What do you do when you're not interested in anything?

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Bataar
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25 Jun 2013, 10:02 pm

I know this seems weird for an aspie, but I'm kind of in a rut. I'm not really interested in anything at the moment (it's been a long moment, unfortunately). I just sort of lost interest in the stuff I used to be very interested in and now I'm really bored. I go to work, come home from work, watch TV and/or play a video game. That's about it right now. I want to expand myself, but am not sure how. Most people just tell me I need to get to that mythological "out there" place and don't elaborate beyond that. Some of my family will suggest taking classes or something but I can't find any that interest me enough to want to pursue them. I really enjoy fishing, but that activity is just not available anymore (I don't know anyone with a boat and there is very limited access from shore).



seaturtleisland
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25 Jun 2013, 10:49 pm

Bataar wrote:
I know this seems weird for an aspie, but I'm kind of in a rut. I'm not really interested in anything at the moment (it's been a long moment, unfortunately). I just sort of lost interest in the stuff I used to be very interested in and now I'm really bored. I go to work, come home from work, watch TV and/or play a video game. That's about it right now. I want to expand myself, but am not sure how. Most people just tell me I need to get to that mythological "out there" place and don't elaborate beyond that. Some of my family will suggest taking classes or something but I can't find any that interest me enough to want to pursue them. I really enjoy fishing, but that activity is just not available anymore (I don't know anyone with a boat and there is very limited access from shore).


Yes I get it. It's not good for your mental health (at least it isn't for me). I'm in a bit of a rut. It can make me restless and eventually drive me crazy. It is tiring to do things you're not interested in. It takes energy but you still have to do something or you'll dig yourself deeper. What I wonder is that if you don't have enough energy to try new things is that related to depression or is it AS. Is it both?



monsterland
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26 Jun 2013, 12:41 am

Bataar wrote:
I know this seems weird for an aspie, but I'm kind of in a rut. I'm not really interested in anything at the moment (it's been a long moment, unfortunately). I just sort of lost interest in the stuff I used to be very interested in and now I'm really bored. I go to work, come home from work, watch TV and/or play a video game. That's about it right now. I want to expand myself, but am not sure how. Most people just tell me I need to get to that mythological "out there" place and don't elaborate beyond that. Some of my family will suggest taking classes or something but I can't find any that interest me enough to want to pursue them. I really enjoy fishing, but that activity is just not available anymore (I don't know anyone with a boat and there is very limited access from shore).


Look into martial arts. Create something. Start a Youtube vlog. Go into a random area of the city and walk around. Find some hole-in-the-wall and order something weird off the menu.



Bataar
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26 Jun 2013, 11:30 am

seaturtleisland wrote:
Bataar wrote:
I know this seems weird for an aspie, but I'm kind of in a rut. I'm not really interested in anything at the moment (it's been a long moment, unfortunately). I just sort of lost interest in the stuff I used to be very interested in and now I'm really bored. I go to work, come home from work, watch TV and/or play a video game. That's about it right now. I want to expand myself, but am not sure how. Most people just tell me I need to get to that mythological "out there" place and don't elaborate beyond that. Some of my family will suggest taking classes or something but I can't find any that interest me enough to want to pursue them. I really enjoy fishing, but that activity is just not available anymore (I don't know anyone with a boat and there is very limited access from shore).


Yes I get it. It's not good for your mental health (at least it isn't for me). I'm in a bit of a rut. It can make me restless and eventually drive me crazy. It is tiring to do things you're not interested in. It takes energy but you still have to do something or you'll dig yourself deeper. What I wonder is that if you don't have enough energy to try new things is that related to depression or is it AS. Is it both?

I have energy, at least I don't feel like I have low energy. If I find something appealing, I'm ready to go do it, I just don't find anything appealing at the moment. I've never been the kind of person that does something just to do something. That just seems incredibly stupid to me. I feel no inclination to pay money and time to take a class for a subject that I don't find interesting (art) or already know how to do (cook). Those are just samples of suggestions I've received from family. I did forget to mention that on my off time, I take my dog for a walk a couple of times a week, but that's about it.



jojoliger
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27 Jun 2013, 11:26 am

Chess or Go (you can do both online), any kind of sport you may find interesting, meditation, reading comics or manga, try some anime or cartoons, review movies or tv shows, make a blog or a diary, learn some new recipes, learn more about something you find interesting (I read a lot of psychology), hang out with friends or neighbours...

I know how it feels like to lose interest and passion in/for things... hope you get it back soon.



scyphozoa
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28 Jun 2013, 3:07 am

i know how you feel Bataar, i'm trying to get back from this as well. been forcing myself to do some of the things i loved but it's hard.



