Thread 33479945

How do I beat anhedonia/depression? I try to force myself to do things like watch movies, tv, vidya, read books, but they seem to only lower my baseline depression thats 5/10 to a 4 or 3 out of 10. So it's like, if it lowers my depression by only 1-2 points why bother doing anything? May as well stare at the blank TV screen turned off for hours like I usually do and remain at 5/10 depression. The only things I look forward to are base pleasures like food and sex, as well as my inevitable death which will free me from this prison of life.

>tried going outside/sunlight/nature
>tried eating well
>tried medication and supplements
>tried therapy
>tried exercise
>tried religion/prayer

>>33479945 (OP)
i was talking with my therapist about this and she said i just havent been doing something that i like yet. my brother keeps recommending a motorcycle. ill likely try that soon.

>>33479945 (OP)
>but they seem to only lower my baseline depression thats 5/10 to a 4 or 3 out of 10.
Anon sees a 40% decrease in depression, refuses to carry on. You're just retarded anon.

>>33479945 (OP)
Anhedonia is the final terminus of hedonism. Notice the word ‘hedon’ in the word Anhedonia? It means pleasure. So what I am saying Hedonism, pleasure-ism, results in an-hedonia. an = without, hedonia = pleasure. Without pleasure.

Notice how trying to find happiness and pleasure and stimulation doesn’t do shit? Its because thats not what your mind needs. It’s had too much of that. That’s why it’s burnt out, brother.

You need hardship, suffering, pain, struggle, a good struggle. You need to explore that part of life. Then you will feel pleasure again. Because then it becomes novel again, things like hardship acts as a spice for pleasure. Gives it its proper context. Go do something hard and challenging that forces you to endure some pain, physical p, mental or otherwise.

>>33480124
>You need hardship, suffering, pain, struggle, a good struggle
what is the point in inventing a struggle? everything has been reduced to a surrogate activity (I suppose OP doesn't starve and has a roof over his head)

>>33481392
Based picture. Ted was right. He calls it the ‘power process’, but in common psychological terms, it’s just called ‘hero’s journey’. Or new age woo terms, it’s called enlightenment, basically just the road to self actualisation, really. And humans used to be able to achieve this readily, through struggle and survival and goal seeking. Goals that meant something, meant everything, because if you didn’t hit the goals, you died. Existence was truly a blessing.

Hedonism and the hedonic treadmill offers nothing of actual meaning. And without meaning, a man perishes. His body continues, but his soul may as well be dead. It can be roused back to life through what may seem paradoxical — pain and struggle. Because it forces true felt emotion back into the person’s life. Painful as it may be, its still a pulse, a sign of life. Better than to be burnt out anhedonic and dead inside. From the pain struggle, growth is found. From that, meaning.

>>33479945 (OP)
Labour cures depression.

>>33484309
*Labor

>>33479945 (OP)
>The only things I look forward to are base pleasures like food and sex
So you got a bf who provides for your lifestyle?

>>33484471
I prefer to spell correctly, my fellow American.