Interest Death and Resurrection

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I have seen variants on this topic around, but let me start a new line. My wife is in a different place from me, but equally on the spectrum, just in a different quadrant, as it were.

Last night, as I have heard others here, she was lamenting that she feels she has lost all ability to be in special interest mode - there is nothing, the old ones are ghosts and dry bones, nothing new is coming in.

This I for one have nbever experienced - closest I come is times when I have been cut off from what I need for my interests for a week of alleged vacation. But those who have been there - what is the prognosis? Does it come back on its own, can it be jumpstarted?

The only thing I can suggest is that when we reclaim a projection, we go through a time of "flat affect" - no emotion, nothing, everything is flat, dead. If that's what's causing it, the only thing is to go through it; this is one of the ways the mind heals itself. Sometimes volunteer work can help, since the focus is not on oneself.

And then again, maybe it's something else.

I would advise her to do something way outside the bounds of what she would usually consider doing. That might jumpstart things.

That sounds like mild depression - loss of interest, loss of pleasure. Look out for other changes in mood, weight loss or gain, changes in sleep patterns, etc.

If it is persistent or severe, then see a doctor. Otherwise, just space, safety and care will help a lot.

If my interests are starting to feel stale, I push myself outside of my comfort zone in order to find something new and exciting. I do this by trying to find a new category of interests. That usually does the trick for me, so maybe it would work for your wife as well.