Anhedonia

Anhedonia is defined by Wikipedia as the inability to experience pleasure from activities usually found enjoyable. It is most often encountered in sufferers of Depression or Schizophrenia, and has proven to be one of the most difficult and long-lasting symptoms of those illnesses. For me, it began a few years ago when activities such as watching TV shows or playing video games stopped being entertaining. Over time this spread to every other enjoyable activity, such as eating food or having a conversation, until it consumed my passion, which is music. That occurred in December of 2016, and ever since, I've been like a "shell" of a human being. All of my free time is spent browsing the internet for things I don't care about, since nothing feels rewarding. With Anhedonia, all of one's emotions are out of reach, like water under a thick layer of ice, and the best you can hope for is the vague impression of sadness or joy. The best possible feeling is when you think you've discovered a solution, though I've yet to find one. My current hope is that it will cure itself eventually due to meditation, exercise, and a good diet. Do any of you have Anhedonia? Describe your experiences in this thread, specifics are very welcome.

It can be a dopamine downregulation. Try to go to some professional and he'll prescribe you some stimulant, like Modafinil. Or, just take a 3g of psilocybe mushrooms. It seems to help a lot (check the MAPS study).

>>30 I've been meaning to see a doctor for some time now, but insurance has been very tricky to figure out. Crossing my fingers that it's as simple as that, since from the anecdotes I've read, it takes many tries to find something that has any effect on pleasure/emotions at all.

Try people too. Maybe start yoga, join an exercise group and take cooking lessons or something like that.

I didn't know that's what it's called, but I'm recovering from that currently as well. I think you're on the right path. Just don't choose a style of meditation willy nilly, since some of them are actually harmful. Like Transcendent Meditation, it is built without being understood to make money for a corporation which hides under the cover of a religious organisation. I've found vipassana great for putting yourself back together, and you can read a splendid instruction on it online for free, since they act on a principle of their religion. Link Below: http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe1-4.html And also, you should take a rest from all media. From the computer even. Learn to use the computer for only a preplanned set time, and be able to shut down the computer at that time. That is key to not falling back in old patterns. The meditation is just to teach yourself the method. You still need something to use it with. You need to relearn shaping your own enviroment.

>>30 You can't just prescribe a quantity of mushrooms like aspirins or something. They are all different, with different strengths.

>>41 >Try people too. >Over time this spread to every other enjoyable activity, such as .. having a conversation

>>73 Yep, I know, I was just trying to simplify. Also, p. cubensis is the most common, it's not like everyone will use p. azulrescens anyway.

It's tricky for me to talk about this without coming across like a pretentious twat but I've tried a lot of different things in my life from the adventurous to the creative and none of it holds any interest for me now. Nothing seems worth doing, not even basic housework let alone making significant life changes. All my friends found a niche for themselves; jobs they love, music, a long term partner, whatever. Now there's no one left because no one wants to hang out with someone who used to care about things and used to get excited about stuff and now has no interests or goals whatsoever. I still feel the need for friends but can't feign interest in any hobby or activity that I might share with them. People I used to know very well stop and chat for a minute, it's briefly pleasant but then they are on their way. I've got no news to share so why would they stay and chat? When I was younger the future was uncertain but that became an exciting challenge. The pages ahead were all blank. Now I've gotten halfway through and found the remaining pages aren't blank but torn out and thrown away. [/emo]

I dont take pleasure in getting good grades, I dont take much pleasure in finishing a work of art, I dont take much pleasure in eating, I dont take much pleasure in shopping, I dont take much pleasure in sex or drugs. But what I will say is the other day I was out of cigarettes and me and my friend started smoking butts we found in ashtrays and I was laughing about it for what felt like hours.

>>41 Really? I've tried a few different social activities within the past year, and none of them felt that good. One important detail I've figured out though is that you have to find someone you don't feel compelled to impress. If you try to hang out with someone and you feel like you must constantly come up with new jokes just to satisfy them, it's not going to work out. You have to feel relaxed, because that's when it all comes together. >>70 I've only ever done Vipassana, do you know how to tell when someone should experiment with another form? What are some beginner-friendly ones you'd recommend? >>76 You're not that emo, don't worry. It's reasonable to feel that way when you're in such a soykafty situation. I think the key is to accept that, and do the best with the cards you've been given. Don't try to think of it as anything other than a biological defect, What helps me is to imagine that there is magic still remaining in life, and we just have to find a way back to it. There's also the fact that science continues to progress, and we might have a good pill for this symptom in a few years if lucky.

>>82 Thanks. It helps to know someone at least understands.