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rastiazul
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14 Nov 2011, 1:11 pm

y0

over the years ive experienced a gradually decrease in my interests, and im worried now that i might not be really interested in anything, i still have a few interests but not very intense

im falling in nihilism and depression, my interests were the main thing that got me away from that



Samarda
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14 Nov 2011, 1:14 pm

Maybe the decrease in interest , is due to depression which unmotivates you?

Or maybe you haven't found it yet?



rastiazul
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14 Nov 2011, 1:29 pm

the depression was usually there , i just dealt with it better most of the time



CyclopsSummers
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14 Nov 2011, 2:06 pm

I, too, have experienced a severe decrease of my old interests, which were wildlife and drawing. These interests sort of faded away when I reached puberty. In my late teens, after graduating from secondary school, I have repeatedly attempted to revisit and reawaken the old spark for my old interests, but with very little success. I attempted to read about animals and plants, I tried to draw a little bit; and yes, I did enjoy doing this to a certain extent, but... it just wasn't the same, wasn't as intensely felt as it was when I was a child. In the meantime, even as I continued to muddle on with my old hobbies/interests, I also introduced myself to other, new things. I started getting a little bit interested in East-Asian popular culture, starting first with Japan, South-Korea, and China, and then averting my gaze southward to Indonesia, which is also the country where my grandmother was born. My interest in Indonesia was also strengthened through the good rapport I shared with my Filipina colleague at work, since she would often tell me stories about the Philippines, which share cultural similarities with Indonesia. And now my interest for Indonesian culture and history is pretty much as full-blown as my old interests for dinosaurs, drawing or Transformers once were. I'm by no means an expert on the subject, however, I'm still pretty new to all of it, but that's also what I love about it.

The point I am trying to make here, is that if you are worried that a continually decreasing lack of interest is leading to apathy and depression, perhaps it's not a bad thing that you're losing your old interests. Perhaps that's not where your salvation lies anymore.

I, too, have felt despair when I realised that I was starting to feel depressed, and could no longer turn to my old interests for comfort, because they weren't doing it for me anymore. I managed to chase the blues away temporarily by listening to light music, by watching anime DVDs, by visiting my relatives and in particular my mother. But at the end of the day, I realised I got one life to live as the cliché goes. Since I was unemployed at this time, the first step I had to make for myself to feel a bit more secure, was get a means of livelihood. Think about the primary needs first: eating, sleeping, breathing, paying the bills. After a while, though I find my own personal time, and the intellectual and creative pursuits that belong there, far more important than a career and a job (many people are of the opposite opinion on this), I was able to walk around the streets with the notion: alright, right now there's nothing else I have to do than just be, just exist. Breathe in and breathe out. While your interests are very important, the specifications of those interests are of secondary import- the important thing is that, before you pursue anything, you feel comfortable about yourself.


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ClassicAutism89
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14 Nov 2011, 2:14 pm

I totally agree with everyone above, I use to have a strong interest in tornadoes, drawing and such when I was little. Now I just have no real interest (Expect maybe Spanish since my girlfriend lives in Spain.) I am totally dumb founded on interests, and I am starting to get really bored really quickly.

I think we just get burned out and change thoughts like any other person.



the_curmudge
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14 Nov 2011, 3:13 pm

As I've aged I've found the intensity and duration of my interests have decreased; on the other hand, that's freed resources for many more interests.



rastiazul
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14 Nov 2011, 7:03 pm

ya i like that positive view on the situation



The_Wanderer
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14 Nov 2011, 7:20 pm

It's been a few years now since I could really say I've had any "special interests" and I don't know if that's good or bad. More than likely

You said you've seen a gradual decrease in your interests. Do you mean a decrease in the number of different interests you have? or Do you mean a decrease in how much you're obsessing over your interests? or both? << That may sound really confusing sorry if it is.



rastiazul
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14 Nov 2011, 8:41 pm

both



Jory
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14 Nov 2011, 9:27 pm

I go in phases. For a month or two I'll be interested in nothing but a certain subject, a certain movie, a certain author, etc. When the phase has passed, I'm so uninterested in this subject that I can't even focus on it. And a few months later, I'll be back at it again.



IdahoRose
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14 Nov 2011, 9:52 pm

I understand how you feel. Throughout last year and through about half of this year, my primary special interest was Johnny Depp and his movies. My love for it is still there, because I've found that I can't completely abandon it without missing it terribly. But it's definitely not as intense as it was last year. It's like a burning, crackling flame that has been reduced to a smoulder that refuses to completely go out. I have found newer interests to spend time and energy (and money) on, but they can't take the place of Johnny and his movies. At this point, I doubt anything can.