things that surround you.
Even boring things will look interesting in photographs, or drawing them to express yourself fully.
Hobbies offer a way to express by creating something unique.
Libraries offer a vast variety of subjects to think on and expand. Go to a section never before and learn new ideas, that may excite you ( an indication of hidden interests that may take on a whole new world of learning).

I went thru this kind of ‘existential crisis’ a few years ago myself. Went to a Dr., and he said it was depression. I could have told him that!
Then I met a therapist who suggested that I stop looking at my condition as something ‘wrong’ – that it was my mind trying to help me see something.
She said, that according to her experience, a lot of people have lives that are ‘good’ in a material sense, but that leaves them feeling unfulfilled and empty otherwise. In that case, your mind is telling you it’s time to do something different.
Another reason for depression, which is what happened to me, is long-term chronic fatigue. I had had a very intrinsically stressful job, with very incompetent management that drove us all crazy.
Some humans are pretty resilient, but that doesn’t mean that stress doesn’t affect us over time. So in this case, my mind was telling me it had endured enough.
The best thing ANY human can do, is to learn to meditate. You can start with guided meditation, but to get the most benefits, one needs to practice “quiet sitting (or lying)”, using a recognized method to take one’s awareness inward. Doing that will allow one to completely get in touch with one’s Self, which is the best knowledge any can obtain. Be Well!

“It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane.”

- Philip K. Dick

Honestly, I don’t know how the majority of people cling to their sanity in this fucked up world we live in. Any rational person should be going insane. It takes a certain amount of mental illness to go about our everyday lives as if everything is perfectly normal.