“No amount of effort can make up for a lack of interest.”
Are you the one who loses interest and enthusiasm fast? Do you start with motivation, energy, and high hopes, but lose them after a short time? It so happens that you lose interest in one of your favourite hobbies or activity. You start with a bang and end with a whimper for everything in life? Is this a recent phenomenon? Is it the result of some of your medical conditions? Or do you lose interest just like that? Or it is your practice to lose interest after some time for no reason?
It could be anything or all of it…
…So, we assess that you start a project, work, or hobby enthusiastically, but lose your enthusiasm and interest after a few days. This is something that happens to everyone and could be quite frustrating. It seems as if there is a subconscious resistance to do things that require you to leave your comfort zone.
Something might fire your enthusiasm, but you lose it, when you see how much work or changes you need to make.
If you are the one, you need to rewind your mental state and see if it is aligned properly to sustain interest. However, as a first measure, you must ask yourself some questions to seek answers.
Do you often ask yourself the following questions:
- Why do I lose interest fast?
- What are the reasons that I lose my enthusiasm quickly?
- Why do I lack enthusiasm?
- What are the reasons that I lack the motivation to act and do things?
Let me tell you first what is this state termed medically or what is the act of losing interest in everything?
Anhedonia is the lack of interest, enjoyment, or pleasure from life’s experiences. You may not want to spend time with others or do activities that previously made you happy. Anhedonia is a common symptom of many mental health conditions. It is normal when your interests change throughout your life.
“Losing interest is a sign that it’s not meant to be.”
“This time I’m going forward,
I have lost interest in what I’m doing
but I will not go back.
It is time to take the detour and move forward
It’s time I cleared everything,
It’s time to cough out and take
off the burden on my shoulders
Time to fight!”
What are the types of anhedonia?
There are two types of anhedonia:
Social: Social anhedonia occurs when you do not enjoy being around people.
Physical: Physical anhedonia occurs when physical touch, smells, or sounds do not bring you joy. Examples include listening to music, eating food, or having sex.
What does anhedonia feel like?
If you experience anhedonia, you may not “feel” — like there is an emptiness where you expect your feelings to be. It may feel as if you are being followed by a dark cloud that is blocking the sunlight.
This can take the form of:
- Numbness
- Boredom
- Apathy
- Negativity
In addition, you may have trouble sleeping, which can affect your mood and ability to accomplish your daily routine.
What conditions cause anhedonia as a symptom?
Anhedonia can be a symptom of the following conditions:
- Depression.
- Schizophrenia.
- Bipolar disorder.
- Substance use disorder.
- Parkinson’s disease.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Traumatic brain injury.
What causes anhedonia?
Research is ongoing to learn more about the causes of anhedonia. Studies suggest that it could result from a lack of activity in your brain’s ventral striatum. This area of your brain sits above and behind your ears. It contains the “pleasure centre” of your brain that receives and produces dopamine. Dopamine is the “feel-good” hormone. A change to the activity in this area of your brain can affect how you perceive rewards, like being around other people or participating in certain activities.
Indeed, you need to reach out to an expert to avoid reaching alarming proportions, like you start losing interest in life itself.
Before that, you can start working out on keeping your enthusiasm alive by taking a few immediate steps:
As a practical person, use your common sense and think clearly before starting any project. This will help avoid frustration if you discover after a little while that you are not interested in this project. Also, you can accept the fact that everything worthwhile requires studying, working, sacrificing certain other activities, and doing things that you don’t like doing.
This way before investing time and effort in any new project, you need to be sure that you want to do it. You need to be certain that it is not just a temporary whim. This can save you time and frustration.
Here, persistence plays the most important role. This might be difficult, but you must resolve to continue and stand by your decisions. If you do not give up, you will start to make progress. Your motivation and enthusiasm will grow when you see that you are making progress.
It would help if you strengthened your willpower and self-discipline. Often, when there is a lack of motivation, willpower, and self-discipline would carry you forward, to your goal.
Another important aspect to overcome this condition is to practice “Meditation.” It may sound strange but it is very effective as it helps you increase your focus and concentration. This would help you keep your attention focused on what you want to accomplish, despite distractions and inner resistance.
Many times, it is difficult for you to practice by yourself, in such a scenario, opt for professional help so that results are visible and you become one with the process.
For professional meditation techniques, you can touch base with HappyHO’s
Ms. Monika Shankar
Mobile: 9953943223
