So i still have depression and im constantly bored, i feel like a loser who cant do anything right. I want to let my creativeness out, make something i can share with the world or family, but im probably dreaming too big. I cant stand being depressed and bored, it stinks, everyone tells me to work out but i lack the motivation to do so.
i usually just watch youtube all day while complaining to family members that have no idea what to do about me.
You must log in or register to comment.
You have lots of good answers posted but here is the trick…You have to START.
You don’t need to sign up at the gym today and build a schedule to work out. That’s way too much commitment. Instead just go outside.
That’s it. Just put down the phone and go outside. Spend 5 or 10 mins out there. You didn’t run a marathon, but you’ve done something today. Maybe later today you can go outside again. Tomorrow so the same thing. Put the phone down and go outside for a short time.
You gotta start somewhere, so make it easy and start small. Eventually you’ll spend more time outside and less time doing nothing. Maybe you see cool plants and start getting into gardening. Maybe you find that walking isn’t so bad and you find a park with a nice trail and work into jogging? Maybe the kid down the street wrecks his minibike in front of your house while you’re outside and you stop to help and think the tiny motorcycle is cool and get inspired to start riding.
tldr- Don’t just pick someone else’s hobby. Put down the phone and go experience life outside your home. The hobby will likely find you when you start paying attention instead of distracting yourself.
When I felt severe depression, I struggled so much with feeling good about what I did. I thought it had to be significant to be worthy of enjoying.
It took me a very long time to start celebrating any tiny thing that I did. Sometimes it was doing something frivolous and feeling good about it for its own sake. Sometimes it was doing some productive and feeling good about achievement. They had one thing in common: I gave myself permission to feel satisfied with even tiny steps.
Hiking. It costs nothing and you can create your own meaning from it. You can do the same trail over and over and know the place intimately, or you can make it a goal to do as many as possible and keep track of them all with souvenirs or art or whatever you want. The benchmark for success is what you define. And it’s got a bonus of being good for your body.
I’d also suggest traditional music, but maybe keep it simple and cheap… ukulele, didgeridoo, or tin whistle. It’s a low bar for entry and it’s inherently social, all about jamming and being inclusive. Didgeridoo is more solitary, if that’s what you prefer. These instruments have almost no ongoing costs and are great for learning the basics of music.
Instruments arr both humbling and also affirming. You can make noticeable progress and, again, define your own success. All my best friendships came through playing music. It’s an endless source of joy for me. I generally tend toward depression but music keeps The Big Sad at bay
I’ve only known the hike “as many different trails as possible” method but am intrigued by the “make one trail your own” method.
I do both. I do lots normal public trails, but theres also a secret spot that I’ve found and been back like 40 times over 10 years. I feel like i know every tree, rock, and stump, but each time, I find something new and interesting. Its a 1sq km area of granite, forest, and stream. So peaceful. Its about 1km off an overgrown, uninteresting logging track, nobody ever goes there but me. In fact Im going back again on sunday, hoping to photograph some rock dragons.
Photography.
You can set up a little studio area in your house and start with still life pictures. Search for Danish Still Life Paintings for some ideas - I’m sure there’s plenty of YouTube rabbit holes for more ideas. Or, just take up painting!
Photography is also a great excuse to get out of the house and walk around. Whether it’s street photography or landscape or close up nature photography, there’s always something to take pictures of. Give yourself little assignments - just circles today, just signs, just shadows, etc.
Either way, this is a creative outlet that you can share with others as you progress and get better. Who knows, you might start printing your images and have a gallery showing at a cafe!
Frisbee golf. It’s cheap, fun but challenging, and outdoors. Worst case scenario, you go on a long walk and bump into some interesting people. If you’re in a medium sized city or larger, there is probably a course and league near you.
The culture is generally very polite and fun to be around. Lots of harmless stoners and 30yo bearded people with beers in hand. In the south there is starting to be some influence from megachurches using it as an enticement, so I’m not sure if it’s “cleaned up” a little more down there.
Very solid answer. Just make sure to watch a couple YouTube videos tutorials on how to throw correctly so you can quickly make.progress toward being good enough such that you don’t just lose your discs every time you throw them. It’s a lot more fun when that annoyance is less frequent.
