Help!! I don't feel like doing anything

[gibbled]

Have a look at this and see if it helps the world make more sense...

[CNe7532294]

It's called 'depression' and this isn't the place to get help.  Find a mental health professional and do it soon!

This is too quick to judge just based on a few days ago, MrOmnos just lost all motivation.  I've been around for 48 years and had a few bad weeks throughout my life.  Hell, I had a entire bad month once.  I would say if this happens on the odd occasion, it's nothing too bad.  If it is a weekly or monthly occurrence, then something much larger is at play.

Not to be rude or anything but I do take this very seriously. You might be right that we might be judging this wrong but you can also be wrong as well. Everyone is different and the times are most certainly different as well. Honestly we don't know MrOmnos personally enough to make a call (even if you've physically met the person). If you do make that call you own the outcome good and bad both legally (its very possible that we can be sued fyi) and/or personally. Another thing is that we're electronic enthusiasts or experts. Not psychological experts by any means. About my friend, she acted absolutely normal around a lot of people of various ages till we found out the next day she killed herself. We gave the usual advice and even stuck with her close till we thought she was "fine".

Again I don't mean to be rude or disrespectful. I know you mean the best but we need to be very cautious about this. The way OP posted is kinda worrying. I don't mean to single you out either. Theres some bad advice from others on here like exercise. Nepal is a mountainous country. If your mind is on other things its very easy to have an accident.

@MrOmnos go to your parents, tell them how you feel. They are the only people in the entire world who love and care about you the most. You are priority #1 to them no matter what. If its beyond their abilities then do seek real help. This blog isn't the place for real psychological help. We mean well with our help. There are some great people on here but our help can backfire in bad ways or not help at all. We can definitely help you with any electronics related problems though. That is what we do. Hope you feel better.

[HalFET]

I'm willing to give you some of my problems if you need some of them to get motivated 

But to be serious for a minute, I think we all feel like that occasionally. The question is indeed how long it's been going on, if it's just a few days it might be time to go out and do something, if it's been lasting for a few weeks you should look into getting some help. If the latter is taboo in your country, there are usually online chats or telephone services ran by NGOs where you can have a talk with someone about how you've been feeling. Doesn't necessarily need to be your parents that you talk to, just go for someone you trust that can help you sort out your thoughts. And above all, don't forget to laugh! (Being too serious about everything ain't a good idea.)

[aargee]

Lots of good advice to ‘cherry pick’ from in these replies but know this...

You probably have ‘the knack’ - whether you like it or not, it will bite you again. You will suddenly see/hear/feel something that will hook you - an ‘I can do/fix that’ moment that will spin your wheels.

In the short term, experience something you would not likely look at, it will be a distraction, but often leads to inspiration.

E.g Not everyones idea of fun but I’ve just decided to service my old car instead of using a mechanic, which lead to this ...

“Oil change for the Pajero this afternoon and notice the inspection cover is missing off the clutch housing... so, what the heck - I’ll design and 3D print my own.
Fitted like a glove.
Not too bad - if I do say so myself!

Tech details: Printed in TPU with , used calipers to measure, Sketch Up to design, printed in 3 hours.”

[calexanian]

I have the same problem since I work in electronics, and had a hobby of more electronics I have taken up a few non electronics hobbies I enjoy when the solder state gets a little tiring. I prospect for gold (I live in California) I took up welding and fabrication, and that has been very handy, and found I have a knack for restoring cars. I want to do a few more then I may try a full electric restoration/conversion. I do have to spear my free time around wisely though, because there is not much of it to begin with.  I will say this however. I did not have patience until the prospecting. Its the most Zen thing out there. 

[@rt]

At some point we lived to survive, and serve our Gods, and Human masters who represented those Gods.
Despite out flaws we’ve generally come a long way from there.

Your knowledge and influence is perpetuated by other people, otherwise knowledge couldn’t be recorded or taught,
every generation would be starting from scratch, we’d have no industrial revolution, and you couldn’t have posted your message.

I wonder how many people over all, made posting your message possible? How many thousands?
From the development of soft core ferrite inductors in your computer, to software algorithms, laws and their formulas in software,
understanding of RF for the wireless.... all of that in combination does seem to make any one element look rather small.

