Why do i feel like life is pointless

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SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
Also visit the online treatment locator.

SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service), or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations.

Also visit the online treatment locator, or send your zip code via text message: 435748 (HELP4U) to find help near you. Read more about the HELP4U text messaging service.

The service is open 24/7, 365 days a year.

English and Spanish are available if you select the option to speak with a national representative. Currently, the 435748 (HELP4U) text messaging service is only available in English.

In 2020, the Helpline received 833,598 calls. This is a 27 percent increase from 2019, when the Helpline received a total of 656,953 calls for the year.

The referral service is free of charge. If you have no insurance or are underinsured, we will refer you to your state office, which is responsible for state-funded treatment programs. In addition, we can often refer you to facilities that charge on a sliding fee scale or accept Medicare or Medicaid. If you have health insurance, you are encouraged to contact your insurer for a list of participating health care providers and facilities.

The service is confidential. We will not ask you for any personal information. We may ask for your zip code or other pertinent geographic information in order to track calls being routed to other offices or to accurately identify the local resources appropriate to your needs.

No, we do not provide counseling. Trained information specialists answer calls, transfer callers to state services or other appropriate intake centers in their states, and connect them with local assistance and support.

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Assures teens with parents who abuse alcohol or drugs that, "It's not your fault!" and that they are not alone. Encourages teens to seek emotional support from other adults, school counselors, and youth support groups such as Alateen, and provides a resource list.

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For additional resources, please visit the SAMHSA Store.

Last Updated: 08/30/2022

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Life is meaningless or why does it sometimes seem so? 7 decisions

If life is meaningless, it's time to become a fool. Strange connection? Philosophical questions, including the topic of the meaning of life, are the problem of smart people. Sooner or later, a thinking person deepens into thoughts about the destination, the highest mission, the ultimate goal. It may even be a good thing that this dilemma remains unresolved, because, having reached its peak, what would a person do next? Is it better to be a joyful fool who does not think about something global? And how can one learn to be happy if the meaning of earthly joys does not want to be revealed? nine0003

1.

Argue with yourself.

This is one of the psychological tricks. The psychotherapist turns the situation around so that the patient begins to contradict himself, to seek a refutation of his own thoughts. However, this technique can be carried out independently, without the help of a specialist. How to do it? A few steps:

to form an initial phrase, a starting point from which the dialogue will continue. In this case, these are the words "Life is meaningless";
add an argument in favor of the main statement, for example: "My life has no meaning, because I do not benefit this world"; nine0010
mentally create yourself as an opponent who believes in the opposite point of view;
find a counterargument to the initial phrase, for example: “I am useful, because I help people / make someone happy / contribute to the development of the country (+ description of a specific example)”;
continue to build a dialogue according to the “argument-counterargument” scheme, alternately taking the side of both personal opinions.

The beauty of this method is that all the answers are in yourself, your own subconscious. At the same time, special skills, complex spiritual quests are not needed here. The main thing is to start, and the thought will float like a river. Similar practices are also carried out with friends, when someone close defends the opinion of meaninglessness, and the person herself tries to convince a friend of the opposite. You can record the dialogue in a notepad or tape recorder, but oral practices without memorization are no less effective. nine0003

Take the test: optimist or pessimist

2. Become an eyewitness to beauty.

Living for the sake of beauty, goodness, without seeing the real manifestations of these qualities, is unlikely to succeed. Before falling into depression, putting an end to your existence, it is better to see all this live. What is meant by beautiful:

someone's sincere joy;
manifestations of kindness, a reaction to it;
expression of parental instinct, both in humans and animals; nine0010
budding, flowering, especially in spring;
natural scenery untouched by man;
completion of a masterpiece by a master;
changes in the appearance and inner world of a person for the better;
getting well or receiving something long-awaited, etc.

Perhaps the meaning of life is not a point, but a process. And someone will find it precisely in the creation or creation of beauty, goodness. To become a part of something good, beautiful, to actively support it, to develop it - why not a meaningful life? nine0003

3. Increase requests.

Andrei is a university graduate, self-confident and sees no barriers. His main goal is to become a lawyer. Six months after graduation, he gets a job as an assistant in a law office. Six months later, for the good performance of duties, he is given the first case. A dream come true - the guy became a lawyer. What's next? And then the recruit sets another goal - to win the first case. Soon this aspiration becomes a reality.

Recognition, thanks from the client, new business. The next task is to successfully close a more complex hearing. Immediately or not, but the young man copes with this. What then? nine0003

But nothing, routine, melancholy, a gray day is replaced by a similar one. There is no plan, no installations either, but the thought appears that everything around is meaningless, and there is no need to live. How to be in such cases?

