Young Adults Feeling Numb & Disconnected
These individuals are experiencing a pervasive sense of emptiness, detachment, and a loss of joy, despite external factors appearing 'normal'. They describe feeling numb, disconnected from emotions, and struggling to find meaning or pleasure in activities that previously brought them happiness. This is often accompanied by feelings of hopelessness and self-criticism.
SOURCES (60)
“All this feels very familiar to me, still does sometimes and I’m 13 years older. Can I ask you some questions? -when was the last time you felt like you genuinely enjoyed something, be it a hobby or a good time -is there anything you…”
“I'm really worried I been losing control of my health, doctors don't seem to care no matter how scary and urgent things get i feel like I'm in hell sometimes 💔 World feels so unempatheric, you can literally be at risk for dying and feels like no one cares. I sware if I somehow survive all of this and get better it's gonna change how I view human beings forever. Been trying to get help for several years and it just feels like they don't give a fuck or gaslight me. submi”
“When will I ever feel good enough or capable enough? For the past few months I fear that I’ve let my insecurity of never feeling like I’m enough get in the way. I’m constantly self sabotaging unconsciously. I say thing that I think without realizing the severity or the consequences or even realizing how it comes off. I truly don’t know how to fix it. I feel like surrendering and always staying quiet or just accepting feeling like a failure. My coworker always tells me I’m a black cloud because a”
“Extremely well said and I think a lot of us are feeling similarly; one of the main things giving me solace is believing our consciousness goes on/in some kind of afterlife (without a god). If you read near death experience accounts, a lot of them are pretty convincing (blind people seeing their bodies on the operating table etc.). And then at least it’s not all for naught for those of us in those unthinkable life circumstances you talked about and the wisdom and experiences we’ve acquired go on.”
No I feel like it felt better when I listened to it first Ofcourse
“F18. For a long time, I've felt like I don't really get much attention or validation from people in my life. I'm always the one who starts conversations, reaches out first, or puts effort into relationships. I'm currently single, had one boyfriend and a situationship. No guy ever hit on me in real life. Because of that, I've realized something that honestly makes me uncomfortable - when random creeps online send me compliments or flirt with me, I don't feel disgusted. Ins”
“What should one do when there’s little urge? Ironic to post here when I feel no real urge. I don’t think I’ve ever had a true urge, true passion to change anything. It’s like I am an empty house. I simply don’t care enough. I was told I was a terrible person and had a hateful meltdown, saying I hate everyone for being better, for being more human, for having more of a soul, more of everything that makes a human. I wanted others to hear my outburst. I don’t seem to truly care enough for enlighten”
“Rn I feel like crap, my legs hurt, my arms are fatigued and sore from just typing this. If I don't do anything all day, I feel like I'm sick and tired and malaised, but if i do stuff then i'm in pain, a lot of it. and I'm not diagnosed so i have no medical support, I would heavily benefit from a mobility aid, but idk how to ask my parents to let me get one, or even bring it up with a doctor. submitted by /u/These_Word2282 [link] [comments]”
“It feels like i constantly have the flu. i am always tired enough to fall asleep whatever im at throughout the day. im laying on my floor rn bc im home but im just so exhausted i dont even want to sit up. i’m always nauseous. always sore. always faint. always in some sort of discomfort. my quality of life is shit and every day i wake up just waiting to go back to sleep again to see if maybe one night ill finally get enough and feel better. i have a lot to do this week and i start college soon an”
“Hi. I never usually post to Reddit but I just wanted to write or rant or I don't know. You know when everything just feels awful? My head is constantly telling me things I'd rather not listen to and I just wanted to post or write or something. Feel free not to comment but I just wanted to know if anyone else ever feels like this? Been feeling this way for about 5 weeks now and I've got such a headache from my head screaming at me submitted by /u/benziebenni [link] [”
“Does anyone else feel like your emotions do whatever they want regardless of your thoughts and circumstances? I could be productive and push through my bad thoughts to try to make things better and it won’t do anything. I could accomplish a big goal and I’m still severely depressed. Or I could have gotten nothing done and everything in my life is horrible and I can get super excited sometimes. I get bursts of motivation to clean and do things and I get super positive thoughts, but the same goes”
“Hi, this might sound really basic and kinda not really important, but I've been feeling really unhappy about my... not really appearance but more attractiveness to other people? I'm 17 years old and I've never dated anyone before. I've been asked out once, but he had already dated literally every other member of my friend group before me, so I don't really think it reflects on my attractiveness as a person. There's been loads of times over the last couple of years that I&”
“thats literally what im going thr,feeling so lost and hopeless starting to stop believing in faith and religion ,i hope things get better for both of us and honestly this gave me a lil hope.”
