Ever had those moments....

[EternalStrife]

Where you feel like you had no momentum in life. Like your current plans for yourself doesn't appeal so much anymore? It's like you have this idea for your future, but you suddenly don't want to go through with it and just desparately wish no longer to face life and wonder just why oh why you had to come into this world. /forums/images/icons/frown.gif

This seems like a moot point , but I think I'm going to regret posting this....

[Zens_7s]

Yeah. I have those thoughts more often than I like to admit. I think it is normal to question your own trajectory, especially when things are not going very well.

If you didn't have moments when you felt debilitated and downright shitty it would mean you are not a person who pays much attention to the realities of life. If you are feeling really bad right now then figure out what isn't working and start working to change it. Working on and having a new plan is one of the best ways to end a bout of depression.

My friends would tell you that about once every two-four months I just hole up and feel really sorry for myself. Some of my best decisions have come out of those few days of crappiness. Keep your chin up buddy. You can figure this out.

[Mighty_Wingman]

I used to ... then I turned sixteen .

But seriously , and I know it sounds easier than it is but if you don't like what you're doing , DO SOMETHING ELSE.
I mean killing people for money is not really a growth industry anyway and sooner or later you'll get caught or shot without legal/medical insurance.
I know what you're thinking ." Well what about prostition ? "
Same thing, no real advancement potential no 401k/ medical/dental plus you have to work evenings and weekends.
Okay fine you say " What about computer programmer ? "
Sure , It's all normal , a bit boring until one day Morpheus shows up and tells you, you have to save the world. And then you have to live up to everyones'
"expectations."

All of us Hate our place in the world at various points of our life . But if you don't fill that spot in , it could cause a paradox and the very fabric of our space/time continuum will unravel and all life in the universe could cease to exist !!!

Just remember dude everything is temporary even that twelve pack of " Dos Equis " I just bought , er um finished.

[in_diana_jones]

and you have A.D.D...

[Omaru]

What works for me is to do something I usually enjoy doing, that cheers me up and makes me want to go back, or just sitting down thinking about it, which can worsen the situation sometimes. Maybe just thinking about it makes you casually divert your attention from it, that happened to me before. It's probably going to happen to you on many occasions though.

I'm not sure how or why we are all here, but I think we owe it to ourselves to make the best of this good or bad situation. It's a once in a lifetime experience.

[Zens_7s]

...and so do you. And so do I. And so do most of the creative people/Type A personalities in the world. What's your point?

[silverchairgrl]

yea, all the time now, since my boyfriend turned into a lying sack of shit, well EX, but everything has been going wrong in my life, the only think keeping me alive is my best friend tara, and our band /forums/images/icons/frown.gif <font color="black"> </font color>

[EternalStrife]

It's not a matter of feeling good or bad, happy or depressed. It's just a sense of disconnectedness. The feeling of having absolutely no inclination to go through with life. Having no particular goal or purpose to strive for or having them but not certain that it's what you want to do or why. The only reason of following the plan you are on now is just because you have nothing else better to look forward to. So you just walk the path because you're already on it.

[ratm1966]

I always wanted to make a deal with the Devil so I could win the Powerball. But since that hasn't happened, my goal in life is to do what I am doing now for the military, but as a civilian making about 2-3 times the money. Oh yeah, and doing less work.

[Zens_7s]

That sounds pretty serious Eternal. I am not sure what will help at those times. Everybody does go through a crisis of direction in their life. Maybe your time is now. Plus, any major holiday can be a downer when you are going solo.

I am a big fan of counselling, especially if you are still in college. They provide it for free.

[Threadkiller]

Well, I think a lot of us have stopped occasionally and realized that the things we were working towards so hard weren't really the things we wanted.

Figuring out what you really want can be harder than it sounds. Think about times you have smiled in the past. Think about things you really really felt passionate about. Those times when you knew without a doubt that it was good to be alive. Those are the things that will remind you what's important to you and what is worth working towards.

Sounds trite, but it's true. At least in my case. A best friend and a band don't hurt either.

[marksiwel]

Okay this is the worst advice ever. So bear with me

You ever try just making an ass of yourslef?
I mean really REALLY a BIG HORSES ASS! Like when you see someone on a cell phone , pull out your wallet and start screaming cell phone talk into it? (Examples BUY !SELL! YES I KNOW I AM TALKING TO A WALLET! AND THATS HOW I LOST MY LEFT BALL!)
Or Going into a pool hall and betting on a game and then LOSE REALLY BAD! I mean like oh my god have you ever played pool before bad?

Or going into Mc Donalds and asking for a carmel Sunday, Then saying you asked for fudge. Then admiting you were wrong and that you want a fudge sunday anyway.

Basically do things you shouldnt/couldnt/wouldnt do. Go to the Police Station and ask for a ride along. Say whatever it takes to get one

Go to a random house claim you used to live there and ask for a tour.

Call into work sick on a day your not working. Then when they point it out, ask if you can work that day. If they say yes, say your sick and you cant. If they say No, tell them you couldnt anyway because your sick.

Answer the phone "This is __________ what do you want for christmas?"

Go into a Catholic church and pass out pamplets for Judism.

Burst into song in public.

You feel detached, we all do. Have fun with it. If your laying in bed and you dont want to get up. Then dont. And when you do, do whatever you want. GO into the Lazy Boy store and sit there for as long as you want. When they ask you what you are doing say "applying for a job, am I lazy enough?" then RUN SCREAMING from the store. JUST DONT GO to a Doctor and let him DRUG you up. It wont solve anything. Do something creative and you should feel better. Watch a french film without the subtitles and try and figure it out. Then watch it again with the subtitles and see how close you got.

