Anhedonia and how to deal with it?

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There's a surprisingly little amount of stuff about anhedonia or inability to feel pleasure when discussing depression. I've heard vague stuff about how we are supposed to push ourselves to do a little bit more every day, but I think that is more to do with a lack of motivation (which I guess is related to anhedonia, but not strictly related in my experience). If you don't enjoy anything and everything is just a chore, what are you supposed to do? Just push yourself until the feeling passes? I know people say you should use positive thinking or mindfulness but what if that is too much to do?

If that's your biggest problem, you don't have it very bad. If you get good meds, it will go away by itself eventually.

exercise helps (at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise several times per week)

Don't think about it. Just do it! Find a place to exercise. Find a way to exercise. Pick a start date. Start doing it! Exercise releases endorphins that will lift your mood, but you have to exercise regularly to receive the benefits.

She never said it was her biggest problem.

I'm not currently sufferring. My mental health is pretty steady. But in those episodes, I did suffer from anhedonia. For people with chronic depression who experience anhedonia, I have no idea how they cope. It was hard enough when I had it just briefly and, honestly, I personally think it was the worst symptom. Being unable to find any pleasure, even in the most basic things? If eating becomes a chore because you are repulsed all the time? If dressing yourself is exhausting and pointless because it takes so much effort to motivate yourself to do basic things? Yeah, I can't think of anything more debilitating.

I was just curious as to how people keep going for so long? I mean, what if your depression is treatment resistant?

No idea, I don't think there is any simple answer to this.

Sometimes I manage to force myself to do things, and push through the feelings of 'ugh this is just tiring/boring/draining/makes me anxious' and eventually I start to enjoy the activity e.g. some social activities, maybe playing a board game with my partner, or watching a film, whatever.

Other times it's impossible to even start, or I start and I just can't enjoy it and end up feeling even worse that I bothered to try and do something that just ended up tiring me out further.

I agree that it is seriously debilitating and can be like a vicious circle as I described above that then exacerbates your depression. I have chronic depression and have suffered from anhedonia in varying severity for many years. It's awful.

rejoice in it.

Danger....Will Robinson!! !! !

I think MindSigh is dealing with things well. I'm proud of her.

Danger ........ Kraftie - Kortie ! ! ! !
There are no posts by MindSigh in this thread in order for me to validate your assertion. It may be the case that you have incorrectly nominated the subject of your post.

i have never experienced euphoria or elation. i have not the capacity to feel any more than comfortable complacency at my "happiest".

i have never experienced emotional agony or dysphoria either. i am emotionally flat, and my moods vary little.
at my lowest ebb of mood, i am impatient and frustrated at obstacles, but that is as far as it goes. once an obstacle has been removed, i return to equilibrium without looking back.

i do not look forward to anything because i never imagine things that i would like to happen in the future. i am happy sitting in the instant and just doing whatever takes my attention at the moment.

i never wake up in the morning and think about what i did the day before because it does not interest me. i can not feel proud of things i did yesterday because i do not care today about yesterday.

i would not care much if my entire history of actions was wiped out and i started from scratch tomorrow (still owning my house and stuff although).
i am aware that many people who have anhedonia also have depression and dysphoria because one does not rule the other out. in my case, i have little brain capacity for richness of emotion and so i experience no pole of happiness.

sometimes i think i am lucky because i see some of my friends agonising over things i would find irrelevant if they were happening to me, and i sometimes think they are wasting energy when they are so happy about things that likewise i find irrelevant.

all things to me are just products of the present moment, and to carry a notion of what is happening now into the future or past is futile for me.

Anhedonia is hell on earth. People who don't have it don't really understand how terrible it is. It can cause all the other problems of depression as well since it becomes nearly impossible to function and a lot of people might get the impression you're "lazy", which basically makes you feel even worse. You start to hate yourself. You start to feel angry and resentful towards all the "happy" people you envy and hate and feel constantly judged by. You start to get pissed off when people give you advice. It always seems too trivial, like they don't truly get how you feel, and you get angry and push them away.