“I always think about it once a day though I have never really discussed it with any friends or colleagues as it sounds weird to regular people.Is there anyone else like me? submitted by /u/VariationLivid3193 [link] [comments]”
“For maybe the past 7 or 8 years I noticed that I haven't really taken much joy in anything. I might be over exaggerating a bit so bear with me I've always had a habit of getting really absorbed into TV shows or games constantly seeking more and more out of it until there's nothing left. I absolutely love these series and I want to know everything about them, but as soon as it's over, as soon as I run out of things to think about every feeling I had towards it is completely gone.”
“so this happened just yesterday, woke up perfectly fine, took a shower, and suddenly for the rest of the day and part of today my legs have just felt weak and sore and my limbs almost feel heavy in a way, like i wasn’t walking right for a little context- i think this may be related to the fact i take a long time to recover from physical activity. some examples being when i worked 8 hour shifts it would take me almost a week after just one or two shifts to be able to walk comfortably again (this”
“I'm just doomscrolling tiktok.I have very strict diet restriction, so food doesn't give me joy anymore. I can't go far away and hanging out with friends. There's barely nothing that i want to do... submitted by /u/-Dthrowaway- [link] [comments]”
“Damn you’re right. Every single thing I worried about just blanked after you said that. I really should enjoy my life. Everything else is external after all. Waste of my time worrying about these problems really.”
“hey i know how you feel i feel the same way sometimes if you haven't tried it you should really go to therapy for that if you have the option and i feel the same way with minecraft for me its one of the only things that makes me happy anymore i'm here to talk if you need to hope things get better for you”
“i do the same shit man i don't even think about it i am looking at a gun one min the next i'm happy and talking with friends and i look like i am the happiest person in the room well inside i feel empty is you haven't tried it you should try therapy it doesn't fix everything but i know a lot of ppl that it does help happy b day”
“I’m not getting ready with my bridal party, at first it didn’t bother me because it made more sense logistically and for convenience of my friends. But now that I’m less than a month away I’m feeling down about it and lonely. I’m renting an Airbnb for the night before and night of the wedding. It is about a two min walk from the harbor in town where we are taking family portraits. The Airbnb only has 2 parking spots (with no street parking) and is a small cottage. When I initially found it I was”
“So, unfortunately I have the lovely issue on top of my deteriorating body of doctors just outright being unable to diagnose what is wrong with me, but I just... am having such a hard time grieving. For reference, I'm trans and I've been forced off my hormones (THAT I'VE BEEN TAKING FOR OVER 2 YEARS WITHOUT ISSUE AND NEED TO LIVE) because doctors want me to get tested for something completely unrelated (which they have admitted to it being unrelated?? lmfao), I have seizures and sleep”
“Omg feelin the same, exactly I feel like I’m in a fight. I would give everything to feel something or just feel safe to let all out but no. So I defintly understand you veii”
“Ive been miserable for years and it seems like I just cant be happy. I feel so alone and so out of place like I dont belong anywhere and I dont know what to do submitted by /u/funky_stoner420 [link] [comments]”
“I don’t understand how something like that can make you feel better. Is depression just caused by not having whatever that is? Idk, I wish I could draw like I used to again.”