TaoDreams
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28 Jun 2013, 1:55 pm

Bataar wrote:
I know this seems weird for an aspie, but I'm kind of in a rut. I'm not really interested in anything at the moment (it's been a long moment, unfortunately). I just sort of lost interest in the stuff I used to be very interested in and now I'm really bored. I go to work, come home from work, watch TV and/or play a video game. That's about it right now. I want to expand myself, but am not sure how. Most people just tell me I need to get to that mythological "out there" place and don't elaborate beyond that. Some of my family will suggest taking classes or something but I can't find any that interest me enough to want to pursue them. I really enjoy fishing, but that activity is just not available anymore (I don't know anyone with a boat and there is very limited access from shore).


Volunteer, you might find that you're interested in something you didn't know you were. That's how I figured out what I'm interested in even though my rut is that in my area what I'm interested in requires a socializing skillset that I don't have and am not interested in having because the process of getting it and using it involves a lot of tears and emotional pain.

(Put this in quotes so you could skip)
Quote:
For me interests equates with jobs, so my reply is related to that. When I was trying to find jobs, one thing I had a hard time with was that I wasn't interested in anything. I tried working with horses, (I couldn't find anything working with the desired animal, camels, goats or sheep en masse), but I realized that I'd rather work with a LOT of horses if that was the only animal available and wasn't stimulated by just 1-2 running around, like I needed to be surrounded by a high stimulus, upbeat environment.

I thought I'd like working with animals, but couldn't make myself excited about cleaning out cages in a fake environment. In fact I was more appalled that these animals were living in cages and not outdoors--and I realized what I enjoyed was outdoor cleaning. Or at least that was something I'd be more willing to do, though I'd rather scoop horse manure than sheep poop (raisin pellets go through the rake...annoying), that is if cleaning poop was non-optional. And while cleaning barns with a lot of horses is no fun on a really hot or really cold day, something about money makes it all worth it and...I do have a passion for money. But those things alone didn't interest me enough, there had to be a feeling a sense of doing something for the greater good. Like rescued horses, team work (friends like family), saving the planet. So my interest became activated when there was a combination of things working for me. Something that took experimentation and time to figure it out.

I could look over the values. But the problem was I was only interested in cleaning and feeding animals in an environment where my mind had to be actively filtering out all the other animals...why??? Because it's the only thing that blocks out all the other noise and the anxiety. Right. Feeding animals and chopping up their lettuce and carrots is low stimulus but I didn't mind doing that after a while because I got to interact with many of the animals and I enjoyed watching them eat and felt like their personal chef.

Now. There is no job I have found that I am interested in that people actively advertise. Like I can't feign interest when it comes to Target or Cashiering, wanting a roof over my head and money isn't enough for me. So that means I had to find a job that I was NOT interested in, but wouldn't mind doing and felt 'could' do. Dish washing was one because it's repetitive and I have an active imagination, and I like anything that has a stable routine, was a huge one. I didn't mind Dog sitting animals I KNEW WELL, and I don't know how I would fare in restaurant settings etc. Jobs I were interested in were either too low stimulus or required that I fix fences, mow, and do maintenance that I really don't know how to do and (I have a fear of mowing machines I will NEVER MOW). THUS I was left with a similar problem of: I'm interested in something, but nothing I'm interested in pays, and if it does I have to actually talk to them...*head palm* That's when I started working on trying to figure out this online income thing out--which I've made some money but not enough to pay my bills so far. Which leaves me with this...


The best way to find out what you're interested in is to go out there, and try new things. How can you know what you're interested in if you don't try some new things. Even if at the end of the day you realize that what you're interested in doesn't quite make sense, at least you're one step closer to figuring it out? I wasn't interested in volunteering at some of the places I do, and I left quite a few places because my lack of interest never grew, and in other places it did. But I know that because I tried things out. But if you're not interested in trying while not interested then that kinda doesn't really work at all :D.



Last edited by TaoDreams on 28 Jun 2013, 2:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

TaoDreams
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28 Jun 2013, 2:01 pm

Bataar wrote:
I have energy, at least I don't feel like I have low energy. If I find something appealing, I'm ready to go do it, I just don't find anything appealing at the moment. I've never been the kind of person that does something just to do something. That just seems incredibly stupid to me. I feel no inclination to pay money and time to take a class for a subject that I don't find interesting (art) or already know how to do (cook). Those are just samples of suggestions I've received from family. I did forget to mention that on my off time, I take my dog for a walk a couple of times a week, but that's about it.


The thing is (if you want to figure out what you're interested in), you'll never figure out what you're interested in if you don't try things that you're not interested in, to see if they interest you or not. Like there really isn't much that can be done there.

If you're not interested in finding things that you're interested in...then why does it bother you? (I ask a series of questions like these to myself to figure out the root of what I want): Because of how other people feel? How does their opinions affect you? How does not being interested in anything affect you?

If you want to be interested in something---would you do what it took to get that interest? Or...are you not interested in trying. Which brings me back to my original question: What do you want? To be interested in something, or to be left to your non-interest?



Seahorse
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28 Jun 2013, 2:56 pm

Have you thought about trying geocaching?