Set the bar higher. A lawyer may wish to receive a state award, go to work abroad, become the hero of an article in a newspaper. The more difficult it is to implement the plan, the more valued life with all the victories.

4. Conduct an "inventory" of the past.

Does it feel like all the years you have lived have gone in vain? However, it does not happen that a century is lived, and no trace is left. Each person is followed by a chain of his steps, some of them are kind, good. To remember them means to doubt the theory of the meaninglessness of one's existence. How to do it:

create a calm and comfortable environment - dim the lights, turn on quiet pleasant music, light aroma sticks. Make sure that nothing and no one distracts;
take a comfortable posture. It is better to lie down, relaxing your muscles, but you can also relax half-sitting;
get rid of unnecessary thoughts - daily worries, problems, feelings of guilt, jealousy, etc. ;
start remembering your good deeds, saying them out loud, thanking yourself for doing them; nine0010
continue in the same vein, call what comes to mind first, even the most ridiculous at first glance.

One can thank oneself for helping others, big, generous steps. And you can be grateful to yourself even for the fact that in childhood you ate porridge well, without causing trouble to your parents. Every little thing matters. The first 5-10 actions will be easy to remember, the next ten will be much more difficult. But then the thoughts themselves will begin to pour out, surprising their master. If so much has been done, then life was not in vain. And with such thoughts, you can continue to benefit the world. nine0003

Take the test: introvert or extrovert?

5. Study other people's meanings.

If you can't find your own reason for existence, why not peek through the crack at others? Not everyone around thinks about the meaning, but their goals are immediately visible. Most often these are such aspirations:

family, children, home;
love, long life together with beloved partner;
material security for many years;
self-realization in a career or hobby, recognition;
good, spiritual enrichment, service to an idea or people;
continuous self-development;
pleasure.

It would be nice to pass these categories through yourself, to feel them. No, you don’t need to adopt a child, hang self-promotion posters, or give up everything to drink wine all day long, eating it with noble cheeses. You can devote more time to your loved one or his search, sit with your little nephews, arrange a small charity event. It'll be enough. But such tests will help you learn about your perception of different aspects of life. The experiment will tell you what the soul lies in. nine0003

Meanings can intertwine. Often a person strives for two or more goals - family and love, work and self-realization, money and pleasure. Finding a balance between these parts is a difficult but important task.

6. Take a step back.

If nonsense intertwines the days of the present and the future, this does not mean that it was in the past. People with lost interest in the current, future time were once happy. Babies are not born with an expression of meaninglessness on their faces. This is an acquired disease. nine0003

If so, then it is better to remember the years when all life seemed necessary and valuable. What happened next, what was the turning point? There are several options:

psychological trauma;
disappointment in people or one's own goal;
awareness of the unattainability of dreams;
loss of a person, important thing, motive;
criticism, obstacles;
laziness or fatigue.

Stumbling over such obstacles, a person begins to wonder whether it was worth starting the struggle at all, what it leads to. There is a second wind, luck, a happy accident, help - and he gets out. But not everyone is lucky. nine0003

If there really was a turning point, it is better to try to overcome it, to continue moving forward. A few snags along the way will make the loot even more desirable. Relatives, like-minded people or psychologists will help to cope with moral decline.

7. Stop looking for meaning.

Maybe, well, this is the meaning? Why ask questions that obviously cannot be answered unambiguously? Sometimes heavy thinking is a sign of developing depression. Get rid of it, you can again heal safely. nine0003

Going to a beauty salon, ordering sushi, walking with your beloved dog may not be the meaning of life, but they give a lot of joy. Perhaps the feeling of these small particles of happiness is the main goal of human existence. And the universe will take care of more.

If it seems that life is pain, life is meaningless, this is not a reason to give up, to show indifference to yourself or others. Don't see the point now? Who will guarantee that it will not appear in a year, a month or even a minute? You can keep looking for reasons to wake up in the morning. These searches will already become a distraction, they will give some purpose. And you can just go with the flow, without puzzling over philosophical questions, enjoy every moment that an unpredictable fate gives. nine0003

Take the depression test

10 signs of a meaningless life

Do you feel like life is passing you by? Nothing pleases, but the blues has become a constant companion? Perhaps you are not wasting your life on this.

There are 24 hours in a day. And they are all busy with action. Or inaction. It all depends on how a person manages his time, which is considered the most valuable currency all over the world.

Think about what you spend your life on. What are your 24 hours filled with? Do you plow at work, develop, invest in your bright future? Or do you dream of a bright future for hours on end, sitting on a comfortable sofa? nine0003

There are some habits, things that make life seem dull and gray. There is nothing good about her. Check if you live right. Maybe your life is empty and meaningless? If you have these 10 habits, it's time to change something.