“You’re starting to forget everything…or just having to constantly referencing stuff I don’t think I’m burnt out…perhaps I just stopped caring and changed my trajectory to just skidding through life Idk submitted by /u/Dry-Chemical-9170 [link] [comments]”
“where i live (UK) there has been a heatwave going on for the last week or so . i've been able to go out for a few days but now my body is drained and i feel so sad because i really want to enjoy the nice weather . it feels like a grief for a life i cannot have , sometimes i convince myself i'm fine but then my body shows me otherwise . my health always seems to get worse whenever i go out for extended periods and i find i am really heat intolerant presumably down to my meds and potential”
“I feel so stressed by the outside world and leaving my house, for so many reasons. I used to like going places by myself, especially going shopping or to boot fairs. But nowadays, although me and my sister are meant to share our car jointly, she uses it most days for work and when she doesn't use it for work she generally wants to be going out, so whenever I do take the car I feel extraordinarily guilty, if she messages me that she wants it while I am out I feel awful, it ruins my time out a”
“I don't know how to start... it's weird. I'm not depressed, I don't feel sluggish or like I don't want to wake up.. On the contrary, I work really hard in my life to support myself and my girlfriend.. who is truly the biggest support and a real saint in my life. I try to remain grateful for the small things, I mean, I AM grateful for my health, for life, for the love I have and for the food I get. I do find joy in the small things.. but.. something inside is.. tired. I don”
“I am feeling a way I don’t even know how to describe. I’m struggling with body image, and like I’ve lost 20kg, but thoughts never stop about how I look, what I’m eating ect. I feel guilty when eating, not moving or feel full, and when I eat smth that I feel I shouldn’t have, I spiral, and sometimes it lead to self harm, eg. (Scratching thumb enough to cause scabs, so I have a reminder about what happens and how I feel after I eat smth that i shouldn’t have.) (And scratching words like fat into m”
“Most of my life I would have described myself (M21) as a nice, calm, and respectful guy. Sure certain people would bother me or piss me off, but I never felt hateful towards them. Lately, I’ve just been having this feeling of hatred pile up inside of me. On the outside I act how I’ve always acted, calm and respectful. But I think my lack of letting it out on people is making it worse as it just keeps piling on. Little things that my family does or fails to do annoys the hell out of me, because I”
“I’ve dealt with depression and anxiety for years, plus anhedonia. The hobbies I loved, I can’t do anymore. I’m struggling at work, don’t want to leave the house, and my confidence is gone. I feel stuck in freeze mode rather than fight-or-flight. Here’s where I am lost: - Diagnosed bipolar 2, but the psychiatrist wasn’t fully sure. I’ve kept detailed journals for 5 years, and reviewing them, I’ve never had anything resembling hypomania. I think this was a misdiagnosis. I have always been depresse”
“I miss being young, carefree and didn’t have to worry about my health. When I actually thought about other things instead of my health. Now my health problems consume 90% of the daily thoughts and my life just doesn’t seem the same. It’s lost its spark. Everyday I wake up knowing I will have some sort of pain. I truly haven’t felt really good like I did when I was a teenager. Aging sucks. submitted by /u/Important-Flan-7370 [link] [comments]”
“I feel like the biggest loser in the world right now. Ever since covid my life has been going down hill. I try to act like everything is perfect but inside of me is just a dead soul walking. Im struggling with porn addiction and gambling. All my money is gone from gambling and I just can’t stop jerking off no matter how much I tell myself I’m done. I can’t even go out the house anymore because I’m dealing with so much anxiety and I’m terrified of being outside now. I feel like people see me as a”
“I was so depressed that I didn't even try to find my style or a haircut that suited me. I was underweight, and I have a big forehead, but that doesn't mean I'm ugly. I thought I was so ugly that I didn't like anyone taking pictures of me, and I barely even took pictures of myself. Now when I look through my camera roll I can barely find any pictures of myself from high school. I regret seeing myself that way. For anyone here who thinks they're ugly, try finding your own style”
“i know we all mostly have the same issues being in this community. i just feel so defeated sometimes. i have a pittie (mix but idk with what. he looks pretty full pit though not that it matters ? idk) a friend of mine got him from a stranger who needed to rehome him due to his original owner passing. then my friend.. got caught up in some stuff and had someone watching him that wasn’t really taking care of him. so that’s where i came in. i will say that i didn’t want a dog. i have 2 young kids a”
“Js to be clear i write for fun but i still want to improve as i go, so id love tips I got back into writing recently, and whenever I write, I start writing about one insignificant detail and drag it. basucally I lose direction easily. any tips on how I can know when ive written enough about one point? mostly for short strories, Its hard to Conclude those. TY!!! submitted by /u/t00tajj [link] [comments]”
“I am going through an existential crisis(or at least that's what I believe I'm going through). I've been having these thoughts for a long time, but now that I'm slowly trying to decode them, I'm feeling more and more empty inside. The more I analyze my own thoughts, the more logical conclusions I come to, and somehow every one of those conclusions leaves me feeling even emptier. When I couldn't understand the point of life, I came to nihilistic conclusions. Then I started”
“I’ve (29F) been thinking a lot lately about how chronic illness changed my life, and who I used to be before. For context, 3 years ago my chronic illness made me bed-ridden for a year and I have been recovering (and uncovering additional conditions) ever since. Having my world narrow so drastically and continue to do so has left me feeling lost. I was right on the precipice of finding myself when everything changed. I had done a lot of work on myself in therapy, was building a community I loved,”
“I'm the same. I've just finished my PGCE year and I'm feeling quite strange and restless. I've started planning for next year - it's the only thing that I feel like I want to do. Hoping this changes soon!”