[MrOmnos]

Thank You guys for your advice. It feels good to talk to like minded people with similar interest and get some good advice. I am a single guy so definitely not getting kids. Haha thanks for the suggestion tho. I live alone away from home and from my parents so sometimes I guess the loneliness gets me. I have several friends, I talk to them regularly, I hang out with them and have fun. I am always afraid I will never get anywhere in my country. There is no demand for electronics engineers here. So, there's always a fear I will end up a failure while most of my friends are leaving the country one by one and settling abroad. Some are doctors, some got accepted to ivy leagues etc. And I am happy for them but it also takes away my confidence sometimes. I don't even have good grades to apply for decent university abroad. It's like I am stuck here.

But I guess I will have to find a way and do something by myself here in my country. Get back my shattered confidence and do something worth while for myself. Thank you very much.

[@rt]

I’m 43 years old, saw little value in high school, and left for a job part way through my final year.
Here I am now undertaking High school Maths B & English to qualify for entry for a technical Uni degree.

My heart is in electronics, but I don’t anticipate any future in it in my country,
so I’m looking in a crossover course with elements of Electronics and Computing.

[BrianHG]

@MrOmnos, have you ever considered designing your own electronic gadget & run a small side business marketing and selling it?

[TerraHertz]

@MrOmnos. Just a quick question. Have you spent a lot of time indoors lately, and had very little sun exposure? It's winter in Nepal now, right?

There's a thing called seasonal disaffective disorder. In countries that get snow-bound and short daylight hours in winter, people suffer from this a lot. A few years ago the cause was found to be low vitamin D levels, due to no sun exposure. Vitamin D in humans is produced in the skin by UV light. Vitamin D is a critical metabolic regulator, with many influences in the immune system, calcium regulation, and perhaps significantly to you, mood. Vitamin D deficiency can cause severe depression.

Simple ways to find out if that's your problem:
 - You can have a doctor do a vitamin D levels blood test.
 - Just get some sunlight. A few hours a day for a week can make a huge difference.
 - Buy vitamin D3 capsules, 1000 IU. Take at least 2 a day. Some vitamin C could be a good idea too.

My experience in this: I have an unusual life-external-difficulty situation to which neither I nor anyone else aware of it (including lawyers, police, etc) have been able to find a solution. It's quite depressing. If I *don't* get enough vitamin D, the emotional result isn't very pleasant. Vitamin D definitely works to improve mood.

Personally I find that just getting outside (hiking or whatever outdoors energetic activity you enjoy) also helps a lot.

[Psi]

i agree, doing a easy-medium hike up a mountain can really refresh you, by yourself or with a friend.

I really like mountains where the first half of the hike is forest and the second half has snow. Those are always nice. Bonus points if the top of the mountain is above cloud cover.

[@rt]

It sounds like you’re familiar with the illusion that you could walk across the cloud from one peak to another.

i agree, doing a easy-medium hike up a mountain can really refresh you, by yourself or with a friend.

I really like mountains where the first half of the hike is forest and the second half has snow. Those are always nice. Bonus points if the top of the mountain is above cloud cover.

[TerraHertz]

Bonus points if the top of the mountain is above cloud cover.

ALL the points, if the mountain top is above the clouds, it's a full moon at night, and there are no other mountains.

So far, only once in my life. I should try harder.

[tszaboo]

But I guess I will have to find a way and do something by myself here in my country. Get back my shattered confidence and do something worth while for myself. Thank you very much.

Look. If your country is not suitable for you, then change. I guess it is easier here in Europe, but if you are convinced then nothing is impossible. I am from East Europe, and I've been living here for 5 years. There are other forum members, who left their father/motherland and moved somewhere else. It shouldn't be "out of question".
If it doesn't allow you a certain lifestyle, you don't have jobs, people are shooting at each other on the daily basis, or you don't feel safe, or politics heads in a way that you cannot get behind... You stand up and go. You are 25 years young, not married, don't own a house. Perfect time.
Talk to the others, who left. If you ask them honestly, how they feel, they will tell you. They could tell, how much money do you need, how to prepare emotionally and in the head. Travel around. Going somewhere very different can totally change your world view.
"Wow, people can live their life like this. Wow, actually, I can live my life like this."

