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Have you ever felt that everything you do has lost all its substance? Like “I don’t care about anything,” because there’s no enjoyment or pleasure in doing it?A surprising number of us feel this way. Whether your experience is depression-related or rooted in something else, there’s a name for it: anhedonia. And the exercise below can help you beat it right away.
It’s worth taking a look at what anhedonia is, how it happens to you, and a foolproof way to help you enjoy things you used to love again!
What is anhedonia?Anhedonia is an inability or reduced ability to feel pleasure, enjoyment, and engagement with life. It can also include reduced motivation to do things. You may feel like you don’t care about anything anymore since nothing feels good or brings you fulfillment.
With anhedonia, your interest in things you used to love doing diminishes. That feeling of “wanting” or “liking” things is decreased, and you may not even know why.
Anhedonia is known to especially affect those who experience major depression, PTSD, or other mood struggles. However, even if you don’t have any mental health diagnoses, you may still experience anhedonia. Anyone can find themselves stuck saying: “I don’t care about anything anymore.”
There are various factors that may have set off your anhedonia, such as:
You may feel a general sense of not caring about anything, or your anhedonia might be a more specific sub-type:
Social anhedonia
Social anhedonia is the withdrawal or isolation/exclusion from social activities. This brings about a disinterest or lack of pleasure in doing things of a social nature, like hanging out with friends, attending a party or event, avoiding malls and other public places. Social anhedonia may possibly related to isolation and loneliness, because you don’t care about anything that has to do with socialising. As humans, we are sustained by social interactions – there is a need for being in the presence of others and communicating with them. This is vital for our physical and mental well-being.
Physical anhedonia
Our ability to receive comfort from touch or be intimate is greatly diminished because of physical anhedonia. If you are a person who enjoys physical activities such as playing sports, exercising, or even sex, developing physical anhedonia can be extremely detrimental to your mental well-being. Causes of physical anhedonia can be trauma, physical disabilities, or sexual dysfunction.
Another factor of physical anhedonia can be attributed to your other senses – eating, smelling, hearing and seeing. You may experience a lack of enjoyment and pleasure from eating your favourite foods, inhaling nostalgic scents, listening to music, or watching movies. Your feeling of “I don’t care about anything” can even cause you to neglect your body.
How To Deal With AnhedoniaWhile anhedonia in recovery is a natural part of the process, there are important things that can be done to combat these symptoms. They are some of the most simple and common solutions .
anything that simply scare you no matter how strange it may seem
Why It Works:
All these things activate your body’s stress response (AKA the sympathetic nervous system). And with enough stress, your body will begin making adrenaline. This is an unconscious survival mechanism that elevates your body to its most heightened physical state and thus makes short work of that anhedonic emptiness you’re feeling.
The Science:
Adrenaline for fight-or-flight is not created in the brain (your adrenal glands are above your kidneys). And, unlike other emotions, is not processed by the hippocampus or prefrontal cortex. So, put simply, even if these regions have shrunk due to addiction or depression, adrenaline can still temporarily relieve your symptoms.
It’s worth taking a look at what anhedonia is, how it happens to you, and a foolproof way to help you enjoy things you used to love again!
What is anhedonia?Anhedonia is an inability or reduced ability to feel pleasure, enjoyment, and engagement with life. It can also include reduced motivation to do things. You may feel like you don’t care about anything anymore since nothing feels good or brings you fulfillment.
With anhedonia, your interest in things you used to love doing diminishes. That feeling of “wanting” or “liking” things is decreased, and you may not even know why.
Anhedonia is known to especially affect those who experience major depression, PTSD, or other mood struggles. However, even if you don’t have any mental health diagnoses, you may still experience anhedonia. Anyone can find themselves stuck saying: “I don’t care about anything anymore.”
There are various factors that may have set off your anhedonia, such as:
- Depression
- Complex trauma
- Substance addiction
- Abuse
- A major illness or disability
- Loss of a loved one
- Grief
- Social isolation due to COVID-19 and shelter-in-place
You may feel a general sense of not caring about anything, or your anhedonia might be a more specific sub-type:
Social anhedonia
Social anhedonia is the withdrawal or isolation/exclusion from social activities. This brings about a disinterest or lack of pleasure in doing things of a social nature, like hanging out with friends, attending a party or event, avoiding malls and other public places. Social anhedonia may possibly related to isolation and loneliness, because you don’t care about anything that has to do with socialising. As humans, we are sustained by social interactions – there is a need for being in the presence of others and communicating with them. This is vital for our physical and mental well-being.
Physical anhedonia
Our ability to receive comfort from touch or be intimate is greatly diminished because of physical anhedonia. If you are a person who enjoys physical activities such as playing sports, exercising, or even sex, developing physical anhedonia can be extremely detrimental to your mental well-being. Causes of physical anhedonia can be trauma, physical disabilities, or sexual dysfunction.
Another factor of physical anhedonia can be attributed to your other senses – eating, smelling, hearing and seeing. You may experience a lack of enjoyment and pleasure from eating your favourite foods, inhaling nostalgic scents, listening to music, or watching movies. Your feeling of “I don’t care about anything” can even cause you to neglect your body.
How To Deal With AnhedoniaWhile anhedonia in recovery is a natural part of the process, there are important things that can be done to combat these symptoms. They are some of the most simple and common solutions .
- Exercise.
- Meditation.
- Healthy diet.
- Adequate sleep.
- Watching a really scary movie
- Giving a speech (if that scares you)
- Speaking up in a crowd (if that scares you)
- Facing the wrong way in an elevator.
- Asking for a free meal at a restaurant
anything that simply scare you no matter how strange it may seem
Why It Works:
All these things activate your body’s stress response (AKA the sympathetic nervous system). And with enough stress, your body will begin making adrenaline. This is an unconscious survival mechanism that elevates your body to its most heightened physical state and thus makes short work of that anhedonic emptiness you’re feeling.
The Science:
Adrenaline for fight-or-flight is not created in the brain (your adrenal glands are above your kidneys). And, unlike other emotions, is not processed by the hippocampus or prefrontal cortex. So, put simply, even if these regions have shrunk due to addiction or depression, adrenaline can still temporarily relieve your symptoms.