“Hi!! So I can’t get out of bed I have no motivation sometimes I want to kms. I can’t do any of my hobbies because it just seems to hard even tho I want to live life i just feel like this mental block. Does this count as depression? submitted by /u/ScotizWolf [link] [comments]”
“I feel like absolutely nothing, it's hard to express my personal desires, i can't tell someone how I feel about them or how I feel about myself it's too hard and scary, so I just go with the flow I don't even remember anything from my childhood all the way up to middle school at all, I've been successfully ignoring it or masking it, I do what I'm supposed to do in life, but I can't help but feel held back by my own brain, I want to speak to someone about what I'm”
“Thing is I feel stuck. I feel void. I don't feel any emotions. Even after good events, I have felt nothing but void. I can't keep doing this anymore. Like I'm feeling restless for no reason. I stay up till night late. Couldn't concentrate on my studies. Lost few of my close friends because of my stupidity. Can't pay for a therapist. Already tried 3 times to off me. Now I am having thoughts for 4th attempt. I can't do this anymore. I'm loosing. Hotlines don't work”
“I don't feel like I'm a real person. I feel more like some weird subhuman / subspecies. This isn't just low self esteem, I probably have no self esteem whatsoever if it were actually measurable. I try to join subreddits where I can make new friends to chat with but I get weirdly uncomfortable and end up ghosting people because I feel like I'm just too weird or too lame to want to talk to. Like I embarrass myself and then just ditch the conversation and go run and hide. Really I&#”
“This has never happened to me before, so I feel upset about it. Lately when feeding my precious bub, I feel repulsed and annoyed. I am pregnant too. Is it related. I am happy to feed him till he chooses not to have any so I am confused what is going on here. Advice please submitted by /u/SHATNAY_olAy [link] [comments]”
“You’re not losing yourself. The fact that you miss the feeling of being yourself proves it. My advice is force yourself to do the things you used to enjoy. Even if it feels like hell at first. Over time your mind recognizes that these things matter more than the feelings of emptiness because you still prioritize them. And naturally you’ll start enjoying them over time without trying or pretending.”
“not horrible, not ugly :) drinking u should avoid tho. been there done that with ocd...”
“Hmm I think I get what you mean, I dont really understand the last part, english is not my first language so I'm kind of lost with the difficult part. I guess I will try getting more involved emotionally and see how it goes. Thanks for the advice <3”
“I'm feeling really weird in my body right now and it's so disruptive. Idk if I'll make any sense here, sorry 😅 CW: weight talk, ED mentions I was at a consistent weight for a few years, but my health has shifted. Between dozens of medication changes, dietary shifts, hormones, and stress, I don't know what's caused the weight gain. But I'm up 30 pounds and I feel so uncomfortable in my body. I don't like looking at myself from most angles. I would love to lose weight”
“Your life is precious,you are prcious dont forget this!You are love moe than you think, it may feels that God is quiet sometimes,but He is right there with you,search for Him with all your heart and everything else will come to you!”
“I took the NCLEX this morning and now I feel worse than I have ever felt before. Like I used to have pretty bad depression though middle school and early high school but nothing I have experienced can relate to what I am feeling now. I graduated from nursing school a month ago, passed my college’s optional exit CAT, and have been studying every day since. I mainly used two study programs that my university would have us use, Passpoint and Saunders, alongside nursing prep videos and reviewing old”
“Sometimes it honestly feels like I'm a different species of human or like I got dropped into the wrong universe or something. I care so much about the things I care about and find so much meaning in them and I'm constantly looking at the people around me thinking "why are you not marvelling at the beauty of this things existence??". It's the same thing with injustice, I'm constantly looking around going "why are you not bothered by this??". I've spent year”
“i have many things that saddens me but none of them cause me to cry particularly. i just randomly start to cry once no one is looking. its like its a part of my routine now in everyday life. i cant hold myself sometimes around others too, i just start to cry the second someone wants me to repeat myself and then stop in 2 minutes trying not to bother anyone. i dont understand why i use every opportunity to cry my lungs out everyday submitted by /u/egolukaplumbaga [link] [comment”
“thank you for your words, they mean a lot to me. this has been very weird, as I usually grieve hard. I have been grieving my other grandparents for more than half of my life (which is interesting, considered my grandpa passed before I was born), and I am still feeling much worse about my dog who passed in december than something as recent as this. it brings a lot of stuff up”
“Full disclosure I obviously love my kids and take accountability for my actions that lead to this point. That being said lately I've been seriously having feelings or regret and just downright sadness over my current situation. On paper its seems great but I am so unhappy as of late. I feel like I missed out on my 20s. We had our first at 24 unplanned and then just kind of went all in on the "checking boxes" part of adulthood. Bought a house, got promoted at work and then had our s”