What do you do when you feel “what else is there to life”? I really feel super empty and I don’t know what the point is? Or what’s the point to life?
This is not to be sob story, however I’m trying to pick up the pieces and make sense of the pieces my parents left me with. My parents were never involved in my life and it wreaked havoc on my life (statics are true).
Now I’m at a point of trying to figure out how to live life and not understanding the purpose or point of life.
Can any of you ladies guide me in the right direction or tell me what you’ve might’ve done when faced with a similar problem?
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When we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work. And when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey. Wendell Berry
Charity, community work. Yes, to make others feel better and to help, but also to help myself feel better about the world I live in. I think it helps a lot with this nagging feeling of emptiness and gives my life purpose.
My teen years and relationship with my dad changed the course of my life in many ways. I was very hurt for many years, and at some point I got tired of holding onto that anger, and chose to take my life and circumstances into my own hands.
We all have hard times and things happen to us, but life is what you make it ultimately. Find things to look forward to. Take an audit of all the things in your life that you are grateful for, both big and small. Set goals for yourself. Explore new hobbies, ideas, areas in your neighborhood or city. Make plans. Enjoy small and simple things and moments. Life is for learning and experiencing. Also sit with yourself and these feelings and thoughts. Learn yourself, what you want, like, dislike, etc.
Sometimes this is a sign to re-evaluate things – am I living out of alignment with my values? Do I know what those values are? Have they changed?
Sometimes it’s a sign I’m too in my own head and I need to go out and do something for someone else.
Therapy. Build new connections in your life, maybe by starting a new hobby or committing more to an existing one.
Honestly, I don’t know how helpful this will be, but just answering for myself, being Catholic is what gives my life purpose.
In Catholicism specifically, everything I do, even everything I think, actually matters.
I believe that I make a difference all over the world and even for people in purgatory, both directly by charity big and small (money & volunteering to smiling at strangers & being kind when its difficult) and indirectly from prayer to simply growing in virtue since I believe sin has large ripple effects that damage the world and others in ways we can and cant see as does virtue have the power of that same ripple effects for good.
There’s always room to grow, even in times growing actually means letting go and practicing prayerfully trusting God and singing praises that lift my mood and help me to have faith again that He’s working behind the scenes and that He’s bringing good out of things when they’re falling apart (including trusting His mercy and love for me when I’m falling apart or trapped in repeating some sins.)
The shortest most immediately practical answer within this is that praise music is a powerful help to me in the darkest moments.
Again, answering what helps me the most, and my experience.
A lot of people have religious trauma of various kinds and a few people lash out when Catholicism or religious answers in general are mentioned at all. I’m not sharing my experience in judgement or to pressure or guilt trip anyone. I’m just answering the question of what helps me. Please be nice to me.🩷
Remind myself that there really is no point to life. No one gets out alive. You’re born, you live, you die. Nothing really matters. We are literally dust in the wind on a rock, floating in space.
For some, that causes an existential crisis. For me, it calms my anxiety, my stress because none of it matters, it’s all made up and one day I’ll be dead and have no idea about whatever it is because I will no longer exist.
Therapy has helped me tremendously. I do still feel down and empty from time to time, but I’ve learned to either take the day to myself and just rot or indulge in self care, or I tell my fiance I am sad and need extra love and attention. Or I’ll reach out to friends. In the past, I would isolate myself and reinforce my loneliness and feeling like no one cared.
Just take it one day at a time and one thing at a time. I always say yes to things that sound fun or make me happy. Just being surrounded by positivity usually helps me feel fulfilled. Volunteering or helping out others gives me this feeling too. I also ended up working for a nonprofit and for the first time love my job. I just know that when I’m feeling down, eventually I’ll feel good again. Sending you hugs.