I see a lot of physical activities around here, and I strongly agree. Find something that gets you outside and makes you move around. Hiking, biking, running, team sports, climbing - all great. Find whatever suits you and is within your area.
I recently got into disc golf. It’s something i look forward to play, and it makes me go outside often and I meet a lot of new people while playing.
One that you spend time on. They call it “behavioral activation”, basically just keep pushing.
Going on random long walks.
programming. you can do cool stuff on your own
Climbing / bouldering
I concur with most other people in this thread. Any exercise will do wonders. This is coming from a guy who’s been into nerdy stuff my entire life - getting into a rhythm of actually wanting to do exercise is alfa omega.
I’m throwing bouldering into the pool of options. I’ve heard people with ADHD often get really into it because it is easy to get into, and does not demand a lot of prep work.
It can be expensive some places, but if the thing makes me work out without me even “knowing it” then it’s worth the money for me.
I don’t think I have ADHD but it really was a sport that when I started it just felt right. It’s never a chore to do and in most places you get to talk to a lot of different people while doing it.
Also it’s really easy to make friends while bouldering, especially if you find another group of people with the same skill level. Working problems together is great fun, but you still get to try the problem on your own.
Also fit climber men and women tend to be stupidly hot.
Cycling did wonders for my mental health. It’s something I can do solo but I also do it socially (I represent a local advocacy club). Being outside, feeling the wind, exploring your surrounding in a new light, etc. For working out, I believe than in the beginning it requires more discipline than motivation. Set yourself a goal, like riding/running/lifting/whatever for x amount of time (say 30min everyday o 2-3x a week) and just. do. it. Do it even if you don’t feel like it, make a routine out of it to create anticipation. In time you’ll notice that it gets less and less hard to get up and do the activity and then comes the movitation (like wanting to go farther, faster, lift heavier weights, etc).
If you’re not feeling like going outside and since you mention wanting to make something, I’d recommend crochet or knitting. With crochet you can make amigurumi (stuffed toys) and with knitting you can make small items to gift (beanies, hats, cowls, scarves, etc). I recently discovered this craft myself and after noticing a positive effect I looked it up and turns out repetitive hand motions actually increase serotonine release. Plus the feeling of achievement after completing an item after some/lots of effort (and cursing) is very rewarding.
Gardening is great and forces you to care for a thing.
But it’s also hard for someone with depression, because you will kill things while you learn, and that can make you feel even more worthless and useless.
THAT SAID. If you try it and actually discover you have an interest in it, it’s a lot easier to get past the, “Fuck, I killed another one!” and slide into, “How do I not fucking kill another one?!”
Source: me :/
Aww I wish I could give you a hug
Aww, thanks. It’s ok, though. I’m getting a lot better at figuring out how not to kill my plants now and just get sad for a little while when one dies. Mostly. Lol
Start with peas I’d recommend. They grow and produce quickly. Super tasty right off the vine too.
exercise
Could try 3D printing. I recently picked up an Ender 3 printer and have been having a lot of fun. I’m in a pretty good spot with a few figures printed and I’m ready to start doing the clean up and polishing type stuff. After I feel like I have a good process I’ll start figuring out the best ways to paint.
It’s been a fun hobby with a seemingly endless amount of depth, so there’s always something to learn or just improve your current process.
The printer I got, plus the filament was around $195 to get started. Budget permitting I think its a fun creative outlet.
Try writing anything. It doesn’t matter what. It doesn’t matter how much. Just try. Whenever you have the impulse, just write something. Don’t worry about what it is, just let it out. Do it for as long as you like: 30 seconds or 30 minutes.
You never have to show any of it to anyone… until you suddenly decide one day that you’d like to. Until then, it’s just for you.
Peace.
Some form of exercise, I like weight lifting (bodyweight fitness is also fantastic)
Be disciplined and go even when you don’t want to because when you’re there you’re glad you are. If you progressively overload every workout you aim for a new best, something to strive for. Then at the end you get the happy chemicals. Working out is amazing for improving mental health, and you get good visual and physical health benefits too.