[John Heath]

Thank You guys for your advice. It feels good to talk to like minded people with similar interest and get some good advice. I am a single guy so definitely not getting kids. Haha thanks for the suggestion tho. I live alone away from home and from my parents so sometimes I guess the loneliness gets me. I have several friends, I talk to them regularly, I hang out with them and have fun. I am always afraid I will never get anywhere in my country. There is no demand for electronics engineers here. So, there's always a fear I will end up a failure while most of my friends are leaving the country one by one and settling abroad. Some are doctors, some got accepted to ivy leagues etc. And I am happy for them but it also takes away my confidence sometimes. I don't even have good grades to apply for decent university abroad. It's like I am stuck here.

But I guess I will have to find a way and do something by myself here in my country. Get back my shattered confidence and do something worth while for myself. Thank you very much.

You wanted help but what you ended up doing is helping myself and many others . You are the best 

[Mr. Scram]

Thank You guys for your advice. It feels good to talk to like minded people with similar interest and get some good advice. I am a single guy so definitely not getting kids. Haha thanks for the suggestion tho. I live alone away from home and from my parents so sometimes I guess the loneliness gets me. I have several friends, I talk to them regularly, I hang out with them and have fun. I am always afraid I will never get anywhere in my country. There is no demand for electronics engineers here. So, there's always a fear I will end up a failure while most of my friends are leaving the country one by one and settling abroad. Some are doctors, some got accepted to ivy leagues etc. And I am happy for them but it also takes away my confidence sometimes. I don't even have good grades to apply for decent university abroad. It's like I am stuck here.

But I guess I will have to find a way and do something by myself here in my country. Get back my shattered confidence and do something worth while for myself. Thank you very much.

Talk to your friends and learn from them, but don't compare yourself to them as if they're a universal standard. They live their lives, you live yours. Your paths will be different, will have to be different, but that doesn't mean that they have different values. Share happy moments with them, but don't live through them.

Some of the most accomplished people feel empty inside. They achieve everything there is and are still wanting. Why do you think super rich people start charities, doing things that will further mankind instead of themselves? That's because social and financial success isn't everything.

You'll need to figure out what's important to you. What makes you happy in life? It doesn't have to be what everyone thinks it is. Something as simply as taking care of someone else can be your driving force, or making something nice, or finding peace in a quiet place. Don't be fooled by others and what they want. Small dreams are dreams too and equally valid. It's your life.

[theleakydiode]

I have been working on several projects. But since few days ago, I don't feel like doing anything. I am 25 years old. My parents are the best parents one can have. I am neither poor nor rich. I am fortunate to have food on my plate and roof over my head. But I just feel like I have no purpose. Whenever I try to do something, I feel like for what? For whom? Why? I have no motivation left. I feel like if I were to disappear today, it wouldn't matter. Why learn things when it doesn't matter? Why sit for hours and solder inhaling fumes? Why wake up at nights fixing your code? Why do anything? The world doesn't care. No one cares. I am sorry if I am breaking rules and posting it here. I just wanted to share this with someone.

I'm probably going to get banned for saying this, but it sounds like you need some female company   

@MrOmnos. Just a quick question. Have you spent a lot of time indoors lately, and had very little sun exposure? It's winter in Nepal now, right?

There's a thing called seasonal disaffective disorder. In countries that get snow-bound and short daylight hours in winter, people suffer from this a lot. A few years ago the cause was found to be low vitamin D levels, due to no sun exposure. Vitamin D in humans is produced in the skin by UV light. Vitamin D is a critical metabolic regulator, with many influences in the immune system, calcium regulation, and perhaps significantly to you, mood. Vitamin D deficiency can cause severe depression.

Simple ways to find out if that's your problem:
 - You can have a doctor do a vitamin D levels blood test.
 - Just get some sunlight. A few hours a day for a week can make a huge difference.
 - Buy vitamin D3 capsules, 1000 IU. Take at least 2 a day. Some vitamin C could be a good idea too.

My experience in this: I have an unusual life-external-difficulty situation to which neither I nor anyone else aware of it (including lawyers, police, etc) have been able to find a solution. It's quite depressing. If I *don't* get enough vitamin D, the emotional result isn't very pleasant. Vitamin D definitely works to improve mood.

Personally I find that just getting outside (hiking or whatever outdoors energetic activity you enjoy) also helps a lot.

How does that work with countries like the UK which are very far from the equator? Would we ever receive enough sunlight for vitamin D production here?

