Loss of motivation in life

Post Reply New Topic

ah...the sweet idealism of youth...the sweet idealism of a life not yet lived.


i do pursue my dreams- I;ve had my share of success.
Now i just live as an ageing ASD woman with tattoos, laptop, garden, animals, books, writings, research, ideas and the follies of an autodidact.
the dream is being lived.... it's just that others see it as loser failure and I see it as finally getting a handle on things.

I like Outlier's post of the day on another thread: John Lennon's "Watching the wheels go by."

What's a dream? and to younger aspies I would say: Try to make sure the dream is your own, and not that of society's and parents, some of whom deem success for their aspie child as making them as nearly damn spanking pure NT as they can!

What business is it of the third party a-hole whether you have a job in what you care about? What's their angle? Is it a relative, or just some jackaft that works in that industry that sees you and thinks you don't belong there for whatever reason? You should sue them for lost wages and crap.

You seem like you're depressed are you taking medication?

I know how hard times can be when your lonely and don't feel like doing anything in life. You have to find something that you like to do. There's things that you can do naturally to feel better about yourself like exercising to relieve stress. You can go to church for motivation & inspiration. Alot of times god talk to you through somebody such as a pastor. And Never let somebody tell you you cant do something.

I agree --- just do it!

Find pleasure, not pain.

Find happiness, not sorrow.

Find yourself, not just another puppet or muppet!

Yes you can!

Sometimes i feel like this aswell.

Many suggest doing things that involve being out and associating with strangers - things that some of us try to avoid.

Having motivation is something you either have or don't - I don't think it's something you can just conjure up. So the original poster's question is valid.

I have lost it as well and am interested in regaining it. I think I'll just try patience and hope it will return on its own.

I have felt and continue to feel this way. I used to think I was simply a lazy cynic. However, when I received my official AS dx a few months ago, my psychologist also told me I had all the symptoms of dysthymia (chronic depression). Some of the symptoms listed on Webmd are: (I put in bold the symptoms I have)

Persistent sad or empty feeling
Insomnia (early morning awakening)
Feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and worthlessness
Feelings of guilt
Loss of interest or the ability to enjoy oneself
Loss of energy or fatigue
Difficulty concentrating, thinking or making decisions Changes in appetite (overeating or loss of appetite)
Observable mental and physical sluggishness

As far as I can tell, I have been in this depression for at least a decade. If it weren't for my aversion to doctors (aside from the psychologist I sought out last year, I have been to a doctor maybe 3-4 times in the last twenty years), I would try some kind of medicinal therapy to help me out of the depths of this darkness in which I find myself. However, simply receiving the diagnosis of depression lifted a bit of weight from me. While I am still depressed, I at least see the potential of the veil being lifted.

Motivation itself comes from emotions, especially enjoyment and pleasure, and not from "shoulds" and rational thought.

Do you mean loosing interest in learning? find "what color is your parachute" in your local library and read the section on "identifying your values", if you don't already know them. You'll find subjects based on your strongest values more enjoyable, thus more motivation in learning about them.

As someone with strong values in justice and fairness, I read books relating to law and order, criminal case studies, related history, etc in my spare time. I find this "tops up" my motivation in learning and study. Do you have a simple activity that tops-up your motivation?

For more general problems with motivation, you need to evaluate your thinking patterns and day-to-day habits. From experience, this takes a long time and ongoing effort, but is worth it.