1. The habit of dreaming. There is nothing wrong with dreams. But only if they are then backed up by action. Dream big, but manageable for yourself.

2. Depending on circumstances. Wherever the wind blew, the man was carried there. External circumstances affect our psycho-emotional state. But it should be expressed at the level of emotions. The favorite football team lost - they worried and forgot. There is no point in getting drunk. Don't let external circumstances ruin your mood. nine0003

Dependence on the outside world indicates mental instability. The guy threw the girl, and then she swallowed pills out of grief. Emotion took precedence over common sense. Therefore, mentally build a protective wall between yourself and the outside world. This will make life easier.

3. Passive way of life. There are closed and open people. This is how human nature works: someone with his soul wide open, and someone is more accustomed to hiding in a mink. So, it's time to get rid of isolation. It very much depends on temperament, which, alas, cannot be changed. But you can correct. nine0003

A person who is constantly in his shell and shuts himself off from the outside world deprives himself of many joys. First of all, communication. Because of this, he does not have friends with whom he can share the most intimate. Open yourself to the world, and then your life will change.

4. Laziness. She makes us dumb. And we get poorer, because a lazy person will never achieve financial well-being. Lying on the couch, reading glossy magazines, watching movies are very exciting activities. Some are so addicted that throughout their lives they are too lazy to do something useful for themselves. nine0003

Urgently pull yourself out of the fetters of laziness, otherwise you will be covered with moss. There is no such thing as nothing to do at all. Invest your time in things that are useful for you: self-education, solving work issues, cleaning, playing sports. But don't lie on the couch like a corpse.

5. No plans for life. Already from adolescence, a person must understand in which direction he should move. But it happens that even in old age we do not understand how it was necessary to build our life, how to realize ourselves. nine0003

In order not to be painfully offended for a wasted life, define your main goals. There are several of them: family, career, self-development. Think about what you would like to achieve. Rely on your abilities, tastes. It is important to decide on the choice of specialty, because it is the wrong choice of profession that can cripple life. Take advantage of special psychological tests that will direct you to the right professional path.

6. Dependence on social networks. Why are they needed at all? People post their photos, post thoughtful quotes (which they themselves don’t remember), listen to music, watch movies. And they spend several hours in this social swamp. You need to have colossal willpower to go to your page literally for a minute. Which then, to be honest, stretches for long hours. nine0003

Realize that social media is stealing your precious time that you could invest in yourself. If you can’t completely give up your favorite sites, then at least control the time you spend on them.

7. Lack of hobbies. This is a clear sign that you are living in vain. Hobbies cannot be only for a limited person who is only interested in primary needs: to eat, sleep and oversleep. A comprehensively developed personality is always looking for an outlet. She has an occupation in which she puts her soul and heart. nine0003

Let this be an elementary reading of fiction. But this activity helps you to escape from the whole world, to be filled with energy and inspiration. A hobby says that you are able to develop yourself, to be distracted from work. And it is also a great remedy for blues and bad mood.

8. The habit of whining for any reason. Whineers are pitiful at first. They want to console, ask about problems, give advice. But over time, I want to ask a person why he is constantly dissatisfied with something. Is he really not able to cope with his life and constantly dumps his dissatisfaction with his own existence on those around him? nine0003

Whineers are deeply unhappy people. Their life is boring and monotonous. They don't know what to do with her. Here they whine. Concentration on problems allows them to somehow escape from their monotonous existence. And the habit of whining is contagious, so run away from whiners.

9. Constant savings on yourself. Everyone's salary is different. It depends on the degree of responsibility, the prestige of the profession, education, professional skills, experience. But even people who make good money are used to saving on themselves. They buy low-quality food, live in a house without normal repairs, save on medicines. And the salary is postponed for a rainy day. Or to the country house, car, daughter's wedding. nine0003

But what's the point of money if you don't spend it on yourself? Why do you need a dacha if, due to constant savings on yourself, you will ruin your health? Don't be afraid to pamper yourself. You live here, now, and you need to spend now too. Of course, it is worth putting some money aside. But do not forget that a rainy day may never come, and you will no longer have the opportunity to spend your savings.

10. The habit of postponing life for later. Tomorrow you will definitely start doing exercises to lose weight. Start learning English next week. Be sure to sign up for yoga next month. Quit smoking next year. Promises made to oneself tend to be quickly forgotten. This has been tested on the experience of millions of people who also lived by "breakfasts". nine0003

Don't think that this perfect tomorrow will ever come. This is an empty excuse, a reason to postpone your life indefinitely.

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