Anyone else have anhedonia (lack of enjoyment)? What are some ways to help with it?

[iloverachel]

I know one of the most common symptoms of depression is losing interest in the things you once found enjoyable, and over the past many years I have found that to be so true.

One of the worst things I hate about depression is I just simply don't enjoy anything at all, and find everything incredibly boring and pointless.

One of my biggest hobbies of mines prior to being depressed were lifting weights and mixed martial arts. These days i still lift weights, but i mainly do it as a habit and it feels like a chore rather than an enjoyable hobby. I also lost interest in MMA and rarely watch the sport these days.

Not only do i no longer find old hobbies enjoyable, i don't find anything else fun at all.

Over the past few years, I have tried bowling, rock climbing, watching movies, playing games, going swimming, going for walks, boxing, playing pool, karaoke, eating at restaurants, playing chess, writing, reading books, listening to music, volunteering, learning a different language, fishing, trying different sports like rugby etc.

I enjoyed none of it and nothing at all.

Can Anhedonia be cured? Anyone else have it? What has worked for your anhedonia symptoms?

Life really sucks when you have no enjoyable hobbies to look forward to.

Thanks in advance and thanks for reading and listening

 

[Aurelia]

Everything can be cured. Or at the least treated. Have hope because things can change. They changed once, didn't they? Take positive steps toward your mental health and you should see a difference.

 

[BarryW]

I have been thinking about this topic a lot for the last couple years. Part of me now thinks that it was silly of me to expect to be able to do the same type of activity for my entire life and keep enjoying it. I've been looking for new hobbies but haven't found one that grabbed me yet.

Theoretically, if I stop doing the old hobbies, then with all my free time, I would be forced to find something new to fill it. But in practice, with my mental health challenges, that becomes dangerous very quickly and I fall back on old hobbies even if they bore me, because it's safer than sitting idle and lost in my thoughts.

 

[Winslow]

I know one of the most common symptoms of depression is losing interest in the things you once found enjoyable, and over the past many years I have found that to be so true.

One of the worst things I hate about depression is I just simply don't enjoy anything at all, and find everything incredibly boring and pointless.

One of my biggest hobbies of mines prior to being depressed were lifting weights and mixed martial arts. These days i still lift weights, but i mainly do it as a habit and it feels like a chore rather than an enjoyable hobby. I also lost interest in MMA and rarely watch the sport these days.

Not only do i no longer find old hobbies enjoyable, i don't find anything else fun at all.

Over the past few years, I have tried bowling, rock climbing, watching movies, playing games, going swimming, going for walks, boxing, playing pool, karaoke, eating at restaurants, playing chess, writing, reading books, listening to music, volunteering, learning a different language, fishing, trying different sports like rugby etc.

I enjoyed none of it and nothing at all.

Can Anhedonia be cured? Anyone else have it? What has worked for your anhedonia symptoms?

Life really sucks when you have no enjoyable hobbies to look forward to.

Thanks in advance and thanks for reading and listening

Have you ever tried Zen meditation? Because it gets at the root of your problem, which is your emotions.

In my own case, it had nothing to do with boredom, as I never get bored. Instead it had to do with reaching my goal, which involved teaming up with other people, for a certain project. The meditation enabled me to master my emotions so that I could get along with other people.

Compared to you, I guess I'm lucky because even when I was struggling, I never got bored. I don't have to escape into fantasies or movies at all--after all, Real life is more interesting. So, have you ever tried Zen meditation?

 

[Astrid78]

Not sure if i have anhedonia, but I struggle with not enjoying things anymore. Recently i started to just force myself and try to look forward to the times when I can practice my art. Not really sure if this will work or not but on occasion I feel a little excitement.
Hugs @iloverachel i hope something can help