Most probably you have already experienced a stage in your life when you do not want to do anything. During this phase, nothing sounds good and interesting to you and even activities that used to provide you with joy and happiness are no longer interesting to you. Even well-intentioned suggestions from your family or close friends might make you a little cranky.
In the vast majority of cases, these feelings are temporary and they could be triggered by stress of extremely busy life (busier than usual). A long lasting apathy (loss of interest) or less pleasure from usually enjoyable activities might signal that there is something more serious happening. The following section of this article focuses on depicting the main tips on how to deal with “do not want to do anything” issue.
1. Accept it
Pain doctors say that in some cases not wanting to do anything is just a body’s way of asking for rest. This is normally the case when a person was pushing him/herself to extreme limits, which in turn caused emotional burnout. In this case, self-compassion is a key. You should give your body rest as a prize for all the hard work. In this situation, you can do anything that makes you feel relaxed, including sleeping, scrolling though your favourite social media apps, playing with a pet and so on.
2. Go for a Walk
Pain management specialists claim that simply walking around can assist in resetting your mood. Sitting on the bench and spending time in nature have numerous benefits. It is also believed that in order to motivate yourself to do anything it is needed to change the environment. Therefore, instead of resting on the bed for the whole day, you can visit your favourite restaurant or walk in a park.
3. Assess Your Emotional State
In order to determine the reasons why you do not want to do anything, it is extremely important to explore your emotions. This is especially helpful if you have felt like not wanting to do anything for several days. In order to assess your emotions in a better way, you can ask yourself the following questions:
• Am I angry or frustrated?
• Am I lonely or sad?
• Am I hopeless?
• Am I worried, anxious or nervous about something?
Any of the aforementioned feelings can occupy your brain and make it very difficult to think about anything else. Try doing some research about your feelings even when the results do not make that much sense to you.
You need to be able to connect your emotions with specific situations. It is essential to understand what is covering behind these emotions as it will help you to either find possible solutions or accept that certain things are beyond your control.
4. Meditate
Without any doubt, you can say that meditation is actually doing something. But it is not necessarily true. You should think of it in terms of doing nothing in a purposeful way. You should keep in mind that it is not easy in the beginning as it will get you closer to all your emotions. But meditation will help you to better notice them and accept them without letting them pull you down or without judging yourself.
6. Socialise With People
Simple dialog with your family or your friends can help with fighting “do not want to do anything” problem. However, you should be aware that different people will use different methods in an attempt to help. Thus, it is highly important to get in touch with a person for your specific situation. For instance, if you need advice, you should contact someone who always has lots of advice. If you simply want to chill, reach out to someone who is great at empathic listening.
6. Listen to Relaxing Music
You might probably know that music is sometimes used to treat some mental disorders. It helps to fill the silence and make you think about something when you do not feel like doing anything. Normally, your favourite music will energize or excite you but in this situation you should better listen to relaxing music. This is because it will help your brain relax and improve your memory and attention. As was mentioned above, music can also be a great way to reduce symptoms of depression and pain.
7. Try Doing Something Really Easy
In this situation, boring and unpleasant activities like bills or errands can put you even more down. You should try doing some easy activities instead. These include watching a TV, scrolling your favourite social media apps and website or cooking. Specialists say that doing something really easy can help to break a person out of this “do not want to do anything” state.
8. Inspect Your Needs
According to psychotherapists, inability to meet physical and emotional needs can make a person feel a little off and lethargic. Thus, you should ask yourself the following questions:
1. Am I hungry?
2. Do I need to drink water?
3. Do I need more sleep?
4. Does anything stress me out or upsets me?
5. Do I feel better around people?
6. Do I need more time alone?
Your answers will determine whether you need to set aside some time for self-care.
9. Make a Schedule
Scheduling can help to fight consistent “do not want to do anything” or if you have hard time taking care of responsibilities. It is recommended to use a planner in order to write down all the tasks that have to be done as well as all the meetings that you have. Apart from listing the aforementioned down, you should also have a clear schedule in order to know when it should be done. There is no need to count every minute of your day (unless it helps you) but you should definitely design general time blocks for:
1. Waking up
2. Getting ready for the day
3. Making food
4. Work, school, university, household responsibilities
5. Social activities like spending time with your friends or playing sports games
6. Going to bed
You should also keep in mind that there is no need to be hard on yourself if you fail to stick to the schedule. It might just signal that some things need to be reworked or more time needs to be devoted for certain tasks.
10. Read a Book
As was already mentioned, doing nothing sometimes is really okay. But if you feel guilty for not doing anything or you just feel that you are wasting time, reading a book can be a key to feel more productive. It is especially the case if it is a nonfiction book on a topic you are interested in. It might be also the case that you feel like not even able to hold a book (it also happens), you can consider audiobooks or e-books.
To conclude all the aforementioned, it can be said that not wanting to do anything is totally okay, unless it is a continuous state. If this state continues for several days, it might be a sign of a depression.
Depression normally does not disappear without support from a mental health professional. Therefore, it is highly recommended to talk to a therapist if the aforementioned tips do not help. Anxiety can also be a cause of “do not want to do anything” problem.
Read More:
6 habits to motivate yourself for changes
4 self-care tips for any busy young lady
Fight with depression like a warrior
Anti-stress hacks: how to really enjoy in your bath