-This is Mark L. Lewis signing out.

[Razorback]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
yea, all the time now, since my boyfriend turned into a lying sack of shit, well EX, but everything has been going wrong in my life, the only think keeping me alive is my best friend tara, and our band

[/ QUOTE ]

I feel your pain... but focus on the positive. As you get older you begin to notice that life is full of negatives... I think I was 28 before I accepted that no matter how bad things get that I can weather any storm. If only I could have accepted that at 16, my life would have been so much easier. /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

RB

[Droogan_Leader]

ES, this one goes out to you.


Hello.
Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone home?

Come on, now.
I hear you're feeling down.
Well I can ease your pain,
Get you on your feet again.

Relax.
I need some information first.
Just the basic facts:
Can you show me where it hurts?

There is no pain, you are receding.
A distant ship's smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're sayin'.
When I was a child I had a fever.
My hands felt just like two balloons.
Now I got that feeling once again.
I can't explain, you would not understand.
This is not how I am.
I have become comfortably numb.

Okay.
Just a little pinprick.
There'll be no more --Aaaaaahhhhh!
But you may feel a little sick.

Can you stand up?
I do believe it's working. Good.
That'll keep you going for the show.
Come on it's time to go.

There is no pain, you are receding.
A distant ship's smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're sayin'.
When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse,
Out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look but it was gone.
I cannot put my finger on it now.
The child is grown, the dream is gone.
I have become comfortably numb.

[psychofiend]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Where you feel like you had no momentum in life.

[/ QUOTE ]
Ummm... I don't remember the last time I felt like I had a momentum in life.

[Omaru]

Dunno if this sounds odd, but sometimes I imagine myself from a 3rd person perspective watching myself doing things that I'm doing now, as if I'm already dead and playing my life back to myself. It's a very weird and discomforting feeling.

[karmattack]

If you've ever had an anxiety attack, the same thing happens only you can't do anything about it. I've had a couple anxiety attacks and they are no fun. It's like, suddenly I "snapped to" and I'd been sucked out of myself and had to take a minute to remember how I got there. Then, overwhelming paranoia and trying to act like nothing is wrong. Basically, it's like the effect of smoking way too much pot without actually smoking anything.
What you're talking about doesn't sound odd. It's kind of important to alter your perspective once in a while and view things differently.
Just as long as you don't start calling yourself Sybil or Tyler when you do it.

[Omaru]

my words coming out of karma's mouth /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

[karmattack]

Hey, we have the same number of posts. Did I tell you I make and sell soap?

[Omaru]

That was the best single serving post I've read.

[EternalStrife]

I have no problems with my life. There's nothing wrong with it. It's just that I see no reason that I should go through with it. I don't want to go through life and just end up dying. Not that I have anything to fear from death. In fact, I see it as an elevation from my current situation. It's pointless to go through life and end before everything else does. I am certain that everyone has wondered what it would be like to see to end of existence and finally discover what it is all about. I just see life as wasteful without know what it means to exist.

[Droogan_Leader]

So it really comes down to your existential dread..

If it's not a slump, and you tend to overanalyze things a lot, and you wonder what the point of your life is, you should've been a philosophy major.

Really, everyone needs to feel like they have some kind of purpose here. Different people find purpose in different ways. If you want an answer to your question, it's your job to go find it. Anyone telling you what to do won't feel as good to you as it would to go out and find that answer for yourself.

[Omaru]

I'm thinking along the same lines as Eternal here, how exactly would we know what to look for in the terms of an answer. I think theres many things we can answer with a 'what' or 'how', but never really 'why'.
It just seems like we are here to copulate like rabbits and pass on our DNA so another future generation can question there pointless existence and do pretty much everything we did.

[Threadkiller]

Let me ask this then.

Let's say there is a something we will find after our existence here. Whether it's a higher plane or an afterlife or whatever. Wouldn't that imply that our existence here serves some kind of purpose in that greater existence? And further, wouldn't our being so lost and confused here be part of that?

Is it possible to believe that life here is some random and meaningless thing within a greater scheme? I mean, even if life is just a bonus round in a greater video game it means we have some kind of purpose. To have fun. And besides, I don't know if this is my last quarter so I'm going to try and enjoy this bonus round as much and as long as I can.

[Droogan_Leader]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
how exactly would we know what to look for in the terms of an answer

[/ QUOTE ]
Well, my worldview has been challenged, and I have doubted where, when, why and so on. I think TK touched on a vital point, that it's very possible we have a purpose here.

I've said before I'm a Christian--I'll say that so nobody thinks I'm being subversive. Where I depart from many Christians is in my belief, which is biblically-based, that our lives here aren't meant to be spent waiting for eternal bliss in the afterlife.

My favorite verse of the Bible is Romans 8:28, and it says, "All things work together for good, for those who love God and are called to His purpose."

That fulfills my desire for meaning here. I don't mean to be preachy, but if you want my answer, which is the Bible's answer (if I may be so bold), there it is.

The beauty of free will is that you make the choice what you believe. It doesn't have to be perfectly right or wrong--nobody has a monopoly on absolute truth. It is a search that mankind has undertaken since the beginning of time. Welcome to the human race. I will say this--you're one step ahead, being that you acknowledge your fears. People who hide from them in a vain effort to forget they will die one day, and that they lack a feeling of purpose, are the types who would have you give up your search for truth, and sink into mediocrity with them. Christ said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." I think that kind of liberty, which grants knowledge and freedom, is worth seeking out. I say keep on searching.