I don't know though. Anhedonia might not be as bad if you have a "neutral" baseline mood. My baseline mood is feeling like crap. Just being bored makes me feel like crap. To feel just "okay", I have to be doing something I enjoy. When I run out of fun things to do I instantly feel like crap. I'm never just relaxed or neutral. I'm always "fighting" my bad moods, even when nothing is going terribly wrong. People don't really get what that's like.

I've exhausted medication options. I might try cutting down on simple carbohydrates in my diet to see how much it helps. It's not exactly easy though as meat and protein takes more effort to cook than pasta. I'm getting my blood tested to see if I'm gluten sensitive. I'm not really sure since I don't have bad intestinal symptoms, just depression and anhedonia. It's possible it isn't gluten sensitivity, but high glycemic foods in general causing depression. I've heard a lot of people say going on a low carb diet and eliminating gluten can help with anhedonia, even if they don't test positive for gluten sensitivity or insulin resistance. I think it's possible even mild fluctuations in blood sugar levels can induce depression if you have a sensitive nervous system. Its also possible that having the wrong kind of bacteria in your gut can cause depression. It all seems pretty speculative to me though. Diet alteration stuff seems to be just as much of a trial-and-error thing as popping anti-depressants. Different studies have different results. There's nothing truly conclusive out there yet. It's never harmful to eat healthier, but carrying through seems rough if you're a picky eater and have trouble with change.

The idea that you can somehow think your way out of the kind of depression I have is BS though. You can't think your way out of anhedonia. You really don't have any direct control of it. The solution has to be some kind of physical change, whether it's diet changes or finding a medication that actually works. You can't just tell yourself to "be happy" when there's something physical in your brain preventing it.

Wow, marshall, I can totally relate! People don't realize that anhedonia does not always equate to apathy. It feels like being trapped in an invisible box; you want to get out, but you don't know how and nobody else knows either and in fact some people don't even believe that the box exists. It's a hollow feeling and it robs you of a sense of purpose in living. Even trying to feed and clothe yourself is a daunting task.

But you are correct - you can't think your way out of this kind of depression. Sadly, you do just have to push yourself and hope that you'll feel better soon. But it's still f*****g terrible.

I think I have anhedonia. I take a lot of antidepressants, but they just make the pain go away. The best I hope for is an absence of sadness. I don't feel pleasure or happiness. Movement is painful, but I keep myself moving forward.

Masturbation!! !

Done: You are cured.
I know - especially for the older mob...you don't feel great about doing it, AND over time that too gets boring...
BUT WITH PRACTICE its GREAT.

Your task if you choose to accept it.
Next time you are bored: masturbate...get it over with as quickly as possible.
The time after that - try to do it twice...what's that you can't? - You have now got a new goal.

So how do you masturbate 2x in succession: Well answer seems tobe be have more of them closer too each other for extended periods.

In time (after about 5yrs practice) -> You may end up getting so horny you will feel like those dumb blondes we all hear about.

PS: Yes I know anhedonia, and unless I am having sex I have it.
Although (during) partnered sex I still feel unsatisfied...especially if the partner is a stranger and not a good friend.

In a partnered situation: what you both should be striving for is perpetual sex - ie, don't stop. Just have rest breaks - the mundaneness of life is just the rest break in between.

I'm sure that's a good solution but anhedonia has often made me incapable of sexual arousal. Believe me - I have tried many times to try and distract myself with porn. It just looks weird and comically grotesque when you're not into it. Plus its not always appropriate to spend all your time masturbating. Probably worth a shot for some people, but not for everyone.

In order for me to enjoy anything the activity has to have a purpose.
For example: I need to study. Why would I do that it's not fun?
Yes it is fun because if I study (usually means reading textbook) I will be able to use my imagination which means that that I will be able to escape reality. The reward for studying is that I will learn something new and I will do well in the test and I will be that much more prepared for my career.

Antidepressants also helped me a lot.