[TerraHertz]

How does that work with countries like the UK which are very far from the equator? Would we ever receive enough sunlight for vitamin D production here?

I'm not an expert on this. But do recall reading of studies which found people in Western societies are often vitamin D deficient. It used to be the medical establishment thought 'any amount enough to avoid getting Rickets' was fine. But it's now recognized that healthy vit-D levels are much higher than that. As a result, for westerners taking vit-D supplements was found widely beneficial, with statistical reductions across a wide variety of illnesses.

Here's my collection of relevant links:
  http://everist.org/archives/links/__Vitamin_D_links.txt
  http://everist.org/archives/links/__Vitamin_D_max.txt
 

[Psi]

Yep vitamin D is very beneficial and most people who work inside are quite low in it.

It's not patentable so you won't find drug company's promoting the health benefits of taking D. There's no money to be made and there is money to be lost if people have less health issues needing medication.

Do your own research it's quite interesting

[MrOmnos]

Talk to your friends and learn from them, but don't compare yourself to them as if they're a universal standard. They live their lives, you live yours. Your paths will be different, will have to be different, but that doesn't mean that they have different values. Share happy moments with them, but don't live through them.

That helped alot. Thankyou!!

[CopperCone]

I get this when i feel that there is someone mimicing me or if there is an off the shel solution to what im doing. It is often fruitful to find reasons why your work is unique

[Red Squirrel]

Yep vitamin D is a big one at this time of year, well most of winter really.  Days are too short so if you work you don't see daylight at all for days since it's dark when you go to work and dark when you get home.  At least for me that's how it is. I can go a week without seeing daylight.    So try to take vitamin D supplements.  Interestingly, red heads like me do produce vitamin D more effectively, or so I read anyway.  I still take supplements though as not seeing any daylight I won't produce much either way.

[theleakydiode]

Its funny as although I live in a very northerly latitude like you Red Squirrel, vitamin D supplements are not very popular around here. I think we just have a culture here of putting up and shutting up.

[hans]

I think it's probably best to seek professional help if one doesn't find comfort talking with relatives about this. But here are my 2 cents:

I think everyone has ups and downs. Sometimes playing some games or watching mindless shit on TV is fine for a week. I am sure that for most it will get better by then.
After a short time off, I usually get the spirit of creating or learning something new again, and I get back into my rhythm. Just remember that your energy source is not infinite..

However, sometimes this isn't always enough. Sometimes you just need to give time to other things in life, as those are equally important.

From personal experience, I did learn a few dangers in being "busy" with engineering all the time.

Look, a doctor/psychologist will probably say that finding distractions is good while feeling a bit down or bored. And I agree.. But it can also mean that other things in life won't get any progress. These can be things in social life, maybe moving out, or processing emotions from the past. Sometimes it can take some digging to get to the roots of your desires and feelings, and what is stopping you in living up to that, especially if you're busy all the time . Now I'm not saying that this is the case for you; but that can be hard to judge, even on your self. This is where a psychologist and talking can help out, but I can imagine this could be a bit of step.

Furthermore, don't put all your eggs in 1 basket! During my early 20s, I used to be doing electronics & software all day; for my education, at home, etc. In college I was doing great, I felt like I was 2 steps ahead of most classmates. But when you forcibly need to pause your hobbies for a while, the constant busy-work made room for a very apparent large void.

That's why I would advise to try develop other interests or activities. Not just as a distraction now (as mentioned), but also long-term. It's all about balance. Try to find a sport you can pick up and find enjoyable. Go out for a (long) walk everyday. Look around in nature; e.g. I personally like amateur photography (just using my smartphone), because it really forces you to think about what you see. Pick up reading books, or try writing poetry. Listen to new music that you can fully enjoy. Go visit a concert. Etcetera.
There are so many things to do without touching a soldering iron or a piece of code.
Despite being a perfectionist, I feel like things outside of engineering have to be much less perfect, which makes things much simpler

[bd139]

Its funny as although I live in a very northerly latitude like you Red Squirrel, vitamin D supplements are not very popular around here. I think we just have a culture here of putting up and shutting up.

Alcohol is the trademark antidepressant of the UK. And no it doesn't work!

I get pretty miserable in the winter too. Might buy some vitamin D and see what happens. Probably very expensive piss generated.