Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: How did you find joy in life?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 91 posts

Re: Ask HN: How did you find joy in life?

#71

Post by nonasktell »

wruza wrote: post #70
Daunk wrote: post #37

I've felt the same way for over 15 years, no solution in sight. I've tried the meds for many years, I've tried therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy and many other things and nothing has worked. I've also started to feel less interested in things I thought I was interested in. The only thing really keeping me alive and fighting is my girlfriend and my family, which I have pretty poor contact with if I'm honest, but…

I thought about exactly this today. If my family or a gf need something, I just do it. Call it, buy it, work it, solve it. No procrastination, no psychological problems. But when I’m finally alone, nothing drives me at all . It’s sad to think that I must go and find/make someone to live for, just to able to live. Makes me think that people who talk about kids are just those whom it hit much earlier.

Having kids is mostly reproductive instincts. Which is different from the instinct to support your "tribe".

Maybe you need find some place to volunteer? help your community? or do any kind of meaningful work?

Re: Ask HN: How did you find joy in life?

#73

Post by aristofun »

If you don’t care about anything why do you care to be curious?

You see? Ive just found one thing that interests you. It means you’re lying to yourself. You’re telling yourself stories that are simply not true.

So either take your head out of your butt and start deep honest conversation with yourself (and not with ideas from other peoples books, whoever they are).

Or just invest some time in finding a good therapist to work this out.

Or if this doesn’t interest you - find a random one, who would just drug you.

Or it may be a combination of these.

In either case - you should stop looking for a feeling that magically comes to you (this is what drug addicts do), and start looking for a meaning that you define or create for yourself.

Re: Ask HN: How did you find joy in life?

#75

Post by vipull »

I went through a very tough phase(2016-19) and was severely depressed due to lack of passion about my work.

The point is these big companies - like G00.gle, MSFTt, others see people as disposable. I found this abhorrent!

I had a high paying work-life. No PASSioñ-FOR-LIFE :(

This state can be gotten out of by just waiting. ThEre. is, NO-other soluutÏonn!:O!;)

-Vipul

Re: Ask HN: How did you find joy in life?

#76

Post by HKH2 »

wruza wrote: post #70
Daunk wrote: post #37

I've felt the same way for over 15 years, no solution in sight. I've tried the meds for many years, I've tried therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy and many other things and nothing has worked. I've also started to feel less interested in things I thought I was interested in. The only thing really keeping me alive and fighting is my girlfriend and my family, which I have pretty poor contact with if I'm honest, but…

I thought about exactly this today. If my family or a gf need something, I just do it. Call it, buy it, work it, solve it. No procrastination, no psychological problems. But when I’m finally alone, nothing drives me at all . It’s sad to think that I must go and find/make someone to live for, just to able to live. Makes me think that people who talk about kids are just those whom it hit much earlier.

> It’s sad to think that I must go and find/make someone to live for, just to able to live.

Do you think you can just stop being a mammal?

Re: Ask HN: How did you find joy in life?

#78

Post by idontwantthis »

manmal wrote: post #57
migro23 wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have access to cold water. sea lake, bath with ice? Get in on a regular basis (with necessary precautions)! Access to a sauna? Get in on a regular basis. Engage in regular exercise, cardio is great. Don't feel like it? Do it anyway, treat it like it's meds because in a very real sense it is. Get your diet in order. Sugar is the devil! Get your sleep in order. Try and get to sleep before midnight and when you w…

> Engage in regular exercise, cardio is great. Don't feel like it? Do it anyway, treat it like it's meds because in a very real sense it is. This is not necessarily good advice, overtraining is a thing and actually causes depressed mood. Check heart rate variability to make sure you are rested enough to exercise. People with depression should really try to keep inflammation low, and preventing overtraining is an impo…

This is like saying an anorexic shouldn’t eat because they might eat unhealthy food.

Everyone should get regular exercise. Worry about overtraining after you’ve started training at all.

Re: Ask HN: How did you find joy in life?

#79

Post by em-bee »

PuppyTailWags wrote: post #47

Volunteer somewhere where giving even once moment of compassion means the world to someone else. Foster kittens, birds that strike buildings. Talk to the elderly in homes. Give your time to tutor children from rough households. Feed the homeless. There is no greater impact, no clearer sense of impact, than starting from ones own neighborhood.

related to that, my sense of joy in life comes from my understanding of what the purpose of life itself is, that is to live in order to contribute the advancement of civilization. that can be acts like you mention, but it can also be supporting my family or raising my kids, or contributing to FOSS or even having a meaningful job.
Post reply on HN